natën e mirë
In Albanian, "good night" is expressed as natën e mirë.
natën e mirë is used exclusively as a farewell when someone is going to sleep or is leaving for the night. It is not used as a greeting when you arrive somewhere in the evening.
Meaning: a farewell (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "the night good".
How does it change in a sentence?
The word for night, natën, is used in the accusative case rather than the nominative form nata. This is because the phrase is treated as a shortened version of a sentence such as "I wish you a good night".
Did you know?
- The Albanian word mirë shares a distant ancestor with the Latin word mītis, which describes something 'soft' or not chewy.
- In many Albanian households, saying natën e mirë is often accompanied by a small ritual of a kiss on the cheek or a forehead for family members.
Examples in context
- Natën e mirë!Good night!This example shows how to use natën e mirë as a farewell.Tatoeba #4466320 by Balamax, translation #426950 by Pun_intended
- Natën e mbarë, zoti Smith.Good night, Mr. Smith.
- Natën e mirë, shoqe.Good night, friend.
- Të gjithëve natën e mirë!Good night to everyone!
Example conversation
Alban and Arjana are leaving a small cafe late at night.
- AlbanArjana, natën e mirë!Arjana, good night!
- ArjanaFaleminderit, edhe ti natën e mirë!Thank you, good night to you too!
- AlbanShihemi nesër.See you tomorrow.
- ArjanaMirupafshim!Goodbye!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good night” translations and entries natën e mirë, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries e, mirë, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
