mbaroj + së + Participle + -i

Terminative Aspect with 'Mbaroj'

Level 4

The terminative aspect in Albanian indicates that a process or ongoing action has reached its end. It is formed using the verb mbaroj (to finish) followed by the particle së and the articulated participle (e.g., së punuari).

How It Works

In Standard Albanian, the verb mbaroj functions as an aspectual auxiliary to signal the end of an activity.

1. The Morphological Structure:
The main verb must be in the form of an articulated participle. This is created by taking the past participle and adding the suffix -i. This construction is preceded by the particle së (a linking article variant).

  • punuar (worked) → së punuari (working/to work)
  • lexuar (read) → së lexuari (reading/to read)

2. Conjugation:
The verb mbaroj conjugates according to the subject and the desired tense (usually present or aorist), while the së + participle block remains invariant.

3. Usage Nuance:
This pattern is strictly for durative verbs—actions that take time. You finish 'reading' or 'building,' but you wouldn't typically use this for instantaneous actions. It is the standard way to say 'finish doing something' in both formal and informal registers.

Examples (4)

  1. Mbarova së lexuari librin që më dhe.

    I finished reading the book you gave me.

    Word by Word: I-finished of reading the-book that to-me you-gave.

    Here, 'mbarova' is in the aorist (past definite) tense, followed by the terminative construction 'së lexuari'.

  2. Kur do të mbaroni së ndërtuari shtëpinë?

    When will you finish building the house?

    Word by Word: When will you-finish of building the-house?

    This uses the future tense of 'mbaroj' to ask about the completion of a process.

  3. Ata sapo mbaruan së ngrëni darkën.

    They just finished eating dinner.

    Word by Word: They just finished of eating the-dinner.

    The verb 'ngrenë' (to eat) has the participle 'ngrënë', which becomes 'së ngrëni' in this construction.

  4. Mbaroj së shkruari në orën pesë.

    I finish writing at five o'clock.

    Word by Word: I-finish of writing at the-hour five.

    A present tense example showing a habitual completion of an action.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the subjunctive 'të' instead of 'së' + participle.

    Mbarova të lexoj librin.
    Mbarova së lexuari librin.

    While 'filloj' (to start) can take the subjunctive, 'mbaroj' strictly requires the participle construction in Standard Albanian.

  • Using the gerund 'duke' to express the object of completion.

    Mbarova duke folur.
    Mbarova së foluri.

    Using duke implies you finished something else while speaking, or you ended up speaking. It does not mean 'I finished the act of speaking'.

  • Omitting the final '-i' on the participle.

    Mbarova së punuar.
    Mbarova së punuari.

    Standard Albanian requires the articulated (ablative) form of the participle, which ends in '-i'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

mbaroj + së + Participle + -iLevel 4Terminative Aspect with 'Mbaroj'

Learn This First

To express the completion of an action using 'mbaroj', you need to know how to conjugate 'mbaroj' as a regular -oj verb and how to form the gerund or infinitive that follows it to specify the action being completed.

Words in This Pattern

mbaroj