Learn Albanian: Essential Phrases with Pronunciations and Audio Guide
Overview
Albanian is spoken by about 7.5 million people, mainly in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and neighboring countries. The phrases below are in Standard Albanian (Tosk-based), used officially in Albania and widely understood. Notes on Gheg dialect (common in Kosovo and northern Albania) are included where relevant.
Pronunciation Guide: Use the simplified pronunciation for quick reference or the IPA for precise phonetics. Albanian has unique sounds, like "rr" (strongly rolled /r/) and "ç" (/tʃ/, like "church").
Greetings
Meaning: Hello
Pronunciation: per-shen-det-ye
IPA: /pəɾʃəndɛtjɛ/
Note: In Gheg, sometimes shortened to "Përshëndet" (/pəɾʃəndɛt/).
Meaning: Good day
Pronunciation: meer-dee-ta
IPA: /miɾədita/
Meaning: Goodbye
Pronunciation: mee-roo-paf-sheem
IPA: /miɾupafʃim/
Meaning: Hello, bye
Pronunciation: toong-yat-yeta
IPA: /tuŋɟatjɛta/
Meaning: Hello, bye (informal)
Pronunciation: toong
IPA: /tuŋ/
Note: Common in both Tosk and Gheg, but Gheg may nasalize the vowel slightly (/tũŋ/).
Meaning: How are you doing?
Pronunciation: see yeh-nee
IPA: /si jɛni/
Note: In Gheg, often "Si je?" (/si jɛ/) for singular informal.
Meaning: I'm fine, thank you.
Pronunciation: yahm meer, fah-leh-min-deh-reet
IPA: /jam miɾə falɛmindɛɾit/
Meaning: Good evening
Pronunciation: meer-uhm-breh-ma
IPA: /miɾəmbɾəma/
Meaning: Good night
Pronunciation: nah-tuhn eh meer
IPA: /natən ɛ miɾə/
Meeting People
Meaning: Misses
Pronunciation: zohn-yeh
IPA: /zɔɲə/
Meaning: Mister
Pronunciation: zoh-teh-ree
IPA: /zɔtəɾi/
Meaning: Miss
Pronunciation: zohn-yoo-sheh
IPA: /zɔɲuʃə/
Meaning: What's your name?
Pronunciation: see eh keh ehm-rin
IPA: /si ɛ kɛ ɛmɾin/
Meaning: My name is ...
Pronunciation: ehm-ree eem ehshteh
IPA: /ɛmɾi im ɛʃtə/
Meaning: What's your name?
Pronunciation: see tuh koo-ahyn
IPA: /si tə kuaɲə/
Meaning: My name is .......
Pronunciation: koo-hem
IPA: /kuhɛm/
Meaning: What's your name?
Pronunciation: see koo-esh
IPA: /si kuɛʃ/
Meaning: What's your name? (Formal)
Pronunciation: see koo-heh-mee
IPA: /si kuhɛmi/
Meaning: Glad to meet you.
Pronunciation: meh vyen meer
IPA: /mə vjɛn miɾə/
Meaning: Where do you come from?
Pronunciation: (preh) ngah vyen
IPA: /(pɾɛj) ŋa vjɛn/
Note: In Gheg, "prej" is often omitted, so just "Nga vjen?" (/ŋa vjɛn/).
Meaning: From which country are you?
Pronunciation: ngah tsee-lee shteht yeh-nee
IPA: /ŋa tʃili ʃtɛt jɛni/
Meaning: I'm from Greece.
Pronunciation: yahm ngah greh-kee
IPA: /jam ŋa gɾɛci/
Meaning: See you later.
Pronunciation: shee-heh-mee meh voh-nehr
IPA: /ʃihɛmi mə vonə/
Giving Directions
Meaning: How can I get there?
Pronunciation: see moond tuh shkoj aht-yeh
IPA: /si mund tə ʃkoj atjɛ/
Meaning: To be, to find oneself
Pronunciation: kehr-koy
IPA: /kɛɾkoj/
Meaning: I'm looking for the bus station.
Pronunciation: poh kehr-koy stah-tsyoh-nin eh ah-oo-toh-boo-seet
IPA: /po kɛɾkoj statsionin ɛ autoˈbusit/
Meaning: I go
Pronunciation: shkoj
IPA: /ʃkoj/
Meaning: Where does this bus go?
Pronunciation: koo shkon koo ah-oo-toh-boo-seet
IPA: /ku ʃkon ky autoˈbusit/
Meaning: On foot
Pronunciation: meh kuhm-buh
IPA: /mə kəmbə/
Meaning: Is it within walking distance?
Pronunciation: ah moond teh shkoj meh kuhm-buh aht-yeh
IPA: /a mund tɛ ʃkoj mə kəmbə atjɛ/
Meaning: Have a nice trip!
Pronunciation: rroo-guh tuh mbahr
IPA: /rruɡə tə mbaɾə/
Various Phrases
Meaning: I understand
Pronunciation: koop-toy
IPA: /kuptoj/
Meaning: I don't understand.
Pronunciation: nook koop-toy
IPA: /nuk kuptoj/
Meaning: Please
Pronunciation: yoo loo-tehm
IPA: /ju lutɛm/
Meaning: Thank you.
Pronunciation: fah-leh-min-deh-reet
IPA: /falɛmindɛɾit/
Meaning: You are welcome.
Pronunciation: skah pehr-seh
IPA: /ska pəɾsɛ/
Meaning: Yes.
Pronunciation: poh
IPA: /po/
Meaning: No.
Pronunciation: yoh
IPA: /jo/
Meaning: Excuse me.
Pronunciation: meh fahl-nee
IPA: /mə falni/
Meaning: What do you want? (Colloquial)
Pronunciation: tsah doh
IPA: /tʃa do/
Meaning: Where do you work?
Pronunciation: koo poo-non
IPA: /ku punon/
Meaning: Work
Pronunciation: poon
IPA: /punə/
Meaning: At home
Pronunciation: neh shte-pee (formal), neh shpee (informal)
IPA: /nɛ ʃtəpi/ (formal), /nɛ ʃpi/ (informal)
Note: "Ne shpi" is informal in both Tosk and Gheg, but Gheg may nasalize vowels slightly (/nɛ̃ ʃpi/).
Meaning: We don't have any money.
Pronunciation: nook kuh-mee leh-keh
IPA: /nuk kəmi lɛkə/
The lek is the Albanian currency. In Albanian, to say 'money,' we use the same word in the plural, lekkë.
Learning Resources
Recommended Book: Colloquial Albanian by Isa Zymberi and Hector Campos is an excellent resource for learning Albanian. It offers clear lessons, basic grammar structures, and dialogue exercises to help you start speaking. The updated edition is simplified compared to the older version, which included unnoted Kosovan (Gheg) elements.
Note: The audio for the book is available for free on the publisher’s website, so you may not need to purchase it separately.
Additional Resources:
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