Albanian Prepositions
Prepositions are the small connecting words - në (in), me (with), për (for), nga (from) - that glue a sentence together. They are short, high-frequency, and you meet them constantly, so a little focused practice pays off fast. Here are the ones you need, with real examples.
The everyday prepositions
Start with these. They cover a huge share of real sentences, and each one works much like its English counterpart.
| Albanian | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| në | in / at / to | në shtëpi (at home) |
| me | with | me ty (with you) |
| pa | without | pa ujë (without water) |
| për | for / about | për ty (for you) |
| nga | from | nga Shqipëria (from Albania) |
| te / tek | at / to (a person or place) | te mjeku (at the doctor's) |
| deri | until / up to | deri nesër (until tomorrow) |
| sipas | according to | sipas meje (according to me) |
Place and direction
This group handles where things are and where they are going - on the table, under the chair, in front of the house.
| Albanian | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mbi | on / above | mbi tryezë (on the table) |
| nën | under | nën tryezë (under the table) |
| para | before / in front of | para shtëpisë (in front of the house) |
| pas | after / behind | pas darkës (after dinner) |
| midis / ndërmjet | between / among | midis nesh (between us) |
| rreth | around / about | rreth qytetit (around the city) |
| afër | near | afër detit (near the sea) |
| larg | far from | larg shtëpisë (far from home) |
në does the work of three English words
One preposition worth singling out: në covers "in", "at", and "to" depending on context. Jam në shtëpi is "I am at home"; Shkoj në Tiranë is "I go to Tirana"; Uji është në gotë is "The water is in the glass." One word, three jobs - context makes it clear.
A note on cases
Here is the one catch: Albanian prepositions govern grammatical case, so the noun after them can change form. The good news for beginners is that the most common everyday prepositions - në, me, pa, për, te - take the accusative, which for many nouns looks just like the basic form. A few, like nga and prej ("from"), take the ablative.
Ready to start learning?
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