Albanian
Shqip
Albanian, like Greek, is an isolated branch of Indo-European with no close relatives. Its vocabulary has borrowed so heavily from Latin, Greek, Slavic and Turkish that its classification long puzzled linguists. It falls into two large dialect groups, Gheg in the north and Tosk in the south, the written standard being based on the latter.
- Family
- Albanian
- Script
- Latin
- Speakers
- ≈ 7.5 million
- Where
- Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia
- In the game
- Mid-range language
How to spot it
The only branch of its family. Markers: a very frequent ë at the end of words, ç, and the digraphs xh, zh, dh, gj.
A few sentences
-
Çdo mëngjes hap dritaren për ajër të pastër.
Every morning I open the window for some fresh air.
-
Ky libër është shumë i bukur.
This book is very beautiful.
-
Harrova çelësat në shtëpi.
I left the keys at home.
-
Sot dola herët nga puna.
I left work early today.
-
Era është shumë e fortë.
The wind is very strong.