Naim Frashëri was an Albanian poet and a leader of the Albanian National Awakening. Here is one of his most familiar lines of verse: "Punë punë natë e ditë që të shohim pakëz dritë." It means, "Work, work day and night, just to see a little light." ("Natë e ditë" actually means "night and day," but I took the liberty to rearrange them in order to capture the rhyme in English.)

One of the things that often comes as a shock to Albanian learners is that proper nouns (including people's names) change their form. Here are some examples with my name: How are you, Mark? = Si je, Mark? Mark is from America. = Marku është nga Amerika. I told Mark. = I thashë Markut. I'm with Mark. = Jam me Markun. This may seem really strange to you, but if you think about it, there is actually one situation where a person's name changes in English. Did you think of it? Possessive! (For example, "Mark's apartment.") These declensions (that's the technical term for these changes) might seem overwhelming at first, but you can master it. I'm here to help.

Did you know that the Albanian word for goodbye literally means "May we see one another well"? This is a good example of the optative mood, and it's one of my favorite things about the language. It's a special verb form used to express a wish -- typically a blessing or a curse. To translate it into English you generally use the word "may." Here's another example: When Albanians share food or drink with someone -- whether a friend buying a coffee for a friend, a waiter putting a plate in front of a customer, or a host offering a meal to a guest -- they often say "Ju bëftë mirë" which translates "May it be good for you." Albanian is rich in beautiful sayings that rely on the optative mood. But it's not always used for nice things. The "may" translation is sometimes confusing, because "may" in English is also the way we ask permission. (As in "Mother, may I...") Once I went with a group of expats to a soccer game, and the young Albanian men were shouting their favorite curse at the other team. My fellow expats were naturally curious, and I explained that the crowd was chanting, "May I f*** your sister!" "Well it's nice that they're asking permission I guess," someone commented dryly. Funny, but inaccurate. They weren't asking permission. They were saying, "I hope this happens."

Do you rely on Google Translate or ChapGPT to get around in Albanian? These apps have their uses but also their limitations. I had a conversation a while back with a friend who was trying to use an online app to inform his waiter that he wanted his salmon "well done", but the waiter seemed confused. It turned out that what he was saying to the waiter was "Good job!" For the record, if you want something thoroughly cooked, the phrase is "(i/e, or të) pjekur mirë." If you want to compliment someone on doing well, you can say, "Mirë bëre!"

Hey, I'm Mark. I first came to Albania in 1995, and since then I have lived in Albania and among Albanian communities in neighboring nations (Kosova and North Macedonia) for more than 14 years. My wife and I now live in Vlora where I enjoy helping my fellow expats to learn Albanian. In fact, I enjoy it so much I decided to teach online too. Glad you could join us!