Albanian proverbs

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The following are some Albanian proverbs and other well-known sayings from Albania in alphabetical order. A literal translation and the believed origin are also given for most proverbs.

A B C C D E F G Gj H I K L M N Nj P Q R S Sh T U V

A

A rrohet me zemer te lepurit? --South

Can you live with the heart of a rabbit?

Ai qe nderton me djerse, mbron me gjak. --South

Who builds with sweat, defends with blood.

Ai qe perton sot, pendohet mot. --Vlore

Who is lazy today, regrets it later.

Ai qe s'ka zemer, s'ka as thember. --South

Who has no heart, has no heels.

Asht kollaj me ia pre bishtin ujkut te vrame. --Shkoder

It is easy to cut the tail of a dead wolf.

B

Balta -- m'e embel se mjalta. --Vlore

The mud [in Albania] is sweeter than honey [elsewhere]

Bujku i mire, ia merr me zorr buken tokes. --Tropoje

A good farmer takes with force the bread from the earth.

Burri ne shtepi, si dreqi ne xhami. --Elbasan

A man at home, like the devil in a mosque.

C

C'ma ka zemra, ma qit vena. --Shkoder

What I have in my heart is brought out by the wine.

Cdo njeri eshte mbret ne shtepine e tij. --South

Every person is king in his own home.

C

Celesi qe punon, nuk ndryshket. --Mallakaster

The key that is used does not rust.

D

Dembeli eshte nena e te gjithe veseve. --North

Lazyness is the mother of all bad habits.

Dera e pertimit, caku i mjerimit. --Librazhd

The door of lazyness is the boundary of suffering.

Dielli, edhe kur ka re, ndrit. --Gjirokaster

The sun shines even when it is cloudy.

Difton fmija, c'ka shtepia. --North

The child tells what is in the house.

Dita pa pune nata pa gjume. --South

The day without work, the night without sleep.

Dora me balte buka me mjalte. --Kosovo

The hand with mud, the bread with honey.

Dora e lare, zorre e thare. --South

When the hand is clean, the intestine is dry.

Duket zogu qe ne ve. --South

You know the bird since it is an egg.

E

E verteta rri si vaji mbi uje. --North

The truth stays like oil on water.

Edhe ujet po te rrije ne nje vend qelbet. --South

Even water gets stale if it stays in one place.

F

Fikut ulet 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.

G

Gruaja qe nuk do te gatuaje, shosh gjithe diten. --Skrapar

.

Gj

Gjarperi ecen dhe fshin gjurmet me bisht. --Korce

The snake moves and erases its tracks.

Gjithsecili ne punen e tij eshte 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].

H

Hekuri sa punohet, aq zbukurohet. --Vlore

The more worked the steel is, the more beautiful it becomes

I

I mjeri ai qe s'mendon per pleqeri. --Shkoder

Poor he who does not think of old age.

I riu ka fuqi, plaku mencuri. --South

The young have strength, the old have knowledge.

K

Kali plak te len barren ne rruge. --North

The old horse leaves the load on the road.

Kau qe nuk vete ne are e pret sepata. --Kurvellesh

The cow that does not go in the field gets the axe.

Kazma ne dore, buka ne goje; kazma ne katua, trasta del per miell hua. --Skrapar

Pickaxe at hand, bread in mouth; pickaxe in cellar, the sack comes out for borrowed flour.

Kenga per darke, brenga per dreke. --South

The song for dinner, the grief for lunch.

Ku ka blete, ka dhe mjalte. --Permet

Where there are bees, there is honey.

Ku ka zemer ka dhe krahe. --South

Where there is heart, there are hands.

Kullote dhine te te mbushe kusine. --Gjirokaster

Feed the goat to fill the pot.

Kur s'ke mbjelle, s'ke cfare korr. --South

If you do not sow, you do not have anything to reap.

Kur s'ke pune luaj deren. --Permet

When you do not have any work, move the door.

Kush di me lavdue, din edhe me cpife. --Kruje

Who knows how to praise knows also how to lie.

Kush ferkon pulen, ha edhe vezen. --Korce

Who rubs the chicken, eats even the egg.

Kush fle ngrohte ka edhe ftohte. --Arbereshet

Who sleeps warmly, feels even cold.

Kush i kullot deshet, ai qeth dhe leshet. --Permet

Who lets the rams graze gets the wool.

Kush ka turp, vdes per buke. --South

Who is shy dies from hunger.

Kush mori udhe, dhe do te lodhet. --Gjirokaster

Who travels will also get tired.

Kush nuk di c'eshte lodhja, ai nuk di c'eshte clodhja. --Berat

Who knows what is to be tired, does not know how to be ['not tired'].

Kush perton vdes urije. --Berat

Who is lazy dies from hunger.

Kush rri ne peme, ha edhe kokrrat. --Korce

Who stays under the tree, eats the fruits.

Kush s'punon, dheut i rendon. --South

Who does not work, is heavy to the earth.

Kush ze brume do te gatuaje. --South

Who makes the dough will also cook.

Kushtrimi del per te ligshtin, pse trimi kujtohet vet. --Shkoder

The Clarion-call is for the weak, because the brave remember on their own.

L

Liria i ka rrenjet ne gjak. --South

Freedom has roots in blood.

Lima dalengadale beri trane gjilpere. --South

Slowly, the file turns the beam into a needle.

M

Malet tunden, po nuk bien. --South

The mountatins shake but do not fall.

Mbill me nje dore, korr me te dyja. --South

Sow with one hand, reap with both.

Mbroje atdhene si shqipja folene. --Shkoder

Protect your motherland like the eagle protects its nest

Me fal gjakun eshte burrni. --Kosovo

To forgive the blood [ as in a killing] is to be a man.

Me lopate ari dhe shat argjendi tunden e lekunden edhe malet nga vendi. --Sarande

With a spade of gold and a hoe of silver they rocked and swayed even the mountains from their places.

Me mire "pune e mbare", se "mire se te gjej". --Shkoder

Better to say "good work" than "I hope to find you well".

Me mire te vdesesh me kembe, sesa te jetosh me gjunje. --Berat

It is better to die standing up, than to live on your knees.

Mire se te gjej, o hija e madhe! -Mire se vjen o dembel hame. -A kame leje te rri pak? -Po pate me hanger rri sa te duash. --Tirane

Hope to find you well, o big shadow! Welcome o lazy glutton. -Do I have permission to stay a while? If you have something to eat you can stay as long as you want.

Mos kij turp nga kush s'ka turp. --South

Do not by shy of whom is not shy.

Mos prit te te kerkoje e mira, po kerkoje. --Vlore

Do not wait for good things to search for you, but search for them.

Mos rri si nusja ne dasem. --South

Do not stand like the bride at a wedding.

Mos u fshi si miu prapa poces. --Skrapar

Do not hide like the mouse behind the pot.

Mos u fshi si miza nen bishtin e kalit. --Korce

Do not hide like a fly under the tail of a horse.

Moti ndihmon ateqe punon. --Berat

The weather helps he who works.

Mushka do dru, e demi kular. --Sarande

The mule needs wood, and the bull a yoke.

N

Ne kurdhen e nxehte, s'rrihet me cekan druri. --South

.

Nga del fjala, del dhe shpirti. --South

From whence comes the word, comes the soul.

Nga puna po nuk rrodhi, domosdo do pikoje. --Vlore

From work if it does not flow, it will certainly drip.

Nuk mund te dale pune e madhe nga ai qe nuk do te voglen. --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.

Nj

Njeriut iu bej njeri, qenit beniu qen. --South

To the man behave like a man, to the dog behave like a dog.

Nje uje qe nuk ecen s'pihet. --Elbasan

The water that does not flow is not fit to drink.

P

Paraja nuk i zgjedh njerezit. --Vlore

Money does not choose the people.

Pleqeria vjen me shoke. --South

Old age comes with friends.

Po kerciti dhembet qeni i qendro me shkop ne dore. --South

If a dog shows his teeth, show him the wood.

Po nise nje udhe, do kaptosh dhe sheshe, dhe male, dhe gure. --Devoll

If you start on a travel, you will also cross plains, mountains and stones.

Po nuk e pate te ligen brenda, s'te vjen nga jashte. --Vlore

If you do not have malice inside, it will not come from outside.

Po nuk qau femija, nuk i jep nena sise. --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 te kerciturit gishterinjte sot, mos u anko nga te kerciturit e zorreve neser. --Vlore

If you start with the popping of the fingers today, do not complain of the popping of the intestines tomorrow (i.e. hunger).

Pula qe kendon ne mbremje nuk ben veze ne mengjes. --South

The chicken that cries at night does not lay egg in the morning.

Puna e rinise, jorgan i pleqerise. --Tirane

The work of the youth is the blanket of the old.

Q

Qan ara se nuk i vjen fara. --Sarande

Weeps the field because it does not get any seeds.

R

Ruaj dhine te pish qumeshtin. --Sarande

Mind the goats so that you will drink their milk.

S

S'behet vreshti me urata, po me shata e lopata. --South

The vinery is no made with blessings, but with hoes and spades.

S'gjuhet me zagar te lidhur. --Berat

You cannot hunt with a tied dog.

Sa me shpejt kositet livadhi; aq me shpejt lind bari. --Tropoje

The more you mow the lawn, the faster the grass grows.

Sh

Shpjere gojen te buka e jo buken te goja. --South

Take the mouth to the bread, not the bread to the mouth.

Shqiponja fluturon ne qiell, po folene e ben ne toke. --Laberi

The eagle flies in the sky, but nests on the ground.

T

Trupi shendoshet me te punuar, mendja ndertohet me te mesuar. --South

The body builds up with work, the mind with studying.

U

Ujku e ka qafen e trashe, se ka kambet e shpejta. --Kruje

The wolf has a thick neck because it has fast legs.

V

Vure vezen more pulen. --Kruje

If you put an egg, you get a chicken.