Here are some
proverbs and other well-known sayings in
Albanian in alphabetical order.
A (often literal) translation and the believed origin are also given.
- A rrohet me zemėr tė lepurit? --South
- Can you live with the heart of a rabit?
- Ai qė ndėrton me djersė, mbron me gjak. --South
- Who builds with sweat, defends with blood.
- Ai qė pėrton sot, pendohet mot. --Vlore[?]
- Who is lazy today, regrets it later.
- Ai qė s'ka zemėr, s'ka as thembėr. --South
- Who has no heart, has no heels.
- Asht kollaj me ia pre bishtin ujkut tė vramė. --Shkoder[?]
- It is easy to cut the tail of a dead wolf.
- Balta -- m'ė ėmbėl se mjalta. --Vlore[?]
- The mud [in Albania] is sweeter than honey [elsewhere]
- Bujku i mirė, ia merr me zorr bukėn tokės. --Tropoje[?]
- A good farmer takes with force the bread from the earth.
- Burri nė shtėpi, si dreqi nė xhami. --Elbasan[?]
- A man at home, like the devil in a mosque.
- C'ma ka zemra, ma qit vena. --Shkoder[?]
- What I have in my heart is brought out by the wine.
- Cdo njeri ėshtė mbret nė shtėpinė e tij. --South
- Every person is king in his own home.
- Ēelėsi qė punon, nuk ndryshket. --Mallakaster[?]
- The key that is not used does not rust.
- Dembeli ėshtė nėna e tė gjithė veseve. --North
- Lazyness is the mother of all bad habits.
- Dera e pėrtimit, caku i mjerimit. --Librazhd
- The door of lazyness is the is the boundary of suffering.
- Dielli, edhe kur ka re, ndrit. --Gjirokaster[?]
- The sun shines even when it is cloudy.
- Difton fmija, c'ka shtėpia. --North
- The child tells what is in the house.
- Dita pa punė nata pa gjumė. --South
- The day without work, the night without sleep.
- Dora me baltė buka me mjaltė. --Kosovo
- The hand with mud, the bread with honey.
- Dora e larė, zorrė e tharė. --South
- .
- Duket zogu qė nė ve. --South
- You know the bird since it is an egg.
- E vėrteta rri si vaji mbi ujė. --North
- The truth stays like oil on water.
- Edhe ujėt po tė rrijė nė njė vend qelbet. --South
- Even water gets stale if it stays in one place.
- Fikut ulėt i hyp kushdo. --Kruje[?]
- The low fig [fruit branch] can be climbed by everyone.
- Fjala e plakut, e pushka e djalit. --Kruje[?]
- The word of the old, and the gun of the young.
- Gruaja qė nuk do tė gatuajė, shosh gjithė ditėn. --Skrapar[?]
- .
- Gjarpėri ecėn dhe fshin gjurmėt me bisht. --Korce
- The snake moves and erases its tracks.
- Gjithsecili nė punėn e tij ėshtė zot. --South
- Each person at his job is a god.
- Gjykon puna, s'gjykon guna. --Librazhd
- You tell by the work, not by the [clothes].
- Hekuri sa punohet, aq zbukurohet. --Vlore[?]
- The more worked the steel is, the more beautiful it becomes
- I mjeri ai qė s'mendon pėr pleqėri. --Shkoder[?]
- Poor he who does not think of old age.
- I riu ka fuqi, plaku mėncuri. --South
- The young have strength, the old have knowledge.
- Kali plak tė len barrėn nė rrugė. --North
- The old horse leaves the load on the road.
- Kau qė nuk vete nė arė e pret sėpata. --Kurveoesh[?]
- The cow that does not go in the field gets the axe.
- Kazma nė dorė, buka nė gojė; kazma nė katua, trasta del pėr miell hua. --Skrapar[?]
- .
- Kėnga pėr darkė, brenga pėr drekė. --South
- .
- Ku ka bletė, ka dhe mjaltė. --Permet[?]
- Where there are bees, there is honey.
- Ku ka zemėr ka dhe krahė. --South
- Where there is heart, there are hands.
- Kullote dhinė tė tė mbushė kusinė. --Gjirokaster[?]
- Feed the goat to fill the pot.
- Kur s'ke mbjellė, s'ke ēfarė korr. --South
- If you do not sow, you do not have anything to reap.
- Kur s'ke punė luaj derėn. --Permet[?]
- When you do not have any work, move the door.
- Kush di me lavdue, din edhe me cpifė. --Kruje[?]
- Who knows how to praise knows also how to lie.
- Kush fėrkon pulėn, ha edhe vezėn. --Korce
- Who rubs the chicken, eats even the egg.
- Kush fle ngrohtė ka edhe ftohtė. --Arbereshet[?]
- Who sleeps warmly, feels even cold.
- Kush i kullot deshėt, ai qeth dhe leshėt. --Permet[?]
- Who lets the rams graze gets the wool.
- Kush ka turp, vdes pėr bukė. --South
- Who is shy dies from hunger.
- Kush mori udhė, dhe do tė lodhet. --Gjirokaster[?]
- Who travels will also get tired.
- Kush nuk di ē'ėshtė lodhja, ai nuk di ē'ėshtė ēlodhja. --Berat
- Who knows what is to be tired, does not know how to be ['not tired'].
- Kush pėrton vdes urije. --Berat
- Who is lazy dies from hunger.
- Kush rri nė pemė, ha edhe kokrrat. --Korce
- Who stays under the tree, eats the fruits.
- Kush s'punon, dheut i rėndon. --South
- Who does not work, is heavy to the earth.
- Kush zė brumė do tė gatuajė. --South
- Who makes the dough will also cook.
- Kushtrimi del pėr tė ligshtin, pse trimi kujtohet vet. --Shkoder[?]
- .
- Liria i ka rrėnjėt nė gjak. --South
- Freedom has roots in blood.
- Lima dalėngadalė bėri tranė gjilpėrė. --South
- Slowly, the file turns the beam into a needle.
- Malet tunden, po nuk bien. --South
- The mountatins shake but do not fall.
- Mbill me njė dorė, korr me tė dyja. --South
- Sow with one hand, reap with both.
- Mbroje atdhenė si shqipja folenė. --Shkoder[?]
- Protect your motherland like the eagle protects its nest
- Me fal gjakun ėshtė burrni. --Kosovo
- To forgive the blood [ as in a killing] is to be a man.
- Me lopatė ari dhe shat argjėndi tundėn e lėkundėn edhe malet nga vėndi. --Sarandė[?]
- .
- Mė mirė "punė e mbarė", se "mirė se tė gjej". --Shkoder[?]
- Better to say "good work" than "I hope to find you well".
- Mė mirė te vdesėsh mė kėmbė, sesa tė jetosh mė gjunjė. --Berat
- It is better to die standing up, than to live on your knees.
- Mirė se tė gjej, o hija e madhe!- Mirė se vjen o dembel hamė- A kamė leje tė rri pak? Po pate me hangėr rri sa tė duash. --Tirane
- .
- Mos kij turp nga kush s'ka turp. --South
- Do not by shy of whom is not shy.
- Mos prit tė tė kėrkojė e mira, po kėrkoje. --Vlore[?]
- Do not wait for good things to search for you, but search for them.
- Mos rri si nusja nė dasėm. --South
- Do not stand like the bride at a wedding.
- Mos u fshi si miu prapa poēes. --Skrapar[?]
- Do not hide like the mouse behind the pot.
- Mos u fshi si miza nėn bishtin e kalit. --Korce
- Do not hide like a fly under the tail of a horse.
- Moti ndihmon atėqė punon. --Berat
- The weather helps he who works.
- Mushka do dru, e demi kular. --Sarande[?]
- .
- Nė kurdhėn e nxehtė, s'rrihet me ēekan druri. --South
- .
- Nga del fjala, del dhe shpirti. --South
- From whence comes the word, comes the soul.
- Nga puna po nuk rrodhi, domosdo do pikojė. --Vlore[?]
- .
- Nuk mund tė dalė punė e madhe nga ai qė nuk do tė voglėn. --Berat
- You will not get a big job done from whom does not want a small one.
- Nuk rron peshku pa uje. --Kosovo
- A fish cannot live without water.
- Nuk zihet pleshti me dorashka. --Korce
- You cannot catch a flea with gloves.
- Njeriut iu bėj njeri, qenit bėniu qen. --South
- To the man behave like a man, to the dog behave like a dog.
- Njė ujė qė nuk ecėn s'pihet. --Elbasan[?]
- The water that does not flow is not fit to drink.
- Paraja nuk i zgjedh njerėzit. --Vlore[?]
- Money does not choose the people.
- Pleqėria vjen me shokė. --South
- Old age comes with friends.
- Po kėrciti dhėmbėt qeni i qėndro me shkop nė dorė. --South
- If a dog shows his teeth, show him the wood.
- Po nise njė udhė, do kaptosh dhe sheshe, dhe male, dhe gurė. --Devoll[?]
- .
- Po nuk e pate tė ligėn brėnda, s'tė vjen nga jashtė. --Vlore[?]
- If you do not have malice inside, it will not come from outside.
- Po nuk qau fėmija, nuk i jep nėna sisė. --South
- If a child does not cry, his mother will not breast feed him.
- Po nuk u turbullua, nuk kthjellohet. --Permet[?]
- If it does not get cloudy, it will not get clear.
- Po shkove me tė kėrciturit gishtėrinjtė sot, mos u anko nga tė kėrciturit e zorrėve nesėr. --Vlore[?]
- .
- Pula qė kėndon nė mbrėmje nuk bėn vezė nė mėngjes. --South
- The chicken that cries at night does not lay egg in the morning.
- Puna e rinisė, jorgan i pleqėrisė. --Tirane
- The work of the youth is the blanket of the old.
- Qan ara se nuk i vjen fara. --Sarande[?]
- Weeps the field because it does not get any seeds.
- Ruaj dhinė tė pish qumėshtin. --Sarande[?]
- Mind the goats so that you will drink their milk.
- S'bėhet vreshti me urata, po me shata e lopata. --South
- .
- S'gjuhet me zagar tė lidhur. --Berat
- You cannot hunt with a tied dog.
- Sa mė shpejt kositet livadhi; aq mė shpejt lind bari. --Tropoje[?]
- The more you mow the lawn, the faster the grass grows.
- Shpjere gojėn te buka e jo bukėn te goja. --South
- Take the mouth to the bread, not the bread to the mouth.
- Shqiponja fluturon nė qiell, po folenė e bėn nė tokė. --Laberi[?]
- The eagle flies in the sky, but nests on the ground.
- Trupi shėndoshet me tė punuar, mėndja ndėrtohet me tė mėsuar. --South
- The body builds up with work, the mind with studying.
- Ujku e ka qafėn e trashė, se ka kambėt e shpejta. --Kruje[?]
- The wolf has a thick neck because it has fast legs.
- Vure vezėn more pulėn. --Kruje[?]
- If you put an egg, you get a chicken.
See also Albania.