Reflexive and passive verbs: lahem, u lava
Verbs in -hem and -em are reflexive-passive: lahem "I wash (myself)", quhem "my name is", ulem "I sit down", takohem "I meet (someone)". The action is done to oneself, or the verb is passive: Dyqani hapet në orën tetë — "The shop opens at eight".
Present tense
The endings are -em, -esh, -et, -emi, -eni, -en; after a vowel they take h: -hem, -hesh, -het. These verbs are made from ordinary ones: laj "to wash" → lahem "to wash (oneself)", takoj "to meet" → takohem "to meet (each other)", nis "to start" → nisem "to set off".
| person | lahem | nisem |
|---|---|---|
| unë | lahem | nisem |
| ti | lahesh | nisesh |
| ai, ajo | lahet | niset |
| ne | lahemi | nisemi |
| ju | laheni | niseni |
| ata, ato | lahen | nisen |
Aorist: u + the form
The aorist is the particle u + the aorist of the ordinary verb: u lava "I washed", u takuam "we met". Only the "he" form differs — it is the "we" form without its ending: u lamë → u la, u takuam → u takua, u nisëm → u nis (not lau, takoi, nisi). Common ones: u ngrita "I got up", u kthye "he came back", u lodha "I got tired", Çfarë u bë? — "What happened?".
| person | lahem | takohem | nisem |
|---|---|---|---|
| unë | u lava | u takova | u nisa |
| ti | u lave | u takove | u nise |
| ai, ajo | u la | u takua | u nis |
| ne | u lamë | u takuam | u nisëm |
| ju | u latë | u takuat | u nisët |
| ata, ato | u lanë | u takuan | u nisën |
Other tenses
The imperfect is -esha, -eshe, -ej, with h after a vowel: nisesha, nisej; lahesha, lahej. The perfect takes jam: jam larë, jam nisur (see "The perfect: kam + participle"). The future and the subjunctive are like the present: do të nisem, duhet të nisem. The imperative: Ulu! — "Sit down!", Uluni! — "Sit down!" (pl.), Mos u mërzit! — "Don't be upset!".
The passive: nga
"By whom" in the passive is nga: Kjo shtëpi u ndërtua nga gjyshi im — "This house was built by my grandfather". Often the doer doesn't matter: Si thuhet kjo shqip? — "How do you say this in Albanian?", Këtu flitet anglisht — "English is spoken here".
With short forms: m'u, iu
Më + u = m'u, i + u = iu: më duket — "it seems to me", m'u duk — "it seemed to me", iu duk — "it seemed to him"; m'u kujtua — "I remembered".