shtrenjtë
The English word 'expensive' is translated into Albanian as shtrenjtë or kushtueshëm.
Meaning: having a high price or cost (adj)
Ways to say it
| Albanian |
|---|
| shtrenjtë |
| kushtueshëm |
Use shtrenjtë for the price of a specific object or a service, such as a car or food. Use kushtueshëm for more abstract or formal concepts, like a costly endeavor or a costly mistake.
Which one should you use?
shtrenjtë is the common way to refer to the high price of physical items or services. In contrast, kushtueshëm is used for more formal or abstract contexts where 'costly' might be a better English fit.
Did you know?
- While shtrenjtë means 'expensive', its opposite lirë also means 'free'. A speaker must rely on the context to know if an item is cheap or completely free of charge.
- The word shtrenjtë shares an unexpected history with the English word 'strict'. It stems from a Latin root meaning 'narrow' or 'tight', originally implying that a price was so high it left one with little room to breathe.
- The word shtrenjtë is related to the Romanian word strâmt, meaning 'narrow'. This shows a linguistic link between how these two Balkan languages describe constraints.
Examples in context
- Pse është ky ushqim aq shtrenjtë?Why is this food so expensive?
Example conversation
Alban and Tea are shopping for a new phone.
- AlbanShiko këtë telefon, është shumë i bukur!Look at this phone, it is very beautiful!
- TeaPo, por është shumë shtrenjtë për mua.Yes, but it is too expensive for me.
- AlbanKe të drejtë, çmimi është i lartë.You are right, the price is high.
- TeaLe të kërkojmë një model tjetër.Let's look for another model.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “expensive” translations and entries shtrenjtë, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries shtrenjtë, CC BY-SA 4.0.
