Albanian for Tourists

Albanian for tourists?

Yes, knowing common phrases and expressions in Albanian Language will help you communicate with locals, especially with the older generation.

In modern Albanian schools, children learn English and one more European language of their choice: Italian, French, German, or Greek.

Thus, young Albanians are fluent in several European languages.

If a tourist knows English, they will be able to communicate freely with Albanians in hotels, cafes, bars, and shops.

Fact: During the communist regime in Albania, from 1950 to 1961, schools taught only two languages: Albanian and Russian, while English was not included. This explains why the older generation does not speak English—it was not taught in schools.

For ordering food in cafes or communicating on the beaches of Albania, English will be sufficient for mutual understanding.

Albanian Alphabet

How Many Letters Are in the Albanian Alphabet?

The Albanian alphabet consists of 36 (thirty-six) letters.

The letters are Latin, not Cyrillic.

A (a)	B (b)	C (c)	Ç (ç)	D (d)	DH (dh)	E (e)	Ё (ё)	F (f)
G (g)	GJ (gj)	H (h)	I (i)	J (j)	K (k)	L (l)	LL (ll)	M )m)
N (n)	Nj (nj)	O (o)	P (p)	Q (q)	R (r)	RR (rr)	S (s)	SH (sh)
T (t)	TH (th)	U (u)	V (v)	X (x)	XH (xh)	Y (y)	Z (z)	ZH (zh)

Vowels and Consonants in the Albanian Language

There are 7 (seven) vowel letters: A, E, Ë, I, O, U, Y.

There are 29 (twenty-nine) consonant letters, including all double letters.

And there are 9 (nine) double consonant letters: DH, GJ, LL, NJ, RR, SH, TH, XH, ZH.

Origin of the Albanian Language

The Albanian language belongs to the Indo-European language family.

What can be stated with certainty is that it is an ancient language, with Illyrian as its predecessor.

The Illyrian civilization emerged and disappeared. What remains today is the modern Albanian people and their unique language.

Standard Albanian Language

In November 1972, at a congress in Tirana (held from November 20-25), a unified standard Albanian language (Gjuha letrare) was established. The southern Tosk dialect was chosen as the basis.

It has remained the official language of Albania to this day. Before this, there were two dialects: the southern (Toskë) and the northern (Gegë). The approximate boundary between the northern and southern dialects was the Shkumbin River (Lumi Shkumbin).

Interesting fact: The Tosk variant of the language was chosen by the General Secretary of the Party, Enver Hoxha, and his party colleagues, despite the larger number of northern Geg speakers in the country. The reason was simple: Enver and most of his party associates were born in the south, where the Tosk dialect was spoken.

In any case, the creation of a unified language proved highly beneficial for the country, as it led to uniformity in speech and better understanding among people from different regions.

A unified educational system and standardized textbooks improved communication and strengthened Albanians as a single nation.

Albanian Language Dialects

At the beginning of the 20th century, Albanians used more than 10 different variants of the Albanian language for communication. This often led to misunderstandings between Albanians.

The explanation is simple: for centuries, foreign rulers prohibited a unified official language, leading to the natural independent development of the language in isolated areas.

This resulted in a variety of dialects in Albania.

For example, in early 20th-century newspapers, Albanian words were written using Greek letters “lambda” and “theta.” Such communities were located in southern Albania and had close ties with Greek society.

In some areas, Albanian was written with a mix of Cyrillic (Russian) letters. These communities were in eastern Albania and had close connections with Macedonian society.

And so on.

Disclaimer: “The photograph was taken at the Museum of Independence in Vlora. All rights to the exhibits belong to the museum.”

Foreign Words in Albanian

Yes, the Albanian language includes foreign words.

It has naturally borrowed words from other languages.

Language is a means of communication between people. When two individuals speak different languages, they may agree on certain words, which then become common to both.

This is how new words are added to a language. Mutual understanding enriches a language with new terms.

Fact: The desire to achieve mutual understanding with others leads to the enrichment of languages with new terms.

Any modern language has absorbed newly created terms. Scientific and technological progress brings changes. The Albanian language is no exception—it contains many foreign words.

Difficult Aspects of the Albanian Language

Yes, Albanian is considered one of the most difficult languages.

It has its own rules and a distinction between masculine and feminine words. For example, compared to Russian, masculine words in Russian are often feminine in Albanian and vice versa.

For instance, the Russian masculine word “стол” (table) is feminine in Albanian and written as “tavolinë.” This often becomes a stumbling block for learners.

Endings in Albanian change depending on various factors: case, gender, and more. Just like in Russian, this creates challenges for learners.

Some words in the past tense have completely different roots and are essentially different words. One must memorize forms, words, and expressions.

Another difficulty is the lack of associative connections with other languages. The sounds are unique and sometimes difficult for foreigners to pronounce. Training the speech apparatus and vocal cords is necessary for speaking Albanian.

I have noticed that the plural in Albanian starts with the number “two.” There is “one,” and then everything else is considered “many.”

For example, in Russian, the plural starts with “five.” There is “one,” a separate group “two, three, four,” and then everything beyond “five” is considered “many.” The endings of numerals change differently in Russian and Albanian.

A single word can have completely different meanings depending on stress placement. For example, the term “fjali” means “word” when stressed on the first syllable and “sentence” when stressed on the last syllable. The spelling remains the same.

There may be other challenges when learning Albanian.

Five Tips for Learning Albanian

Learn the official version—the standard Albanian language.

Learn to pronounce and write words correctly from the start. Place stress correctly. Practice pronunciation. Have a native Albanian check your pronunciation.

Practice speaking with locals.

Find a proper teacher who uses an effective teaching method, helps students achieve small daily victories, and trains correct pronunciation without confusing students with riddles or failures.

Study the language daily.

Basic Tourist Dictionary

If a foreigner can say “hello,” “thank you,” and “goodbye,” that is already a good start and will aid mutual understanding with locals.

Common Albanian words and their translations:

• Shqipëria – Albania
• Përshëndetje – Hello
• Mirëmëngjes – Good morning
• Mirëdita – Good afternoon
• Mirëmbrëma – Good evening
• Faleminderit – Thank you
• Mirupafshim – Goodbye
• Mirë – Good
• Keq – Bad

If you want to better understand Albanians, their traditions and customs, learning their language is essential.

Recommended Literature for Russian Speakers

Here are two dictionaries and a study guide published in Albania.

I ordered them at a bookstore in Vlora, and they arrived a week later.

Russian-Albanian Dictionary, 35,000 words. Price: 3000 lek. Authors: Mukades Manqe, Lidia Dhimitri, and others. Publisher: EDFA.

Albanian-Russian Dictionary, 25,000 words. Price: 1500 lek. Author: Mukades Manqe. Publisher: EDFA.

Albanian in a Short Time: 15 Lessons with CD for Practice. Price: 800 lek. Authors: Bahri Beci, Merita Bruci. Publisher: EDFA.

The prices are indicated on the books and are the same for any buyer.

The photo is taken from the book “Fjalor rusisht-shqip” (Publishing house EDFA, Tirane, 2005). Copyright belongs to the publishers EDFA and the authors: Mukades Manqe, Lidia Dhimitri and others.

Useful tips

The ideal option for more accurate and faster learning of the Albanian language: use the intermediate English language.

In the first years after the fall of the Enver Hoxha regime, many Albanians moved to the West (to the USA and Europe), who had learned English well over 30 years.

The point is this: Google translates perfectly from English to Albanian and vice versa. And Google translates poorly from Russian to Albanian and vice versa. It makes many mistakes in translation or does not know some words at all.

Advice: in case of a questionable translation, first use the translation into English, and then into Russian.

In addition, there are resources on the Internet where English everyday phrases are translated into Albanian. Use such resources for your learning and better understanding of Albanians.

If you buy both dictionaries (Albanian-Russian and Russian-Albanian), you will be able to more accurately understand the essence of Albanian common phrases.

Disclaimer: “All materials on the site are used for informational purposes. Images taken from books belong to their authors and publishers.”

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