Ndërkohë

Ndërkohë is an Albanian adverb of time meaning "meanwhile" or "in the meantime." It marks a time interval during which another action occurs, or it can introduce a contrast between two events. It can connect clauses or begin a sentence, and it is used in both everyday speech and formal writing.

Etymology and related forms: The term is formed from ndër, meaning between, and kohë, meaning time. This literal sense of "between times" explains its function of signaling concurrent or transitional events. It often appears together with the subordinate conjunction ndërkohë që, meaning "while" or "as."

Usage and examples: Ndërkohë can introduce a clause or stand alone for a temporal pivot. Examples: Ndërkohë ai po punon, ajo po lexon. In many contexts it pairs with ndërkohë që to express simultaneous action: Ndërkohë që ai po punon, ajo po lexon. It may appear at the start of a sentence for emphasis: Ndërkohë, gjërat ndryshuan.

Variation and relation to other terms: Ndërkohë is closely related to ndërsa, which also denotes simultaneous or contrasting actions, but with a nuance of comparison (“whereas”). It is typical in Albanian to use ndërkohë in both spoken and written forms to indicate a pause, transition, or ongoing activity in another part of the narrative.

See also: ndërsa, ku, kur.