tepër

Tepër is an Albanian adverb that means "too much" or "very," used to indicate that a quality or degree exceeds what is normal or desirable. It typically precedes the word it modifies and conveys a sense of excess or strong emphasis. For example, Kjo është tepër e vështirë translates as This is very difficult or This is too difficult, depending on context. Tepër often carries a more forceful nuance than shumë and can express criticism, urgency, or strong opinion.

Usage notes: Tepër can modify adjectives, adverbs, or past participles, producing phrases such as tepër i mirë (too good) or tepër shpejt (too fast). While it overlaps with shumë in indicating degree, tepër tends to imply an excess beyond what is acceptable or expected, which makes it common in formal or emphatic style as well as everyday speech. Its placement is typically before the word it intensifies, but it can appear before entire predicates in colloquial speech for emphasis.

Etymology and varieties: Tepër is native to Albanian vocabulary; its precise historical origins are not extensively documented in standard references. The word is widely used across Albanian-speaking communities, including Albania and Kosovo, and in diaspora communities. In written Albanian without diacritics, it is commonly rendered as teper.

See also: intensifiers in Albanian, shumë, jashtëzakonisht.

Note: The term teper is distinct from other degree modifiers and should be chosen when the speaker intends to express a strong, sometimes critical, degree of quality.