Present tense: regular verbs
The present tense covers both "now" and "usually": Punoj në Tiranë — "I work in Tirana". The endings depend on how the dictionary form ends: in -j, a consonant or a vowel.
Three groups
punoj — "to work", hap — "to open", pi — "to drink".
| person | punoj | hap | pi |
|---|---|---|---|
| unë | punoj | hap | pi |
| ti | punon | hap | pi |
| ai, ajo | punon | hap | pi |
| ne | punojmë | hapim | pimë |
| ju | punoni | hapni | pini |
| ata, ato | punojnë | hapin | pinë |
Ending in -j: punoj, shkruaj
In the "you" and "he" forms -j becomes -n: punon, shkruan, luan. In the plural: -jmë, -ni, -jnë: punojmë, punoni, punojnë. This is the largest group: mësoj, lexoj, jetoj, kuptoj.
Ending in a consonant: hap, mbyll
The singular has no ending — one form for "I", "you" and "he": unë hap, ti hap, ai hap. In the plural: -im, -ni, -in: hapim, hapni, hapin.
Ending in a vowel: pi, ha
The singular also has one form: pi, ha. In the plural: -më, -ni, -në: pimë, pini, pinë. Three verbs in -i — iki "to leave", eci "to walk", hipi "to get on" — have their own pattern: "you, he" ikën, and the plural like hap: ikim, ikni, ikin.
Right now — po
Po before the verb means the action is happening right now: Po punoj — "I'm working", Çfarë po bën? — "What are you doing?". Without po it is general or habitual: Punoj çdo ditë — "I work every day".