Albanians Get Me Drunk When I Speak Their Language

Thanks to Raycon for sponsoring this video - go to buyraycon.com/xiaomanyc for 20% off your order, plus free shipping! Albanians are some of the funniest and most welcoming people I’ve ever met, and when I as a random American spoke their rare language the party and their very strong alcohol really started flowing. We had a great time in the NYC neighborhood of Little Albania in the Bronx, NYC!
BIG THANKS to the Albanian Institute of New York for helping out with this video! www.albanianinstitute.org/
0:00 Introduction
0:10 Sponsored by Raycon (NEW MODEL!)
1:33 They think I'm Albanian when ordering coffee
3:31 Shopping in an Albanian clothing store
5:17 Speaking Chinese, Albanian, and Malay in restaurant
7:34 Trying Albanian energy drinks
8:20 Getting drunk off Albanian liquor
9:42 Albanian shouting match
10:40 Another funny Albanian grandpa
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[@xiaomanyc]

Thanks to Raycon for sponsoring this video - go to buyraycon.com/xiaomanyc for 20% off your order, plus free shipping! Which Balkan language should I do next???

[@CertifiedPolyglot]

Bulgarian?🇧🇬

[@catrionacolville2192]

Why would you wear wireless earbuds instead of quality portable wired headphones? The quality is so bad.

[@priyankarapriyankara5372]

Companies literally paying anyone to sponsor them. My gosh the desperate amount of companies need money.

[@awareable7216]

Do Slovenian next🇸🇮🇸🇮❤

[@Frexuz]

Not Balkan, but near, Polish is damn hard! Would love to see it 😮

[@jacobmatelot7862]

Next video: *xiaoma smokes hash with the taliban*

[@Mcblingprincessxoxoxo]

HELPP YESSS

[@tylermartin6013]

This comment had me dying in real life, well done sir.

[@jackevansevo]

lmao

[@judahjayson684]

Let's make it happen 😅😂

[@RichardGreer88]

...I would watch the hell out of that video lol

[@Kennypowers51]

*Walks into grocery store* "Do you have an Albanian flag shirt?" "Yes, of course."

[@HashMaster1776]

“This guy needs to speak better Albanian”

[@Scorpions2134]

Well you can walk into a grocery in shop in albania, and chances are you can get a flag themed something if not just a shirt

[@hankglidden1463]

Least nationalistic Albanian establishment

[@fabian09332]

as an albanian who has watched u for years its nice i finally get my video

[@EdDunkle]

Tangential: There are a bunch of short chapters about Albania in the 1920's in Joseph Roth's "The Hotel Years."

[@the_one_w_brains]

Do you live in albania? I swear anywhere i go i hear the albanian language sooner or later 😂 (my friend in elementary school taught me some of the words and a few slurs)

[@fabian09332]

@@the_one_w_brains I live in the uk and most Albanians including myself love teaching slurs

[@CrimTheKitty]

Feel u

[@the19Zabaniyah]

As an American I'm happy to have my moment every video 😂

[@patrickbyrne5070]

I love the “he’s a fraud” then 5 min later the nod - ‘ok- he’s legit’ haha

[@alb0zfinest]

His Albanian was pretty bad though

[@mdikeee4817]

Well she said, "He's got that shirt on, you're a fraud" and the shirt was the Albanian flag so I thought she was just joking that he's pretending to be Albanian when he's not.

[@brendansmith2545]

classic albanian attitude though, you gotta prove yourself before you get the respect.. my stepfather is albanian, known him for 12 years and he’s still skeptical of me 😂😂

[@RonnieG]

​@@brendansmith2545I'm skeptical of him. Is he really albanian & speaking it? Or do you just not know any better? 😅

[@CharlieR420]

What do you expect when hes just started learning it who tf can speak soemones language with the click of a button 😂​@@alb0zfinest

[@jameslay6505]

Dude Albanians seem chill af

[@rene2443]

❤️

[@craighughes536]

'do you speak mandarin'.....i get by....he says 🤣

[@LatinoComedian]

That Albanian restaurant they went to is AMAZING. I just discovered it a couple months ago and I can't get enough of it.

[@andrewber5280]

7:25 -"so you follow him?" -"yea" -"why?" lmao

[@salarycapo]

😂 asking the real questions

[@xxphejyaz]

LMAO WTF BRO HAHAHAHAHAHHA

[@paxcema]

"They don't make no fli, when'd they f@cking start?" Cracked me up 😆 10:28

[@Insharai]

omg I was rolling xD strait up my humor I fking love it

[@lautreamontg]

I would watch a comedy skit based off those two guys. It's old New York and modern New York at the same time.

[@ryomiyagi2026]

😭😭😭

[@Ru77ian]

OG has to have been asking that shop to make him some fli for YEARS

[@GlassOfWater87]

I'm an idiot. for 9 solid minutes I Assumed you were actually in Albania lol. Until you said you would like to go there I was like: What?

[@user43712]

yep same here

[@ljsquared3210]

it definitely seemed like it at first

[@1Psalmaday]

Same.. I was wondering why he kept saying he wanted to go when he was already there.. Like what province is he in then 😂

[@Kadagirl777]

I thought so too, but saw him using US dollars and got so confused, but then I saw the box of ring pops on the counter and went, oh yeah, that's America 🤣

[@Sasquatch10]

Same, i want to know where he is cause it doesn't sound like he was in New York either.

[@crazybros5163]

As a albanian this is the best video ever😂 love this brother

[@alb0zfinest]

He's an educated dude but his Albanian was atrocious lol.

[@felixahelixa3233]

@@alb0zfinestsure, but at least he tried lol. Don’t be like the French, and appreciate others for trying a hand in your language!

[@blenda6614]

@@alb0zfinest thats bc hes still learning u can see him asking what some words and sentences mean

[@Tytyshippy]

Xiaoma, please never stop making these videos. It brings joy to so many of us who might not be able to speak many languages if any at all, and inspires many to learn languages themselves.

[@chrisquiett1776]

Oh I was about to say he's looking good and healthy and he immediately said "good thing I lost a lot of weight" 😂 you're looking great! Whatever you're doing, keep it up. Love you man!

[@danielwolk3576]

i believe he went to a vegetarian diet

[@nuansd]

That's not accurate i think​@@danielwolk3576

[@1jackvalley580]

Since fat foods such as a steak don't make us fat, it's Sweets and Carbohydrates such as Starchy foods, things made with flour, fried batter, breads, rice, potatoes,those are all bad Carbohydrates and of course many more. There are good Carbos such as some vegetables, and beans. So when people tell you fats make us fat, that is absolutely NOT TRUE

[@RealDovamo]

ozempic jk lol

[@chrisquiett1776]

@@danielwolk3576 works for some people. Price of meat lately is crazy.

[@Aevilbeast]

Whoa, this video really hit me with a huge blast of nostalgia! When I was a child (around 10 y/o or so) and into my 20's I was very good friends with a couple Albanians guys. When they first moved to the US as refugees they spoke little to no English, but despite that & because of their kindness and hospitality, we quickly became very good friends! (We are still friends to this day, but they moved away and are married and have their own families now, so we don't get to see each other very often anymore,) We became more like brothers really. But anyways, as they learned to speak English and I would try and help them, they would in turn help me learn to speak Albanian, plus just being around it all the time, you start to pick up things. Even though I don't remember much of it, I was still able to instantly recognize a few of words, like "thank you" (the very first thing I learned something I'll never forget!) and "good", and things like "Raki' and some of the different foods. (I remember the food so fondly! His mother used to make homemade Byrek" (they called it "Piti" though IIRC) and it was absolutely heavenly!!!) So watching this video and hearing those things, just really took me back! It honestly made me want to start learning to speak the language again. Albania, is definitely on my bucket list of places I want to go, because of all the great things I've heard bout it and because of immense hospitality and kindness of the Albanian people! Plus, as seen in this video, the women are beautiful!

[@user-zv7yb4yp9g]

Lovely story man, everyone who’s kind to us we consider a brother so I bet they’ll never forget your hospitality and friendliness too. It’s also called “pite” btw with an “e”

[@KiloTheRottie]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing your lovely memories! 🇦🇱😊 maybe one day your paths will cross again! 🙏

[@skrrtfranklin]

I remember being homeless in LA met and Albanian gentleman ! He took me under his wing , God wasn’t ready for me to grow up and learn much yet and wanted me to keep struggling and see the light the world for what it is , I messed up and couldn’t keep my shyt togerther! But one day I will go back and revisit him , I won’t forget the love , the support , the trust , the chance he and his workers around gave me and he even had his sons meet me and give me pants clothes etc

[@Leo-fr9tn]

For real? When was this? My uncle migrated from the motherland to la back in the days? Do you have more info?

[@skrrtfranklin]

@@Leo-fr9tn yes foreal and this was before covid ! It was a crazy, dreamer , chasing what I thought was best for me , at that time in my life , I sacrificed a lot and lived a different life ! I was skateboarding heavily!! I was smoking a lot of Mary Jane and just wasn’t looking at the big picture and was just living in my own selfish world !! It was prob around 2014-2017 time and the guy I met had a car mechanic shop attached to the gas station , not far from Santa Monica ! It was a crazy time in my life , maybe one day I can turn my stories into a movie ! He was eventually thinking about buying a rv trailer for me and putting it on his lot and I would be security etc as well but I just couldn’t keep my ish together and looking back I guess I just didn’t care - he used to have me car pool with him too , to funerals or whatever etc so he could drive in this one lane meant to go faster etc but you need a passenger! It’s crazy as homeless as I was and struggling , something about being at the bottom and not being tied to much , felt so real , felt so pure , I felt really at one with my body and skateboarding at that time though I was using all my energy and emotions into my skating ! It was crazy the shyt I went thru , saw , felt and obtained

[@bwztec]

I don’t know many of the languages he speaks but I always think it’s funny how he seems to have Chinese accents in other languages lol love it

[@tolstoj_]

Nah, it's a surprisingly good accent. Grammatical Albanian with a slight accent.

[@bwztec]

@@tolstoj_ yeah i think its very good in general but you can sort of tell a chinese accent at times, thats all

[@alb0zfinest]

@@tolstoj_Grammatical Albanian? Lmao far from it. No offense but his Albanian pronunciation is quite bad. He's fairly good in other languages but quite disappointing in Albanian.

[@ptwowo8448]

@@alb0zfinest If he hadn't REPEATEDLY mentioned he barely knows the language and is practising, I could understand that you'd say that, however since he did REPEATEDLY mention that he barely knows the language and is practising, it's a moot point.

[@alb0zfinest]

@@ptwowo8448 Well the video is contradictory, it suggests in the CC's that the woman was so surprised at his Albanian that she thought he was Albanian which is incorrect lol. Albanians just rarely hear a foreigner speak Albanian that even if he had said 1 word they would be impressed.

[@disphugginflip9279]

I just realized, the movie Taken jaded my view on Albanians. These guys are nice and welcoming!

[@User12345fan]

It’s fiction

[@miguimau]

Super nice people. Aren't they? Cheers from Spain, Albanians.

[@User12345fan]

Saludos, igual ustedes.

[@codebreak1884]

As an Albanian who follows you for years, I'll have to say Thank You. You have my respect.

[@wizuhhh]

As an Albanian , we are very welcoming especially when people like yourself take time to take your time to learn the language!

[@meredithjohnson2843]

Met an Albanian nurse and she was such an amazing person- told me her story and was so open to hearing mine too. I hope she’s doing well. Met a lot of amazing nurses. Indian, Bosnian, Jamaican, Nigerian. I’m telling you immigrants make this (US) country better. I hope all of them get to visit home soon.

[@gm1799]

Society is supposed to be a melting pot of people and cultures, division only works for profits and agendas

[@christianalonso32]

Going to Albania for the first time this year with my best friend who’s from there. Idk why but I’ve always wanted to go since I met my best friend. So if I go you definitely got to go!!!

[@cpoable]

Isn't it wonderful to have your best friend show you where his/her roots are? I love that!

[@patrickbyrne5070]

I know some Albanians and if they say ‘take it’ … it’s probably something you wanna hide in your sock

[@israeltavor6874]

the way Albanians are so welcoming as deeply rooted in their culture and is a major part of their sense of honor; So much that during WW2, they actively hid jews because of this, making Albania the only country in Europe that had more jews after than before the war.

[@ispadispad8529]

Yep, same as they robed and killed lets not say who in 1st ww1, while they were crossing the country to get to Greece

[@boris035..4]

Albanians were bigger nazi's then nazi's, wtf are you speaking of?!?!?!

[@FeedAmbition]

@@boris035..4 I think you should try reading a sentence first 🤣

[@boris035..4]

@@FeedAmbition Are you ok?!? You know on which side albania was in WW wars?!?!

[@FeedAmbition]

@@boris035..4 you don't have to ask me. Ask the older jews they'll tell how most of them survived in europe.

[@jesuschrist194]

8:00 that shop clerk switched from good ol' Albanian to literally southern dad "That's what you're lookin' for? You got it." in a quick fucking milisecond xDD are they all plants?!?! incredible! xDD thank you for the entertaining video!

[@martian9999]

I spent some time in Albania last summer. Fantastic place, absolutely lovely people! (It's sad how they're despoiling and commercializing the coast, but the interior country is wonderful, with so many beautiful places to visit).

[@User12345fan]

Totally agree, the coast is becoming so touristy, sad, it’s beautiful when it’s untouched. Now an apartment costs 5 times more than it did 10 years ago with the mass tourism.

[@homasas4837]

@@User12345fan Even if you get to Saranda, its still pretty much wild territory compared to Corfu, Kotor or Dubrovnik

[@martian9999]

@@homasas4837 I liked Sarandë, but it seemed equally developed to most places in Corfu. That said, of all the coastal towns in Albania, it would be my favorite.

[@homasas4837]

@martian9999 i don't think albania gather more than 5 % of the overall tourism on the Adriatic. It's still way underdeveloped compared to the neighborhoods. Though, I rather spend a week in albania than in Croatia or western Greece

[@martian9999]

@@homasas4837 who cares about percentages?

[@anthonybranco]

I've met Albanians here in Canada, nicest people. They have a screwed up history with one or two crazy leaders that have put the country behind, but things are getting back on track.

[@whiskeywarlord9425]

You havent met many then

[@User12345fan]

That’s right.

[@mlrd2687]

I have been friends with Albanians all my life and I know that they are good people. My country, Serbia, also had dictatorial leaders, and now has a dictatorial government, which obviously has an interest in spreading intolerance between neighboring nations. Those who have been brainwashed by the media will not be able to believe that Albanians and Serbs can be friends.

[@mlrd2687]

I have been friends with Albanians all my life and I know that they are good people. My country, Serbia, also had dictatorial leaders, and now has a dictatorial government, which obviously has an interest in spreading intolerance between neighboring nations. Those who have been brainwashed by the media will not be able to believe that Albanians and Serbs can be friends.

[@kevinprzy4539]

@@whiskeywarlord9425 yeah fr, some of the rudest people I've ever met were Albanian.

[@sero6020]

Ich fühle bei deinen Videos immer diese mega positive Energie. Ohne Ausnahme❤😊

[@nikolamaljevic6302]

NO FUCKING WAY. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO FOR SO LONG.

[@rene2443]

😭 same brother

[@timo4938]

Ari, you're an absolute legend! I appreciate your willingness and ability to learn all these languages and learn/ embrace the cultures as well. We love what you do and you inspire many normal folk to want to learn new languages and experience new cultures.

[@birdvatcher7424]

xiaoma, you look amazing! your hard work paid off. it's very motivating as someone doing the same thing. love your content, keep it up

[@hunterfabio]

"You're a fraud", not a few minutes after they can't get enough of Ari

[@xopinkieox]

THANK YOUUUUU I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO DO THIS!!!!

[@kylegawron5358]

I love how they are so encouraging and help you out with learning the language as you are out in public

[@xhemel4303]

"When Albanians offer you something, you always say yes" being Albanian this is more than true lol

[@StrangeChickandPuppo]

I always start tearing up after a while in these videos, seeing people light up with joy in hearing someone take interest in something dear to them

[@Razboynik69]

Love the spaced-out look @ 11:00. That Raki is kicking in....

[@l4mb01]

One of your best videos for a while The Albanian people were very warm

[@Skanderbeg99]

YESS, I was waiting for this since day one of finding this channel

[@thatboyn0xy]

Never expected bro to actually learn my language. Good job dude

[@cblume4542]

One of the best videos in a long time

[@betonkevero6823]

5:00 you look so healthy, Xiaoma! Lookin good!

[@shepherdzhuwao11]

Speaking every language of the country he visits is insane❤🙌🏿

[@priyankarapriyankara5372]

I know

[@nomad5375]

All in New York City

[@c.james1]

And he hasn't even been to Albania yet lol.

[@leohorton9496]

@@c.james1 No, it was Little Albania in the Bronx, NYC

[@c.james1]

@@leohorton9496 Ah my mistake. Knew it was a little Albania somewhere. Thought they said Turkiye, my mistake.

[@MagicGreenSquid]

Such friendly vibes. Makes me wanna visit Albania, too. Pity I don't have your language skills!

[@jake57]

damn you are looking more toned and mature these days. its been cool to see the evolution and growth of you as a person.

[@OS3KI]

don't get me wrong i absolutely love these videos❤, but the warped camera angles get me sometimes 😭😭😭

[@majorhelmet2101]

The fish eye is so weird lol

[@lamiaislam1]

fr i was crying cause it completely distorted them when the came too close 😭

[@christxzn]

great weight loss xiaoma, we can see the hard work paying off!

[@Ro-ie9ic]

Love you bro great vids as always

[@bobgoblin3847]

xiaoma ur lookin great dude!! keep it up

[@LowerTheBoom]

🎵 Albania! Albania! You border on the Adriatic! Your land is mostly mountainous, and your chief export is chrome! 🎶

[@redskies3000]

Coach on Cheers! Lmao!

[@dominicawatson1071]

I love Coach, too!!!

[@nood1e236]

It was tin instead of chrome, iirc.

[@artialb]

Ive watched you for years bro,its amazing youre doing albanian now

[@alexdaman.]

Looked like a fun video so I clicked, absolutely worth it. 🎉

[@Klikz990]

You made my day bro 😎 greets from swiss-albanian

[@peanutbuttawaffle]

i LOVED this. thank you very much once again Xioama.

[@-RONNIE]

Thanks for the video keep up the good work

[@thearch1tect249]

Bravo.... Shume mir Xiaoma

[@kitkat3878]

Loved the video! Awesome to see you learning some Eastern European languages. Next you gotta learn some Greek!!

[@User12345fan]

I used to watch his asian videos, and always wondered if he was any good. He speaks Albanian even in northern dialect, the guy is goooood.

[@53shuzzie]

So cute how they all stand around and talk and laugh with him.

[@AbandonedMaine]

Funny. I was helping my friend Jose Vega gather petitions in the lower Bronx for his congressional campaign and Albanians were one of the more common ethnicities I met.

[@TehTobis]

The vibe of the video is so funny. They all seem so nice

[@eljonvehapi8033]

as an albanian I have been following you for years and I love the fact that you are learning my own mother tongue. Please come to Albania and nothern province of Albania 'Kosova'.

[@SetaBTW]

Xhovani a real one, loved the duo

[@SamEllens]

You're looking healthier my friend, great to see.

[@Fremztah]

This is like a superpower!

[@dublinoseven3279]

“Albania. Albania. You border on the Adriatic. Your land is mostly mountainous….” Coach Ernie Pantuso

[@TheLastAngryMan01]

RIP.

[@jeffreyknapp74]

Another great video. You are the reason that I'm trying to learn my 1st new language. I'm going with Spanish because it's one of the most spoken languages, at least in my area. Thanks for inspiring me. I'd love to get some tips that could get me learning faster and better.

[@adrianog4148]

this guy is unbelievable.👌 faleminderit.

[@albankastrati6355]

Flushing native here, was literally watching your videos this morning and said “why hasn’t he done Albanian yet?” AND POP COMES THE VIDEO

[@chrisreimer]

Next video: Xiaoma hunts fish with dolphins using echolocation.

[@DjTikuu]

this is legendary! 😂

[@Vichikuma]

8:20 definitely my favorite camera angles LOL 😂

[@evermoore66665]

A true story I remember that happenes to me one time when I tried to speak to a couple of Albanians in their language and they spoke back to me in Albanian.

[@mrbean604]

Glad that you're visiting a wholesome place on vacation. When i get drunk on vacation in a group of strangers, I'd be afraid of waking up with one less kidney.

[@zazz69ed]

Dude I just watched this at midnight and now im hungry for some of this food now!!! nearest city is like 2 hrs away LOL

[@rene2443]

Finally, it’s rare to see a linguist learn Albanian ❤

[@user-st8rg1fy9x]

Xiao, i live in the Ironbound area of Newark n it's 80% Portuguese, (20 mins from NYC). I'd love to see you there speaking our language. You'll love the hundred's Portuguese restaurants n Cafe's n stores.

[@user-st8rg1fy9x]

Xiao, 70% r from Portugal n 10% from Brasil n 20% r Hispanic in the Ironbound.

[@irgendwas8170]

In your intro with the sponsor you had a big hangover for sure

[@isabelleraskin4911]

I spent several weeks in Albania and honestly, the population were absolutely adorable! Still, despite the alcohol they offered me, I was not able to speak Albanian, myself

[@py_a_thon]

I am not much of a traveller irl, yet the remote and chill parts of eastern europe and west asia always held some sort of sway over my psyche. Perhaps because they are less known by the world, yet are still some really interesting places with thousands of years of history. Also, the food and what seems like a mentality of "omg a foreigner...you need to drink some tea(or coffee) or tea++ and be our best friend forever lol". They seem like chill rural people. America seems to have some spots like that as well, in many places.

[@miketoriant]

Xiamoa your albanian accent is so good 😲

[@marzpierre5050]

Bro you look so healthy and happy. I'm proud of you brother. Keep taking care of yourself. Love you💪🏾🙂‍↕️

[@cjlive5182]

Wow this makes me want to visit Albania!

[@SteveVilla-qo8sv]

Xiao hope everything is okay I see you’re slimmer then usually hoping it’s only good progress 🙏 nothing bad

[@The404Studios]

i love these videos so much.

[@MrOoYT]

I was watching some of your videos from not even a year ago and it struck me how much weight you’ve lost. I knew you had lost a lot but wow do you look different in recent videos. Great job!

[@saravelcani9941]

shume bukur, bravo! hajde prap ne bronx

[@firesting]

though it's nice to hear you speak a lot of languages, i still love your mandarin the most! it feel's like i crave more interactions, and i would love if you acctually went to China (anywhere in China tbh) Much love

[@Thugshaker_thequaker]

Been working out eh? Looking good chief.

[@howardspenc8264]

HAhahahahahahaha .. your Albanian as a beginner is impressive, especially the accent is absolutely spot on.

[@ajk710]

I have many Albanian friends, very nice people. A lot of people think Greeks and Albanians don't get along, but we have a lot of shared history and comradery.

[@anthonyfox477]

Albania is awesome! When i was there an Albanian retired movie star serenaded us with a song about raki.

[@Roobadoon]

Unc was shocked that he didn’t know that they served fli he demanded some that very second he found out 😂

[@BangchanIsBestLeader.]

Love watching his vids

[@chrisquiett1776]

They are so fun. You always see the joy in the locals faces when he pulls out their language

[@YaMoonSun]

That old dude was funny. Good video bud.

[@fionas3630]

Finally I’ve been waiting for you to learn Albanian 😂🇦🇱

[@ShivaRainchild]

4:52 "You say yes always, there's no I don't want it." :D That's probably why the dealers have it so easy over there :D

[@__Patrick]

Knew a Serbian dude who was quite honest about his country's "crazy" level, but he said that Albanians are way crazier than Serbians, like it isn't even a competition... Dude, Albania seems freaking awesome! I wanna go!

[@holdenyourmom-_-]

yo you look great, keep that drive xiaomanyc