4.3 Results
4.3.2 Observational outliers
Introductions and greetings
In this lesson you will learn:
• the basic greetings in Albanian
• the numbers from 1 to 12
• how to tell time (part 1)
You will learn the following grammatical points:
• the subject pronouns
• the verb jam ‘to be’ in the present indicative
• affi rmative, negative, and interrogative sentences with the verb jam ‘to be’
DIALOGU 1.1: PREZANTIMI
A.
Iliri: Mirëmëngjes! Unë jam Iliri. Kush je ti?
Teuta: Unë jam Teuta.
B.
Iliri: Mirëmëngjes! Unë jam Iliri. Kush jeni ju?
Teuta: Unë jam Teuta.
C.
Albana: Mirëdita! Unë quhem Albana. Si quhesh ti?
Arjani: Unë quhem Arjan. Po ai, si quhet?
Adi: Ai quhet Adi.
D.
Iliri: Mirëmbrëma, Teuta! Si je?
Teuta: Mirë, faleminderit. Po ti?
Iliri: Çka.
E.
Brizi: Mirëmbrëma, Eanda! Si është Trimi?
Eanda: Mirë, faleminderit. Po Vesa, si është?
Brizi: Shumë mirë.
F.
Bora: Mirëmbrëma, Bledi!
Bledi: Mirëmbrëma, Bora!
Bora: Si janë Iliri dhe Teuta?
Bledi: Iliri dhe Teuta janë shumë mirë. Po ju, si jeni?
Bora: Ne jemi shumë mirë. Po Doruntina dhe Vesa, si janë?
Bledi: Shumë mirë.
Bora: Mirupafshim!
Bledi: Mirupafshim, Bora!
FJALOR1
1. Albanian does not use accent marks to indicate stress. We have bolded and written an accent mark on the stressed syllable in all vocabulary lists so that you know where to stress the new words.
ai he
ai qúhet he is called (his name is)
çka so- so
ju you (formal sing., formal/
informal pl.) are you called? [formal sing.])
shúmë very
shúmë mírë very well
ti je you are (informal sing.) ti qúhesh you are called (your name is)
únë I
unë jám I am
unë qúhem I am called (my name is)
GRAMATIKË
§1 Subject pronouns in Albanian The subject pronouns are:
Singular Plural
unë I ne we
ti you (informal) ju you (informal)
ju you (formal) ju you (formal)
ai he ata they (masc.)
ajo she ato they (fem.)
Notice some important differences from English:
• In the singular, the second- person pronoun (you) is distinguished for formality. Ti is the infor-mal form (equivalent to the French tu), while ju is the forinfor-mal form (equivalent to the French vous). In the plural form only ju is used, and it can be either informal or formal (again, equiva-lent to the French vous). Following tradition, we will always list ju as a plural form.
• There is no equivalent pronoun for the English ‘it’. All nouns will be either masculine or femi-nine, and the pronouns ai and ajo, respectively, can be used in place of the nouns. Remember, however, that pronouns are used mostly for emphasis. As a general rule, avoid the pronoun, since the verbal form clearly indicates the person.
• Ato is used when referring to a group of women exclusively. Ata can refer either to an exclusive group of men or to a mixed group of men and women.
Kush janë ata? Who are they?
Ata janë Agroni dhe Sokoli. They are Agroni and Sokoli.
Ata janë Agroni dhe Teuta. They are Agroni and Teuta.
Kush janë ato? Who are they?
Ato janë Bora dhe Albana. They are Bora and Albana.
• The third- person pronouns ai, ajo, ata, and ato can also be used as demonstrative adjectives or pronouns equivalent to English ‘that’ or ‘those’ (see §21). Thus, the following example is ambi-guous:
Ata janë Agroni dhe Sokoli. They are Agroni and Sokoli.
Those are Agroni and Sokoli.
• The pronoun kush ‘who’ is typically used with the verb conjugated in the third- person singular (as in English; cf. “Who speaks Albanian?”). Lately, however, and most often with the verb ‘to be’, as in the examples below, it is used with the verb conjugated in the third- person plural if we know that the answer will be more than one person:
Kush është ajo? Who is she?
Ajo është Vesa. She is Vesa.
Kush janë ato? Who are they?
Ato janë Vesa dhe Bora. They are Vesa and Bora.
§2 The verb jam ‘to be’ in the present indicative
These are the forms of the verb jam ‘to be’ in the present indicative:
unë jam
In Standard Albanian there is no infi nitive; thus, the form of the fi rst- person singular in the pres-ent indicative ( jam in our example) is the form used to refer to the verb or the form found in dic-tionaries.2
Notice that the number 3 has two forms, tre and tri. Tre is used with masculine nouns, while tri is used with feminine nouns. To form the numbers 11 and 12, simply add -mbëdhjetë (lit., on ten) to the basic unit.
§4 Telling time (part 1)
Sa është ora? What time is it?
Ora është katër. It’s four o’clock.
1:00 Ora është një. It’s one o’clock.
2:00 Ora është dy. It’s two o’clock.
3:00 Ora është tre. It’s three o’clock.
8:00 Ora është tetë. It’s eight o’clock.
9:00 Ora është nëntë. It’s nine o’clock.
12:00 Ora është dymbëdhjetë. It’s twelve o’clock.
Notice that when you say “Ora është dy” (It’s two o’clock), you are literally saying “The hour is two.”
2. Albanian has two major dialects: the northern dialect (called Gheg) and the southern dialect (called Tosk). In Gheg, verbs do have an infi nitival form, which is the form listed in dictionaries. The infi nitival form of the verb ‘to be’ is me qen(ë)/me ken(ë)/me kan, depending on the region.
USHTRIMI 1.1
Complete the following sentences with the appropriate subject pronoun. Remember that proper names that end in -i are typically masculine, while proper names that end in -a are typically feminine.
1. __________ jam Sokoli. ________ je Albana.
2. __________ jemi mirë.
3. __________ jeni mirë. ________ jam shumë mirë.
4. __________ është Albana, ________ është Sokoli.
5. __________ janë Albana dhe Agroni.
6. __________ janë Albana dhe Teuta.
7. __________ janë Sokoli dhe Agroni.
USHTRIMI 1.2
Complete the following sentences with the appropriate form of the verb jam in the present indica-tive.
1. Unë ________ Gëzimi.
2. Ju _________ mirë, ne ________ keq.
3. Gëzimi dhe Iliri _______ shumë mirë.
4. Mirëmëngjes! Unë ____ Iliri. Po ti, kush _____? Unë ______ Teuta.
5. Ai _________ Arjani.
6. Iliri dhe unë __________ mirë.
7. Albana dhe Vesa ___________ keq.
8. Ajo dhe ai __________ shumë mirë.
9. Ata _____ mirë.
10. Ajo _____ Albana dhe ai _____ Sokoli.
USHTRIMI 1.3
Introduce yourself to a classmate and inquire how he or she is. Do this exercise in a formal style fi rst and then in an informal style.
USHTRIMI 1.4
Tell the time.
8:00 Ora është tetë.
1. 7:00 5. 12:00 9. 2:00
2. 10:00 6. 5:00 10. 4:00
3. 9:00 7. 3:00 11. 6:00
4. 11:00 8. 1:00 12. 8:00
USHTRIMI 1.5
Read these numbers as fast as possible. Read them forward and backward.
1 3 5 7 9 11 2 4 6 8 10 5 7 6 9 10 12 9 4 2 12 1 5 7 9 10 9 8 7
DIALOGU 1.2: PËRSHËNDETJE
D.
Zonja Lira: Mirëmëngjes, zoti Agim! Si jeni?
Zoti Agim: Mirë, faleminderit! Po ju, si jeni zonja Lira?
Zonja Lira: Shumë mirë. Mirupafshim, zoti Agim!
Zoti Agim: Mirupafshim!
E.
Zonja Besa: Mirëdita, zoti Dritan!
Zoti Dritan: Mirëdita, zonja Besa!
Zonja Besa: Si jeni me shëndet?
Zoti Dritan: Mirë, faleminderit. Po ju?
Zonja Besa: Mirë, në përgjithësi. Ditën e mirë!
Zoti Dritan: Ditën e mirë!
F.
Beni: Mirëmbrëma! Si je Idlir?
Idliri: Jo keq. Po ti?
Beni: Mirë. Natën e mirë, Idlir!
Idliri: Natën e mirë!
Po tí? And you? (informal)
si how
ti jé you are (informal)
zónja Miss or Mrs.
zóti Mr.
GRAMATIKË
§5 Negative and interrogative sentences
Look at the following examples and then answer the questions below:
Declarative sentence:
Ju jeni Agimi. You are Agimi.
Negative sentence:
Ju nuk jeni Agimi. You are not Agimi.
Ju s’jeni Agimi.
Interrogative sentence:
Jeni ju Agimi? Are you Agimi?
A jeni ju Agimi?
What are the two ways to form a negative sentence?
_______________________________________________________________
What are the two ways to form an interrogative sentence?
_______________________________________________________________
• As we can see in the examples above, a negative sentence is made by adding nuk or s’ in front of the verb. There is no difference between nuk and s’.
• An interrogative sentence is made by inverting the subject and the verb. You can also use the in-terrogative particle a in front of the inverted verb. There is no difference in meaning between the two interrogative sentences above.
• To answer a question, you can use po ‘yes’ or jo ‘no’:
Jeni ju Drita? Are you Drita?
Po, unë jam Drita. Yes, I am Drita.
Jeni ju Agimi? Are you Agimi?
Jo, unë nuk jam Agimi. Unë jam Genci. No, I’m not Agimi. I’m Genci.
Jo, unë s’jam Agimi. Unë jam Genci. No, I’m not Agimi. I’m Genci.
• To answer a question affi rmatively, use po ‘yes’.
• To answer a question negatively, use jo ‘no’.
• Po is also used to introduce the topic of a question. The closest English equivalent to this use is
‘and’.
Unë jam mirë. Po ti? I am well. And you?
Ne jemi mirë. Po ju, si jeni? We are well. And you, how are you?
USHTRIMI 1.6
Follow the model and answer the questions affi rmatively (indicated here as +) using the formal form ju. Remember that masculine names typically end in - i, while feminine names typically end in - a. Practice with a classmate.
Albani (+) (A) jeni ju Albani?
Po, unë jam Albani. Kush jeni ju?
Unë jam _________.
1. Drini (+) 2. Genta (+) 3. Iliri (+) 4. Arbri (+) 5. Vesa (+)
6. Edoni (+) 7. Besmiri (+) 8. Entela (+) 9. Kaltrina (+) 10. Ermali (+)
USHTRIMI 1.7
Do Ushtrimi 1.6 again, but now use the informal form ti, as in the example:
Albani (+) (A) je ti Albani?
Po, unë jam Albani. Kush je ti?
Unë jam _________.
USHTRIMI 1.8
Follow the model and answer the questions negatively (indicated here as –). Practice with a class-mate.
Albani (–), Arbi (+) (A) është ai Albani?
Jo, ai nuk është Albani. Ai është Arbi.
or Jo, ai s’është Albani. Ai është Arbi.
Eva (–), Edlira (+) (A) është ajo Eva?
Jo, ajo nuk është Eva. Ajo është Edlira.
or Jo, ajo s’është Eva. Ajo është Edlira.
1. Drini (–), Brizi (+) 2. Drita (–), Persida (+) 3. Dhurata (–), Manjola (+) 4. Kastrioti (–), Shpëtimi (+) 5. Genci (–), Mondi (+)
USHTRIMI 1.9
Follow the model and answer the questions negatively (indicated here as –). Practice with a class-mate.
Albani dhe Arbi (–), Ervini dhe Iliri (+) (A) janë ata Albani dhe Arbi?
Jo, ata nuk janë Albani dhe Arbi.
Ata janë Ervini dhe Iliri.
Lura dhe Bardha (–), Ilda dhe Arlinda (+) (A) janë ato Lura dhe Bardha?
Jo, ato s’janë Lura dhe Bardha.
Ato janë Ilda dhe Arlinda.
1. Artani dhe Beni (–), Edi dhe Arditi (+)
2. Qëndresa dhe Lirza (–), Flaka dhe Kaltrina (+) 3. Liridoni dhe Trimi (–), Amli dhe Kevini (+) 4. Manjola dhe Alma (–), Dhurata dhe Andra (+) 5. Lura dhe Jonida (–), Eni dhe Kristina (+)
USHTRIMI 1.10
Hold miniconversations with your classmates, as in the example. Pay attention to the proper pro-nunciation of the names.
Genci, 8:00 Mirëmëngjes, Genci!
Mirëmëngjes _________.
Genci, sa është ora?
Ora është tetë.
1. 10:00, Çiljeta 2. 9:00, Erjon 3. 8:00, Agron 4. 12:00, Gëzim 5. 6:00, Jehona
INFORMACIONE KULTURORE
• The most common Albanian greetings are mirëmëngjes ‘good morning’, mirëdita ‘good after-noon’, and mirëmbrëma ‘good evening’. In Shkodër (northwestern Albania) nadja e mirë is also used for ‘good morning’. In Gheg- speaking populations, mirëmëngjes is pronounced like mir-mjes. In northern Albania and in Kosovo, mirëmbrëma is pronounced mirmrama, and in central Albania, it is pronounced mirmroma. The word natën alone is often used for natën e mirë.
• Tungjatjeta (lit., May your life become longer!) used to be a common equivalent to English
‘hello’. Nowadays this form is used only sporadically. However, its short form, tung, has
be-come common for ‘good- bye’, especially in Kosovo. In Albanian- speaking populations in Ma-cedonia, tung is also used for ‘hello’.
• Another common greeting that Albanians use when they greet one another informally is Ç’kemi (or in popular speech among young people, Ç’kena?), which is the equivalent of the English
“What’s up?” (lit., What do we have?). In Kosovo, Ç’ka bone? is used instead.
• Çao, an adaptation of the Italian ciao, is an informal farewell greeting, and it is especially popu-lar among young people.
• Another word that is used for ‘Mr.’ both in Standard Albanian and in Tosk is zotëri. In Gheg, zotni is used instead.
• Zonjushë is the equivalent for English ‘Miss’. In Gheg, this is often pronounced zojushë.3
• Zonjë ‘Mrs.’ was used to refer to the marital status of a woman (married, single). Nowadays, however, it is used also to address a woman who does not look young or to show respect. Zonjë, especially in Gheg- speaking populations, is often pronounced zoj.
• During the Communist period zoti, zonjë, and zonjushë were not used. Instead, people ad-dressed one another by using the word shok ‘comrade’ (masc.) and shoqe ‘comrade’ (fem.).
Nowadays these words are used to mean ‘friend’.
• Albanian- speaking people usually shake hands when greeting someone or when saying bye. When joining or leaving a group of people, they shake the hand of everyone present. The
3. Nowadays, a reduced form of zojushë—zysh is colloquially used to address female teachers: zysh Mira
‘Teacher Mira’.
Tirana (photo: Afërdita Koçi)
handshake is quick and relaxed. Albanian- speaking people also stand very close to each other when talking. Speakers of Albanian move their hands a great deal while talking.
• Use ju when you talk to someone you address using a title such as zoti Agim, zonja Dea.
• Use the informal ti when you refer to a person using his or her fi rst name.
• Although ju is considered formal and ti informal, the use of ti for both situations is becoming more common among Albanians.
• Faleminderit ‘thank you’ has two forms: falemnderit and faleminderit. Both of them are used interchangeably.
• Rrofsh! (lit., May you live!) is also used for thank you.