Convenience Store

1. Një pako cigare, ju lutem

   A pack of cigarettes, please

   Usage

   The small corner shop in Albania is a "dyqan" or simply a "market", selling cigarettes, water, snacks and phone top-ups. In Tirana there is one on the ground floor of nearly every block, often open until late

   Grammar Note

   "Ju lutem" literally means "I beg you" and contains the polite pronoun "Ju", which is why it is the default with shop staff. "Një" doubles as the numeral one and the indefinite article

2. Një shishe ujë dhe një çakmak, ju lutem

   A bottle of water and a lighter, please

   Usage

   In small shops the goods often sit behind the counter out of reach, so you have to name them. "Çakmak" is a Turkish loanword, one of many that spread right across the Balkans

   Grammar Note

   Albanian juxtaposes container and contents with no preposition: "shishe ujë". The letter "dh" is the voiced th of English "this", and "c-cedilla" is the ch sound

3. A shiten biletat e autobusit këtu?

   Are bus tickets sold here?

   Usage

   Unlike Greece or the former Yugoslavia, Albanian shops do not usually sell bus tickets: you pay the conductor in cash on board, and on an intercity "furgon" minibus you pay the driver. Not knowing this costs travellers a lot of pointless searching

   Grammar Note

   A yes-no question just needs the invariable particle "A" at the front. "Shiten" is the non-active voice, Albanian's equivalent of a passive. The definite article is suffixed: "biletë" becomes "biletat"

4. Më duhet një rimbushje për telefonin

   I need a top-up for my phone

   Usage

   Prepaid Vodafone and ONE SIMs are topped up at any corner shop: usually you give your number and the amount and the owner loads it directly, though some hand you a voucher code. Prepaid dominates in Albania, so every shop offers it

   Grammar Note

   "Më duhet" is impersonal: the thing needed is the subject and the person appears as the dative clitic "me". "Rimbushje" is built from "ri-" (re-) plus "mbushje" (a filling)

5. A mund të paguaj me kartë për një shumë kaq të vogël?

   Can I pay by card for such a small amount?

   Usage

   Albania runs on cash, and many corner shops have no card terminal at all - terminals cluster in hotels and larger supermarkets. Travellers need small notes on them at all times, and since ATM fees are steep most people withdraw in larger chunks

   Grammar Note

   "Mund të + subjunctive" expresses possibility or permission. Note that "shumë" is both the noun "sum / amount" and the adverb "very". The adjective "i vogël" shifts to "e vogël" with a feminine noun

6. Me kartë vetëm mbi një mijë lekë

   Card payments only above a thousand lek

   Usage

   Said by staff. Terminal fees are heavy, so small shops set their own floor and cash is the only fallback. Note that Kosovo uses the euro, so the same Albanian phrase comes with a different currency across the border

   Grammar Note

   A verbless clipped sentence - exactly what you see written on a sign by the till. The plural of "lek" is "lekë", and the final e-with-diaeresis is a weak schwa

7. Nuk kam monedha, keni ndonjë kartëmonedhë më të vogël?

   I have no coins - do you have a smaller note?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Corner shops keep little float, so a 2000 or 5000 lek note first thing in the morning almost always gets this reply. ATMs dispense large denominations, so locals break them during a bigger purchase

   Grammar Note

   Negation places "nuk" before the verb. "Kartëmonedhë" compounds "kartë" (paper) with "monedhë" (coin, currency), so it shares a root with the word for coins

8. Më falni, kam vetëm një kartëmonedhë të madhe

   Sorry, I only have a large note

   Usage

   Declaring it first keeps things friendly - the owner may pop next door for change or suggest "merrni edhe diçka" (take something else too). Neighbourhood ties are strong in Albania and shopkeepers are usually accommodating

   Grammar Note

   "Më falni" literally means "forgive me", the -ni ending marking the polite plural imperative. The adjective "i madh" agrees with the feminine "kartëmonedhë" and surfaces as "të madhe"

9. A paguhet qesja?

   Is the bag charged for?

   Usage

   Albania has restricted thin plastic bags, so shops now hand out thicker or biodegradable ones for a fee. Tiny corner shops still sometimes throw one in free, so practice varies from shop to shop

   Grammar Note

   "Paguhet" is the non-active voice, "is paid". Adding the definite article to "qese" gives "qesja". The letter "q" is a palatal stop close to the "ky" in "cute" and is a separate phoneme from "k"

10. Qesja kushton njëzet lekë, e doni?

    The bag costs twenty lek - do you want one?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Answer "Jo, faleminderit" (no thanks) or "Po, ju lutem" (yes please). If you have a backpack, just ask them to drop the items straight in

    Grammar Note

    The clitic "e" stands for a feminine object and comes before the verb. "Doni" is the second person plural of "dua" (to want), the form that matches the polite "Ju"

11. A i pranoni shishet bosh?

    Do you take back empty bottles?

    Usage

    Albania has no container deposit scheme like Croatia's, so returning empties normally earns you nothing. Only a residual trade in glass beer bottles survives, so ask without expecting a refund

    Grammar Note

    The clitic "i" refers to a plural object and precedes the verb. "Bosh" is a Turkish loanword (bos) and behaves as an invariable adjective

12. Shishet e qelqit i marrim mbrapsht, plastikat jo

    We take glass bottles back, but not plastic ones

    Usage

    Said by staff. Glass bottles go back to the brewery so shops sometimes accept them, while PET and cans do not qualify. Many shops merely take the glass rather than pay for it, so check before assuming a refund

    Grammar Note

    "E qelqit" is a genitive meaning "of glass", introduced by the linking article "e". Albanian genitives always require such a linker, which sets the language apart from its neighbours

13. Deri në çfarë ore mund të blej birrë?

    Until what time can I buy beer?

    Usage

    Albania sets no nationwide curfew on alcohol sales, so any shop that is open will sell you a beer - a sharp contrast with Serbia and Croatia, where sales stop at 22:00-23:00. Sales to minors are banned, and there are restrictions near schools

    Grammar Note

    "Mund të + subjunctive" is the standard way to express possibility, and "të blej" is the first person singular subjunctive. Albanian has no infinitive, so the subjunctive fills that role

14. Nuk u shesim alkool të miturve, keni ndonjë dokument?

    We do not sell alcohol to minors - do you have any ID?

    Usage

    Said by staff. The legal age in Albania is 18, and with no time restriction in force, age checks are the main legal control. A passport or residence card is enough

    Grammar Note

    The clitic "u" marks a plural dative object - "to them" - and sits before the verb. "I mitur" (underage) is an adjective used as a noun, taking the dative plural "të miturve"

15. A punoni njëzet e katër orë?

    Are you open 24 hours?

    Usage

    Nightlife districts such as Tirana's Blloku have shops open late, but true 24-hour opening is rare, and outside the cities most close after dark. Sunday opening is normal - Albania has no Sunday trading restriction like Croatia's

    Grammar Note

    Numbers from 21 to 99 are joined with "e" (and): "njëzet e katër". Opening hours use the verb "punoj" (to work), while "hapur" (open) is the adjective describing the state

16. Diçka tjetër? Gjithsej treqind e njëzet lekë

    Anything else? Three hundred and twenty lek altogether

    Usage

    Said by staff. Albanians still often quote prices in old lek, ten times the current value, so "three thousand" can mean 300 lek. If the figure feels off by a decimal place, ask them to write it down. When you are finished, say "Kaq, faleminderit" - that's all, thanks

    Grammar Note

    "Gjithsej" derives from "gjithë" (all). Hundreds and tens are likewise joined by "e": "treqind e njëzet". The digraph "gj" is a palatal stop, the voiced counterpart of "q"

17. Në raft ishte një çmim tjetër

    There was a different price on the shelf

    Usage

    Small shops often have no price tags at all, or ones that were never updated. If the figure does not match, say this calmly and ask them to check. Some shops do not print a receipt, so ask "Faturen, ju lutem" if you need one

    Grammar Note

    "Ishte" is the third person singular imperfect of "jam" (to be). "Tjetër" means "other / different" and keeps this form with the masculine noun "çmim"

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