shumë mirë
/ˈʃumə ˈmiɾə/word by word
The English phrase "very good" is translated into Albanian as shumë mirë.
shumë mirë is an expression used to describe something of high quality or to show approval. While it is often used to mean "very good", it can also function as an adverb meaning "very well". For a stronger sense of "excellent", you may use Shkëlqyeshëm.
Which one should you use?
The form shumë mirë functions as an adverb meaning "very well" (for example, "He speaks very well"). In contrast, when you want to use the phrase as an adjective to describe a person or an object, you must use the gender-specific forms shumë i mirë, shumë e mirë or shumë të mirë.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the phrase as an adjective to describe a noun, you must match the noun's gender and number: use shumë i mirë for masculine nouns, shumë e mirë for feminine nouns and shumë të mirë for plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʃumə ˈmiɾə/
Did you know?
- The Albanian word mirë shares an ancient root with the English word 'mild'. Both originate from a Proto-Indo-European word meaning 'soft' or 'mild'.
- In many Balkan contexts, a person might respond to a compliment or a question about their well-being with just mirë, which can mean both 'good' and 'fine', acting as a versatile linguistic shorthand.
Examples in context
- Punët e tua shkojnë shumë mirë.Your work is going very well.
- Çdo gjë po shkon shumë mirë.Everything is going very well.
Example conversation
Arjana and Alban are discussing a project they finished.
- ArjanaShiko punën e Albanit, është shumë mirë.Look at Alban's work, it is very good.
- AlbanFaleminderit shumë, Arjana!Thank you very much, Arjana!
- ArjanaE bëre gjithçka saktë.You did everything correctly.
- AlbanJam i lumtur që të pëlqeu.I am happy that you liked it.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (shumë, mirë) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mirë, shumë, CC BY-SA 4.0.
