Albanian Adverbs
Adverbs tell you how, when, and where something happens - mirë (well), tani (now), këtu (here), shumë (very). They are among the fastest wins in Albanian, because many of them are just adjectives with the linking word dropped, and because a handful cover most of everyday speech.
The easy trick: adjective minus the linking word
Many Albanian adverbs of manner are made by taking an articulated adjective and simply dropping its i/e linking word. What is left is the adverb. This one rule gives you dozens of adverbs for free once you know the adjectives.
| Adjective | Adverb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| i mirë (good) | mirë | well |
| i keq (bad) | keq | badly |
| i shpejtë (fast) | shpejt | quickly |
| i qartë (clear) | qartë | clearly |
| i ngadalshëm (slow) | ngadalë | slowly |
| i bukur (beautiful) | bukur | nicely / beautifully |
Adverbs of time: when
These pin an action to a moment. They usually sit at the start or end of the sentence.
| Albanian | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tani | now | Po vij tani. (I am coming now.) |
| sot | today | Sot punoj nga shtëpia. (Today I work from home.) |
| nesër | tomorrow | Nesër shkoj në punë. (Tomorrow I go to work.) |
| dje | yesterday | Dje isha në shtëpi. (Yesterday I was at home.) |
| gjithmonë | always | Ai vjen gjithmonë vonë. (He always comes late.) |
| kurrë | never | Nuk pi kurrë kafe. (I never drink coffee.) |
| shpesh | often | Shkojmë shpesh në det. (We often go to the sea.) |
| tashmë | already | Ai ka ardhur tashmë. (He has already arrived.) |
Adverbs of place: where
These answer "where?" and pair naturally with verbs of motion and location.
| Albanian | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| këtu | here | Unë jetoj këtu. (I live here.) |
| atje | there | Shtëpia është atje. (The house is there.) |
| lart | up / above | Macja është lart. (The cat is up above.) |
| poshtë | down / below | Shiko poshtë. (Look down.) |
| afër | near | Shkolla është afër. (The school is near.) |
| larg | far | Deti është larg. (The sea is far.) |
| brenda | inside | Ata janë brenda. (They are inside.) |
| jashtë | outside | Fëmijët luajnë jashtë. (The children play outside.) |
Adverbs of manner and degree
Manner adverbs describe how the action is done and usually come right after the verb: Ai flet mirë ("He speaks well"). Degree adverbs like shumë ("very / a lot") and pak ("a little") turn the dial up or down on verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs - shumë mirë ("very well"), pak i lodhur ("a little tired").
| Albanian | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mirë | well | Ai flet mirë. (He speaks well.) |
| keq | badly | Fjeta keq mbrëmë. (I slept badly last night.) |
| shpejt | quickly | Ai ecën shpejt. (He walks quickly.) |
| ngadalë | slowly | Fol ngadalë, të lutem. (Speak slowly, please.) |
| shumë | very / a lot | Ajo punon shumë. (She works a lot.) |
| pak | a little | Flas pak shqip. (I speak a little Albanian.) |
| mjaft | enough / quite | Është mjaft mirë. (It is quite good.) |
| bashkë | together | Ne punojmë bashkë. (We work together.) |
Comparing adverbs
Just like adjectives, adverbs compare with më ("more") in front: më shpejt ("faster"), më ngadalë ("more slowly"). Two everyday ones are irregular and worth memorising - mirë ("well") becomes më mirë ("better"), and keq ("badly") becomes më keq ("worse").
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