Ēezar Kurti

LEARN ALBANIAN

To my parents and my sister Bardha

 

 

MĖSIMI I TRIDHJETENĖNTĖ - LESSON 39

 

In these last two lessons, excerpts from Albanian literature will be used to test your comprehension of the Albanian language and your ability to translate the text using a dictionary.

 

I. ĒFARĖ KA QENĖ SHQIPĖRIA? WHAT HAS ALBANIA BEEN

 

A. The following excerpts are from "Albania: What it Was, What it Is, and What Will it Be?" written by Sami Frasheri, one of the most prominent representatives of the Albanian Renaissance.

 

"Shqipėri i thonė gjithė atij vendi, ku rrojnė shqiptarėt. Shqiptarėt janė mė i vjetri i kombeve tė Evropės. Duket qė kėta erdhėn mė parė se tė gjithė prej mesit tė Azisė nė Evropė; dhe kėta prunė nė kėtė vend ditjen e tė bėrit shtėpi me mur si edhe diturinė e tė lėruarit, tė mbjellit e tė korrurit; se ata njerėz, qė gjendeshin para tyre nė Evropė, ishin tė egjėr e rronin nėpėr pyje e nėpėr shpella, duke u ushqyer me pemė tė egėra e me mish gjahu.

Prandaj prindėrit tanė tė vjetėr u quajtėn Arbėn, fjalė tė cilėn ne, toskėt, sipas zakonit tonė qė bėjmė n nė r, e kthyem nė Arbėr, sikundėr e pėrdorim edhe sot. Domethėnė ky komb kaq i vjetėr quhesh qė atėherė Arbėn ose Arban, domethėnė ata qė punojnė arėn, qė korrin e mbjellin. Kėtė fjalė romakėt e kanė kthyer nė Alban duke e quajtur edhe vendin e tyre Albania, sikundėr i thonė edhe sot evropianėt. Grekėt e pastajmė na thanė Arvanit, duke kthyer prapė i-nė nė r, dhe nga kjo fjalė e grekėrve turqit kanė bėrė fjalėn Arnaut, sikundėr na quajnė edhe sot... edhe kombi i tėrė ka marrė emrin shqiptar e vendi ynė Shqipėri, fjalė tė bėra prej shqipes, zogut tė bekuar tė Hyjit, qė i faleshin prindėrit tanė tė vjetėr dhe fytyrėn e tė cilit e kishim nė flamur. Por kjo fjalė duket tė mos jetė shumė e vjetėr e tė mos ketė qenė qė nė kryet e pėrgjithshme, se vėllezėrit tanė, qė rrojnė jashtė Shqipėrisė, nė Itali, nė Greqi e gjetkė, nuk e dinė, por quhen Arbėr..."

(Pershtatur nė gjuhėn e sotme shqipe).

 

B. TRANSLATION:

Albania is the place where Albanians live. Albanians are among the oldest peoples of Europe. It seems that they were the first to move from Asia and settle in Europe, bringing with them the knowledge of building houses as well as skill in plowing the soil, planting and harvesting. The peoples that existed before them in Europe were wild and lived in the woods and in caves, eating wild fruits and meat from the hunt.

So our ancestors were called Arben, a word that we, the Tosks, by changing the n into an r, coined Arber, used as such to this date. The ancient nation called itself Arber or Arban, which meant people who worked the fields. The word was later changed to Alban by the Romans, who called the land Albania, as is it called today by Europeans. The Greeks called us Arvanit, by changing the letter l into an r and from this Greek word the Turks created Arnaut, which they still use today. The word Shqiptar and Shqipėri are Albanian words that come from the blessed bird our ancestors prayed to and they used its face (image) in their flag. The word must not be too old since our brethren in the diaspora, Italy, Greece and other places are not aware of the word and still call it Arber. (Translated by I. Hajrizi)

 

II. GRAMMAR

GERUND

The Albanian Gerund is not declinable and denotes an action that accompanies the action of the main verb. For example:

Ai na u afrua duke buzėqeshur.

He approached us smiling.

Ata jetonin nėpėr pyje, duke ngrėnė fruta tė egra.

They lived in the woods, eating wild fruits.

 

The gerund in Albanian can be in the active or inactive voice. For example:

Active voice - vesh - duke veshur (to dress - dressing)

Nonactive voice - vishem - duke u veshur (to dress oneself - being dressed)

The Gerund is formed by adding the particle duke to the participle of the verb: duke + mėsuar (mėsoj) - duke mėsuar, punoj (punuar) - duke punuar, kėndoj (kėnduar) - duke kėnduar, merrem (marrė) - duke u marrė etc.

Here are more examples:

Active voice

fshij                 duke fshirė (to sweep, to wipe)

vesh                 duke veshur (to dress up)        

laj                     duke larė (to wash)    

takoj                duke takuar (to meet) 

quaj                  duke quajtur (to call)   

kthej                 duke kthyer (to turn)   

afroj                 duke afruar (to approach)

Inactive voice

fshihem duke u fshirė (to wipe one’s self)

vishem              duke u veshur (to dress one’s self)

lahem               duke u larė (to wash one’s self)

quhem              duke u quajtur (to call one’s self)

kthehem           duke u kthyer (to turn one’s self)

 

VOCABULARY

vijoj - to follow

sjell - to bring

qė vijon - following

copė-a - excerpt

nė mėnyrė qė - in order that, so that

provoj - to try

aftėsi-a - ability

me ndihmėn - with the help

rilindas-i - representative of the Albanian Renaissance

i(e) shquar - prominent

i thonė - is called

i(e) vjetėr - old

komb-i - nation

duket - seemed

erdhėn - came

mė parė - before

mesi - middle, midst

prunė - they brought

dije - knowledge

bėj shtėpi - to build houses

mur-i - wall

dituri-a - knowledge, skill

tė lėruarit - the plowing

tė mbjellit - the planting, the sowing

tė korrurit - harvesting, the harvest

i(e) egėr (pl. tė egjėr) - wild

shpellė-a - cave

ushqehem - to eat (lit. to feed one’s self)

pemė tė egėra - wild fruits

mish-i - meat

gjah-u - hunting

prindėrit e vjetėr - old parents

toskė-a - Tosk

gegė-a - Geg

kthej - to change

sikundėr - as it is

grek-u - Greek

i pastajmė - subsequent

bėj - to make

i bekuar - blessed

Hy-u - God

fytyrė - face, image

falem - to pray

flamur-i - flag

nė krye - in the beginning, at first

i pėrgjithshėm - general

vėllezėrit tanė - our brethren

jashtė - outside (the country)

 

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Ēezar Kurti – "Learn Albanian – Mėsoni shqip" – Legas, (P.O. Box 040328, Brooklyn, New York 11204), 1996-2006.

Copyright©1997 by Ēezar Kurti.