The basics
Albanian Greetings and Common Phrases
A handful of greetings lets you start conversations from day one, and Albanian speakers are delighted when a foreigner tries. Below are the essentials, from "hello" to "nice to meet you".
Hello, goodbye, and the times of day
Përshëndetje is the safe, all-purpose "hello" - but know that it is quite formal. It is literally a health-wish (built on shëndet, "health" - roughly "salutations to your health"), and in relaxed company most people open with Ç'kemi? or a time-of-day greeting instead.
| Albanian | English |
|---|---|
| Përshëndetje | Hello (all-purpose, quite formal) |
| Mirëmëngjes | Good morning |
| Mirëdita | Good afternoon / good day |
| Mirëmbrëma | Good evening |
| Natën e mirë | Good night |
| Mirupafshim | Goodbye |
| Ç'kemi? | What's up? (informal) |
Save Përshëndetje for strangers, service situations, and anyone you would address as ju - never wrong, just formal.
How are you? and the polite words
Albanian distinguishes informal (ti) from formal/plural (ju). Use the ju forms with strangers and elders until invited to be casual.
| Albanian | English |
|---|---|
| Si je? | How are you? (informal) |
| Si jeni? | How are you? (formal / plural) |
| Mirë, faleminderit | Fine, thank you |
| Faleminderit | Thank you |
| Të lutem / Ju lutem | Please (informal / formal) |
| S'ka përse | You're welcome |
| Më fal / Më falni | Excuse me / sorry (informal / formal) |
| Po / Jo | Yes / No |
Introducing yourself
Put a few of these together and you can already have a first exchange: greet, ask a name, give yours, and say it was nice to meet.
| Albanian | English |
|---|---|
| Si e ke emrin? | What's your name? (informal) |
| Unë quhem… | My name is… ("I am called…") |
| Emri im është… | My name is… |
| Gëzohem që të njoh | Nice to meet you |
| Nga je? | Where are you from? |
| Unë jam nga… | I am from… |
Keep learning
Up nextAlbanian vocabularyHow to build a vocabulary that sticks - high-frequency words first, drilled with spaced repetition.Albanian greetings flashcardsThe hellos, thank-yous, and introductions from this page, as a free practice deck.The Albanian alphabetAll 36 letters with their sounds and example words - the phonetic key to reading anything.Albanian numbersCount from 0 to 100 and beyond - with the simple pattern that builds every number in between.