njëherë

Njëherë is an Albanian adverb meaning “once” or “one time.” It is used to indicate a single occurrence of an action or event and is common in past-tense narration as well as in expressions that refer to a past experience. In translation, it corresponds to the English word “once.”

Etymology and form: The word is a compound of një (one) and herë (time, occasion). This combination yields a straightforward sense of a single instance. In modern standard Albanian, njëherë is written as one word; older or regional texts may occasionally display a two-word form, një herë, but the single-word form is preferred in contemporary usage.

Typical usage and examples: One common use is to state a past occurrence, as in: Unë kam vizituar Shqipërinë njëherë. (“I have visited Albania once.”) Another example: Njëherë, para shumë vitesh, ai u largua. (“Once, many years ago, he left.”) The word primarily signals a limited quantity of events (one time) rather than ongoing or repeated actions, though it can appear in broader expressions that recall past experiences.

Orthography and related terms: As a closed compound, njëherë is distinct from the root words një (one) and herë (time). Related lexical items include herë, the base noun meaning “time/occurrence,” and numerical një, meaning “one.”

See also: Albanian numerals and time-related vocabulary; herë; other adverbs indicating frequency or sequence in Albanian.