kam

Verb 'Kam' (To Have)

Foundations

The verb kam (to have) is a foundational Albanian verb. It is used to show ownership, tell your age, and describe feelings like hunger or thirst.

How It Works

The verb kam is one of the most frequent words in Albanian. Because it is irregular, its form changes significantly depending on who is doing the action.

1. Primary Uses

  • Possession: Just like in English, it shows you own something (e.g., 'I have a car').
  • Age: You can express age using kam followed by the noun vjet (e.g., 'Kam njëzet vjet'). However, the most common way to state age is using jam with the word vjeç (e.g., 'Jam njëzet vjeç').
  • Physical States: States like hunger (uri), thirst (etje), or being cold (ftohtë) use kam.

2. The Conjugation
The present tense forms are:

  • Unë kam (I have)
  • Ti ke (You have)
  • Ai/Ajo ka (He/She has)
  • Ne kemi (We have)
  • Ju keni (You all have)
  • Ata/Ato kanë (They have)

3. The Auxiliary Role
Beyond its meaning as 'to have', this verb acts as a helper (auxiliary) to create the Present Perfect tense.

4. Sentence Structure
Albanian is a 'pro-drop' language, meaning you often leave out the personal pronouns because the verb form already tells you who the subject is. If you want to say 'no', the negation particle nuk always comes before the verb.

Examples (4)

  1. Unë kam një libër.

    I have a book.

    Word by Word: I have a book.

    A simple example of possession using the first person singular form.

  2. Ai ka dhjetë vjet.

    He is ten years old.

    Word by Word: He has ten years.

    When using 'kam' for age, you must use the noun 'vjet' (years). Alternatively, you can say 'Ai është dhjetë vjeç' using the verb 'jam'.

  3. Kemi shumë etje.

    We are very thirsty.

    Word by Word: (We) have much thirst.

    Shows the use of 'kam' for physical states like thirst (etje) or hunger (uri). Note the omitted subject pronoun 'Ne'.

  4. A ke makinë?

    Do you have a car?

    Word by Word: Particle-Q have (you) car?

    A question using the second person singular form 'ke'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'jam' (to be) for physical states like hunger or thirst.

    Jam uri.
    Kam uri.

    In Albanian, physical sensations like hunger (uri), thirst (etje), or sleepiness (gjumë) are expressed with 'kam' (to have), not 'jam' (to be).

  • Mixing 'vjeç' and 'vjet' when expressing age.

    Kam 20 vjeç.
    Kam 20 vjet.

    The word 'vjeç' is an adjective/adverb used only with the verb jam. If you use 'kam', you must use the noun 'vjet'.

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kamFoundationsVerb 'Kam' (To Have)

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