qintar
RareSpecialist / Technical / Formal
Definition
Meaning
A monetary unit of Albania, equal to one-hundredth of a lek.
A term used historically and in official contexts to denote a subdivision of currency, specifically in Albania; also encountered in numismatics.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Exclusively refers to Albanian currency; not used generically for small change. Almost always used in a singular form, even when referring to multiple units (e.g., 'five qintar').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No practical difference in usage as the term is highly specific to Albania. Awareness of the term may be marginally higher in the UK due to greater historical travel to Albania, but this is negligible.
Connotations
None beyond its technical, financial meaning.
Frequency
Extremely rare in both varieties; essentially never used in everyday speech.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The [noun] is worth [number] qintar.[Number] qintar make one lek.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in financial reports or travel guides discussing Albanian currency conversion.
Academic
Found in economic texts, historical analyses of Balkan monetary systems, or numismatic studies.
Everyday
Virtually non-existent; only used by travellers or expatriates in Albania in very specific transactional contexts.
Technical
Used in banking, foreign exchange, and numismatics when precise currency subdivision is required.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- In Albania, one lek is one hundred qintar.
- The old coin was worth only five qintar.
- Due to inflation, the qintar is now obsolete in everyday transactions, though it remains a nominal unit of account.
- Numismatists value certain mint errors on qintar coins more highly than their face value in lek would suggest.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'QUEEN's TAR' (a queen paying a tax of one small coin). The 'q' is pronounced like a 'k'.
Conceptual Metaphor
A SMALL PART OF A LARGER WHOLE (e.g., 'The project budget was so large, my contribution felt like a mere qintar').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with Russian 'кинтал' (kintal), a unit of weight (quintal). They are false friends with different meanings.
Common Mistakes
- Pronouncing the 'q' as /kw/ (like in 'queen'). It is /k/.
- Using it as a plural (e.g., 'qintars'). The plural is typically 'qintar'.
- Using it to refer to any small currency unit outside Albania.
Practice
Quiz
What is a qintar?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, due to low value and inflation, the qintar is practically obsolete in daily use, though it remains the official subdivision of the lek.
It is pronounced /kɪnˈtɑːr/, with a hard 'k' sound at the beginning, stress on the second syllable.
Only metaphorically. Literally, it is strictly tied to the Albanian currency system and is not a generic term like 'penny' or 'cent'.
The plural is typically 'qintar' (invariant). You would say 'two hundred qintar', not 'qintars'.