Albanian proverbs

From Wacklepedia - The Free Encyclopedia

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

A

A rrohet me zem? t?lepurit? --South

Can you live with the heart of a rabbit?

Ai q?nd?ton me djers? mbron me gjak. --South

Who builds with sweat, defends with blood.

Ai q?p?ton sot, pendohet mot. --Shkod?

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

B

Balta -- m'??b? se mjalta. --Elbasan

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

C

C'ma ka zemra, ma qit vena. --Shkod?

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

Cdo njeri ?ht?mbret n?sht?in?e tij. --South

Every person is king in his own home.

Mallakast?

The key that is used does not rust.

D

Dembeli ?ht?n?a e t?gjith?veseve. --North

Lazyness is the mother of all bad habits.

Dera e p?timit, caku i mjerimit. --Librazhd

The door of lazyness is the boundary of suffering.

Dielli, edhe kur ka re, ndrit. --Gjirokast?

The sun shines even when it is cloudy.

Difton fmija, c'ka sht?ia. --North

The child tells what is in the house.

Dita pa pun?nata pa gjum? --South

The day without work, the night without sleep.

Dora me balt?buka me mjalt? --Kosovo

The hand with mud, the bread with honey.

Dora e lar? zorr?e thar? --South

When the hand is clean, the intestine is dry.

Duket zogu q?n?ve. --South

You know the bird since it is an egg.

E

E v?teta rri si vaji mbi uj? --North

The truth stays like oil on water.

Edhe uj? po t?rrij?n?nj?vend qelbet. --South

Even water gets stale if it stays in one place.

F

Fikut ul? i hyp kushdo. --Kruj?/em>
The low fig [fruit branch] can be climbed by everyone.

Fjala e plakut, e pushka e djalit. --Kruj?/em>
The word of the old, and the gun of the young.

G

Gruaja q?nuk do t?gatuaj? shosh gjith?dit?. --Skrapar
.

Gj

Gjarp?i ec? dhe fshin gjurm? me bisht. --Kor?
The snake moves and erases its tracks.

Gjithsecili n?pun? e tij ?ht?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. --I

I mjeri ai q?s'mendon p? pleq?i. --Shkod?
Poor he who does not think of old age.

I riu ka fuqi, plaku m?curi. --South
The young have strength, the old have knowledge.

K

Kali plak t?len barr? n?rrug? --North
The old horse leaves the load on the road.

Kau q?nuk vete n?ar?e pret s?ata. --Kurv?lesh
The cow that does not go in the field gets the axe.

Kazma n?dor? buka n?goj? kazma n?katua, trasta del p? miell hua. --Skrapar
Pickaxe at hand, bread in mouth; pickaxe in cellar, the sack comes out for borrowed flour.

K?ga p? dark? brenga p? drek? --South
The song for dinner, the grief for lunch.

Ku ka blet? ka dhe mjalt? --P?met
Where there are bees, there is honey.

Ku ka zem? ka dhe krah? --South
Where there is heart, there are hands.

Kullote dhin?t?t?mbush?kusin? --Gjirokast?
Feed the goat to fill the pot.

Kur s'ke mbjell? s'ke ?ar?korr. --South
If you do not sow, you do not have anything to reap.

Kur s'ke pun?luaj der?. --P?met
When you do not have any work, move the door.

Kush di me lavdue, din edhe me cpif? --Kruj?/em>
Who knows how to praise knows also how to lie.

Kush f?kon pul?, ha edhe vez?. --Kor?
Who rubs the chicken, eats even the egg.

Kush fle ngroht?ka edhe ftoht? --Arb?esh?
Who sleeps warmly, feels even cold.

Kush i kullot desh?, ai qeth dhe lesh?. --P?met
Who lets the rams graze gets the wool.

Kush ka turp, vdes p? buk? --South
Who is shy dies from hunger.

Kush mori udh? dhe do t?lodhet. --Gjirokast?
Who travels will also get tired.

Kush nuk di ??ht?lodhja, ai nuk di ??ht??odhja. --Berat
Who knows what is to be tired, does not know how to be ['not tired'].

Kush p?ton vdes urije. --Berat
Who is lazy dies from hunger.

Kush rri n?pem? ha edhe kokrrat. --Kor?
Who stays under the tree, eats the fruits.

Kush s'punon, dheut i r?don. --South
Who does not work, is heavy to the earth.

Kush z?brum?do t?gatuaj? --South
Who makes the dough will also cook.

Kushtrimi del p? t?ligshtin, pse trimi kujtohet vet. --Shkod?
The Clarion-call is for the weak, because the brave remember on their own.

L

Liria i ka rr?j? n?gjak. --South
Freedom has roots in blood.

Lima dal?gadal?b?i tran?gjilp?? --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 nj?dor? korr me t?dyja. --South
Sow with one hand, reap with both.

Mbroje atdhen?si shqipja folen? --Shkod?
Protect your motherland like the eagle protects its nest

Me fal gjakun ?ht?burrni. --Kosovo
To forgive the blood [ as in a killing] is to be a man.

Me lopat?ari dhe shat argj?di tund? e l?und? edhe malet nga v?di. --Sarand?/em>
With a spade of gold and a hoe of silver they rocked and swayed even the mountains from their places.

M?mir?"pun?e mbar?, se "mir?se t?gjej". --Shkod?
Better to say "good work" than "I hope to find you well".

M?mir?te vdes?h m?k?b? sesa t?jetosh m?gjunj? --Berat
It is better to die standing up, than to live on your knees.

Mir?se t?gjej, o hija e madhe! -Mir?se vjen o dembel ham? -A kam?leje t?rri pak? -Po pate me hang? rri sa t?duash. --Tiran?/A>
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 t?t?k?koj?e mira, po k?koje. --Kor?
Do not hide like a fly under the tail of a horse.

Moti ndihmon at??punon. --Berat
The weather helps he who works.

Mushka do dru, e demi kular. --Sarand?/em>
The mule needs wood, and the bull a yoke.

N

N?kurdh? e nxeht? s'rrihet me ?kan druri. --South
.

Nga del fjala, del dhe shpirti. --South
From whence comes the word, comes the soul.

Nga puna po nuk rrodhi, domosdo do pikoj? --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. --Kor?
You cannot catch a flea with gloves.

Nj

Njeriut iu b? njeri, qenit b?iu qen. --South
To the man behave like a man, to the dog behave like a dog.

Nj?uj?q?nuk ec? s'pihet. --Elbasan
The water that does not flow is not fit to drink.

P

Paraja nuk i zgjedh njer?it. --Tiran?/A>
The work of the youth is the blanket of the old.

Q

Qan ara se nuk i vjen fara. --Sarand?/em>
Weeps the field because it does not get any seeds.

R

Ruaj dhin?t?pish qum?htin. --Sarand?/em>
Mind the goats so that you will drink their milk.

S

S'b?et 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 t?lidhur. --Berat
You cannot hunt with a tied dog.

Sa m?shpejt kositet livadhi; aq m?shpejt lind bari. --Tropoj?/em>
The more you mow the lawn, the faster the grass grows.

Sh

Shpjere goj? te buka e jo buk? te goja. --South
Take the mouth to the bread, not the bread to the mouth.

Shqiponja fluturon n?qiell, po folen?e b? n?tok? --Lab?i
The eagle flies in the sky, but nests on the ground.

T

Trupi sh?doshet me t?punuar, m?dja nd?tohet me t?m?uar. --South
The body builds up with work, the mind with studying.

U

Ujku e ka qaf? e trash? se ka kamb? e shpejta. --Kruj?/em>
The wolf has a thick neck because it has fast legs.

V

Vure vez? more pul?. --Kruj?/em>
If you put an egg, you get a chicken.