jam 'to be' and kam 'to have'
The two most irregular and most useful verbs in the language:
| Person | jam — to be | kam — to have |
|---|---|---|
| unë — I | jam | kam |
| ti — you | je | ke |
| ai/ajo — he/she | është | ka |
| ne — we | jemi | kemi |
| ju — you (pl.) | jeni | keni |
| ata/ato — they | janë | kanë |
Only the jam column has audio — listen to the canonical form, read the rest aloud.
Jam gati.
I'm ready.
Kam dy fëmijë.
I have two children.
Kam një vëlla dhe një motër.
I have one brother and one sister.
Kam njëqind euro.
I have a hundred euros.
Kam kohë.
I have time.
Regular verbs in action
The -oj class is the biggest regular family: punoj 'I work' → punon 'you/he/she works' → punojmë 'we work' → punoni 'you (pl.) work' → punojnë 'they work'. Other common verbs like flas 'speak' follow different patterns — learn them as their own families. Meet the -oj verbs inside canonical sentences:
| Person | punoj 'work' conjugated |
|---|---|
| I | punoj |
| you (sg.) | punon |
| he/she/it | punon |
| we | punojmë |
| you (pl.) | punoni |
| they | punojnë |
Same -oj endings for the whole regular family — kuptoj, mësoj, pastroj behave the same way.
| Albanian | English |
|---|---|
| punoj | to work |
| flas | to speak |
| kuptoj | to understand |
| mësoj | to learn; to teach |
| ha | to eat |
| shkruaj | to write |
| blej | to buy |
| lexoj | to read |
| dëgjoj | to hear; to listen |
| shkoj | to go |
| vij | to come |
| bëj | to do; to make |
Punoj në një zyrë.
I work in an office.
Luaj futboll.
I play soccer.
Vrapoj çdo mëngjes.
I run every morning.
Notoj në liqen.
I swim in the lake.
Pastroj çdo të shtunë.
I clean every Saturday.
po + verb: 'right now'
po before a verb means the action is in progress — Po bie shi 'it is raining (right now)'. Without po, the sentence is neutral or habitual.
Po bie shi.
It's raining (right now).
Po gatuaj darkë.
I'm cooking dinner.
Po mësoj shqip.
I'm learning Albanian.
po + verb = the action is in progress right now
Ambulanca po vjen.
The ambulance is coming.
Want, can, must — modal frames
dua 'I want' takes a plain object (dua kafe 'I want coffee') or të + verb (dua të flas 'I want to speak'). mund 'can' and duhet 'must' want të + verb. Aorist/past verbs aside, this is the everyday pattern:
Dua të blej bukë.
I'd like to buy bread.
Mund të paguaj me kartë?
Can I pay by card?
Dua të këmbej valutë.
I'd like to exchange currency.
Dua të anuloj rezervimin.
I'd like to cancel the reservation.
Duhet të pushoni.
You must rest.
Duhet të presim.
We have to wait.
A mund të më tregoni në hartë?
Can you show me on the map?
What's next
- jam: jam, je, është, jemi, jeni, janë. kam: kam, ke, ka, kemi, keni, kanë.
- po + verb = the action is in progress right now.
- dua + noun, dua të + verb; mund të, duhet të + verb.
- Regular -oj verbs: punoj → punon → punojmë → punoni → punojnë; kuptoj and mësoj follow the same endings.
Next: was/were, kam + participle, do të futures, and meeting the aorist.
Mini practice
Q1. What does “kam” mean?
- to have
- to be
- to go
- to come
Answer: to have
Q2. How do you say “I have two children.” in Albanian?
- Kam kohë.
- Kam një vëlla dhe një motër.
- Kam njëqind euro.
- Kam dy fëmijë.
Answer: Kam dy fëmijë.
Q3. Someone says: “Po bie shi.” — what do they mean?
- It rained yesterday.
- It's raining (right now).
- It will rain.
- Is it raining?
Answer: It's raining (right now).
Q4. Po mësoj shqip — what does po add here?
- the action is happening right now
- a polite tone
- the future tense
- a yes-answer meaning inside the sentence
Answer: the action is happening right now
Q5. How do you say “A coffee, please.” in Albanian?
- Dua një gotë ujë.
- Dua një kafe, ju lutem.
- Dua lëng portokalli.
- Një birrë, ju lutem.
Answer: Dua një kafe, ju lutem.
