u + Admirative

Non-active Admirative Present

Level 5

The Non-active Admirative Present is used to express surprise, astonishment, or irony regarding a current situation in the passive or reflexive voice. It is formed by adding the particle u before the active admirative form.

How It Works

The Non-active Admirative Present (Habitorja e tashme, forma joveprore) is a unique Albanian construction. It combines the 'surprise' mood with the non-active voice.

1. Formation:
It is built using the formula: u + [Short Participle] + [kam endings].

  • Take the participle (e.g., larë).
  • Use the short form (e.g., la).
  • Attach the present tense endings of kam (-kam, -ke, -ka, -kemi, -keni, -kan).
  • Place the particle u (the marker for non-active voice) in front.

2. Conjugation Example (Verb: laj - to wash):

  • Unë u lakam (I am [surprisingly] being washed / washing myself)
  • Ti u lake
  • Ai/Ajo u laka
  • Ne u lakemi
  • Ju u lakeni
  • Ata/Ato u lakan

3. Usage Nuances:
While 'admirative' implies admiration, it is often used for:

  • Sudden Realization: 'Oh, I see that...'
  • Irony/Sarcasm: 'So you're being "helped," are you?'
  • Reportedness: Expressing skepticism about something heard from others.

4. Note on Tense Distinction:
It is important to distinguish this synthetic present form from the analytic Non-active Admirative Perfect. While the present uses the u + short participle structure, the perfect is formed using the admirative of 'to be' (qenkam) plus the full participle (e.g., qenkam larë - I have [surprisingly] been washed).

Examples (4)

  1. U rritka shpejt ky fëmijë!

    This child is growing [surprisingly] fast!

    Word by Word: Was grown fast this child!

    Uses the reflexive/intransitive sense of 'rritem' to show surprise at the child's growth.

  2. Pse, u dënuakam unë për këtë?

    Wait, am I [really] being punished for this?

    Word by Word: Why, was punished I for this?

    Expresses disbelief or irony regarding a passive action (being punished).

  3. U pëlqekan shumë këto libra.

    It seems these books are very well-liked.

    Word by Word: Were liked much these books.

    The speaker has just discovered that the books are popular and expresses wonder.

  4. U dëgjoka zhurma deri këtu!

    The noise is [surprisingly] being heard all the way here!

    Word by Word: Was heard the noise until here!

    Expresses surprise at a current passive state (the noise being audible).

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the particle 'u'.

    Ai laka shumë shpejt.
    Ai u laka shumë shpejt.

    Without 'u', the verb is in the active voice ('He [surprisingly] washes'). With 'u', it is non-active ('He [surprisingly] is being washed' or 'washes himself').

  • Using the full participle instead of the short participle.

    U larëkam.
    U lakam.

    The admirative mood requires the short form of the participle (la) before the endings, not the full form (larë).

How It Connects

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u + AdmirativeLevel 5Non-active Admirative Present

Learn This First

To understand the Non-active Admirative Present, a learner must first be familiar with the active admirative present conjugation. Additionally, they need to understand how the particle 'u' functions as a marker for the non-active voice (passive and reflexive) in Albanian verbs.

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