My English seems to be going downhill allowing more and more Albanian to creep into my English. So if you ever have an English conversation with me, please excuse my Albanian if:
I use double negatives. You acutally are supposed to use double negatives in Albanian for it to make sense to people like “I don’t talk to no one.” So if I’m not not careful, I find myself using them in English too.
I can’t think of an English wait, what is it? Word! That’s it! Oh please be patient with me if I can’t think of a word in English. I know it’s somewhere in my brain. Just not somewhere easily accessible. And when I do find it or if you help me think of it, please celebrate with me
I say an English word like it’s Albanian. If I’m talking and one of the words is Albanian, just go with it. Unless it totally leaves you clueless as to what I’m talking about then ask. But really. Some Albanian words make life better. Like if you’re listing things and you run out of things to put on your list, just say kaq (cotch).
I can’t read English because I’m reading it like it’s Albanian. That is always humbling. Especially when I sound it out outloud It’s so frustrating when I try and read something in Albanian and I just can’t figure it out. Like ‘finally’ I would read as feen-ah-loo. After a few times of saying it as if it were Albanian, it will finally dawn on me that I’m reading English not Albanian. But just laugh along like you do that all the time too.
And kaq.