Albanian Grammar Explained Simply, Step by Step
Grammar reference
Key forms of standard Albanian. Come back here any time.
Topics
Nouns
Noun genderA1
Albanian has two main genders — masculine and feminine. Gender decides the ending of the definite form and the linking article of an adjective: djalë i mirë — "a good boy", vajzë e mirë — "a good girl".
Definite and indefinite formA1
Albanian has no separate word like "the": definiteness is an ending. libër — "a book", libri — "the book". Indefiniteness is often shown by një — "one, a": një libër.
PluralA1
Albanian plural endings vary, and for many common words the plural just has to be memorised. The definite plural, on the other hand, is easy: add -t or -të.
Cases: what they are and when to use whichA2
A case is a form of a word that shows its role in the sentence. Albanian has five cases. But a definite singular noun usually has only three different endings: the genitive, dative and ablative look the same.
Noun declension: tablesA2
Full tables for four common types. Most other nouns follow one of these patterns.
Article and adjective
Adjectives: position and agreementA1
An adjective usually comes after the noun and agrees with it in gender and number: një djalë i mirë — "a good boy", një vajzë e mirë — "a good girl". Most adjectives begin with a linking article — i, e or të; some have none: një qytet modern — "a modern city".
The linking article: i, e, të, sëA2
The linking article (nyja e përparme) stands before adjectives like i mirë and before a noun in the genitive: libri i Anës. Its form depends on the noun it belongs to: gender, number, case and definiteness. There are four forms — i, e, të, së.
Possession: libri i AnësA2
"Ana's book" in Albanian is libri i Anës: the noun, the linking article and the owner in the genitive. The key point: the article agrees not with the owner but with what is owned — libri i Anës, shtëpia e Anës, librat e Anës.
Comparison: më … se and "the most"A2
The comparative and the superlative both use one word, më "more": më i madh — "bigger", qyteti më i madh — "the biggest city". The context tells them apart: se "than" means a comparison, a definite noun before më means "the most".
Pronouns
Personal pronounsA1
The personal pronouns are unë "I", ti "you", ai "he", ajo "she", ne "we", ju "you" (plural, polite), ata "they" (m.), ato "they" (f.). The subject pronoun is usually dropped — the verb already shows the person: Jam mirë — "I'm fine". The full forms of the other cases are used after prepositions and for emphasis.
Short forms and object doublingA2
Short forms (trajtat e shkurtra) are unstressed object pronouns: më, të, e, i, na, ju, u. They go before the verb: E di — "I know it", Më pëlqen — "I like it". Native speakers use them all the time — even when the object itself is there: E pashë Anën — "I saw Ana".
Merged forms: ma, ta, ia, jua, uaA2
When a sentence has two short forms — "to whom" and "what" — they merge into one word: më + e = ma: Ma jep — "Give it to me". The merged form goes where a short form goes — before the verb.
Possessives: im, yt, i tij, i sajA2
A possessive comes after a definite noun and agrees with it in gender, number and case: libri im — "my book", shtëpia ime — "my house", librat e mi — "my books". "His" and "her" depend on the owner: i tij — "his", i saj — "her"; the article depends on the thing owned.
Demonstratives: ky, kjo, ai, ajoA1
Ky "this" (m.), kjo "this" (f.), këta "these" (m.), këto "these" (f.) are for what is near; ai, ajo, ata, ato are for what is far: "that, those". They are the same words as "he, she, they". The noun after them is in the indefinite form: ky libër — "this book".
Question words: kush, çfarë, ciliA1
The question word comes first, and the subject usually follows the verb: Ku punon Ana? — "Where does Ana work?". A yes/no question often starts with A: A flet shqip? — "Do you speak Albanian?".
Prepositions
Where, where to, where from: në, te, ngaA1
The three most common prepositions of place are në "in, at, to", te / tek "at, to (someone's)" and nga "from". The noun takes a different form after them: Jam nga Tirana, por jetoj në Vlorë — "I'm from Tirana, but I live in Vlorë". After nga and te the noun is definite (Tirana), after në it is usually indefinite (Vlorë).
With, without, for: me, pa, përA2
After me "with", pa "without" and për "for, about" the noun is in the accusative. Whether it is definite or indefinite depends on the meaning: me Anën — "with Ana", but me autobus — "by bus".
Pranë, para, pas, gjatë: prepositions with the ablativeA2
The largest group of prepositions takes the ablative: pranë shtëpisë — "next to the house", para mësimit — "before the lesson", pas punës — "after work". In the definite form the ablative is the same as the genitive and dative: shtëpisë, mësimit, punës.
Time: në, më, para, pas, gjatëA2
Days of the week need no preposition: të hënën — "on Monday". Hours, morning and evening, months and years take në, dates take më, and "before", "after" and "during" are para, pas, gjatë.
Prepositions by caseA2
Every preposition takes its own case. There are three groups: with the nominative (nga, te), with the accusative (në, me, për…) and the largest one, with the ablative (pranë, para, pas…). Here are the main ones with examples.
Verbs
How verbs workA1
Albanian has no infinitive in the usual sense: a dictionary lists a verb in its present-tense "I" form — punoj "I work", translated as "to work". The verb changes for person and number, and the subject pronoun is usually dropped: Punoj në Tiranë — "I work in Tirana".
Jam and kam: to be and to haveA1
The two most important verbs. Jam "to be" is never left out: Jam mjek — "I'm a doctor". Kam "to have" is used for possession and for many states: Kam uri — "I'm hungry".
Present tense: regular verbsA1
The present tense covers both "now" and "usually": Punoj në Tiranë — "I work in Tirana". The endings depend on how the dictionary form ends: in -j, a consonant or a vowel.
Irregular verbs in the presentA2
The most common verbs change their stem: flas — flet — flisni, dua — do, vij — vjen. There aren't many, but they come up in every conversation — they're easiest to learn from a table.
Negation and questions: nuk, s', mos, aA1
"Not" before a verb is nuk or, in speech, s': Nuk kuptoj — "I don't understand". Prohibitions use mos: Mos fol! — "Don't speak!". A yes/no question can start with a: A flet shqip? — "Do you speak Albanian?".
Future tense: do tëA2
The future = do të + the verb in the right person: do të punoj — "I will work", do të vij — "I'll come". Do të never changes — only the verb does.
The subjunctive: të + verbA2
Instead of an infinitive Albanian uses të and the verb in the right person — the subjunctive: Dua të blej bukë — "I want to buy bread" (literally "I want that I buy"). The forms are the same as after do të in the future.
Want, can, must: dua të, mund të, duhet tëA2
The three most common verbs with të: dua të "I want to", mund të "I can", duhet të "I must, I have to". The next verb takes the right person: Dua të shkoj — "I want to go", Mund të vish? — "Can you come?", Duhet të punoj — "I have to work".
The imperativeA2
The imperative has a "you" form and a "you" (pl.) form. The plural form is almost always the same as the present: punoni!, hapni!, flisni!. The singular form is usually shorter: puno!, hap!, fol!.
The participle: punuar, hapur, pirëA2
The participle is the third key form of a verb, after the "I" form and the aorist (the simple past): punoj — punova — punuar. It doesn't change for person and is used in the perfect (kam punuar — "I have worked"), as an adjective (dera e hapur — "the open door") and with duke and pa.
The perfect: kam + participleA2
The perfect = kam in the right person + the participle: kam punuar, ke punuar, ka punuar. It talks about the past as connected to the present: a result or an experience.
Tables
Aorist — regular (past)
Simple completed past. Endings shown with punoj (to work) and bëj (to do).
| unë | punova |
| ti | punove |
| ai/ajo | punoi |
| ne | punuam |
| ju | punuat |
| ata/ato | punuan |
| unë | bëra |
| ti | bëre |
| ai/ajo | bëri |
| ne | bëmë |
| ju | bëtë |
| ata/ato | bënë |
Aorist — irregular (triples)
Learn as a set: present → aorist → participle.
| present | aorist | participle | meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ha | hëngra | ngrënë | to eat |
| bie | rashë | rënë | to fall |
| vij | erdha | ardhur | to come |
| them | thashë | thënë | to say |
| jap | dhashë | dhënë | to give |
| shoh | pashë | parë | to see |
| marr | mora | marrë | to take |
| sjell | solla | sjellë | to bring |
| kam | pata | pasur | to have |
| fle | fjeta | fjetur | to sleep |
| dua | desha | dashur | to want |
| lë | lashë | lënë | to leave |
| vë | vura | vënë | to put |
| heq | hoqa | hequr | to remove |
| dal | dola | dalë | to go out |
⚠️ jam (to be): the aorist qeshë is rarely used in speech — people say isha (imperfect) or kam qenë (perfect). The participle qenë is very common: si ke qenë? (how have you been?).
Regular participles — by group
How regular verbs form the participle.
-uar-oj verbs
punoj → punuar work – workedmësoj → mësuar learn – learnedtakoj → takuar meet – metharroj → harruar forget – forgottenmendoj → menduar think – thoughtkërkoj → kërkuar search – searchedshikoj → shikuar watch – watcheddëgjoj → dëgjuar hear – heardfilloj → filluar begin – begunmbaroj → mbaruar finish – finishedkujtoj → kujtuar remember – remembereduroj → uruar congratulate – congratulatedlejoj → lejuar allow – allowedlexoj → lexuar read – readkontrolloj → kontrolluar check – checkedorganizoj → organizuar organise – organisedvizatoj → vizatuar draw – drawnpastroj → pastruar clean – cleaned
-r-uaj / -yej verbs
paguaj → paguar pay – paidshkruaj → shkruar write – writtenlyej → lyer smear – smearedthyej → thyer break – brokenkryej → kryer carry out – carried out
-urconsonant stem
hap → hapur open – openedmbyll → mbyllur close – closedkap → kapur catch – caughtpjek → pjekur bake – bakedhedh → hedhur throw – thrownprek → prekur touch – touchedqep → qepur sew – sewnndez → ndezur light – litshtyp → shtypur print – printedmbyt → mbytur drown – drownedpërdor → përdorur use – usednjoh → njohur know – knownmas → matur measure – measuredshpreh → shprehur express – expressed
-rëvowel + j / monosyllabic
bëj → bërë do – donelaj → larë wash – washedthaj → tharë dry – driedfryj → fryrë blow – blownpi → pirë drink – drunkndaj → ndarë divide – dividedfshij → fshirë wipe – wiped
-nëmonosyllabic in -ë
vë → vënë put – putzë → zënë occupy – occupiedlë → lënë leave – leftnxë → nxënë absorb – absorbed
Also frequent: ha→ngrënë, jap→dhënë, them→thënë, bie→rënë (see triples above).
Linking article i / e / të / së
Stands before adjectives and before a noun in the genitive. Its form depends on the gender, number, case and definiteness of the noun.
| article | when | example | meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | masc., nominative | djali i mirë një djalë i mirë | the good boy a good boy |
| e | fem., nominative | vajza e mirë një vajzë e mirë | the good girl a good girl |
| e | accusative and plural, right after a definite noun | djalin e mirë vajzat e mira | the good boy (acc.) the good girls |
| të | plural after jam and after an indefinite noun | janë të mira vajza të mira | (they) are good good girls |
| të | accusative after an indefinite noun; genitive, dative, ablative | një djalë të mirë djalit të mirë | a good boy (acc.) to the good boy |
| së | fem., definite: genitive, dative, ablative | vajzës së mirë | to the good girl |
| i / e | genitive: agrees with the first noun | libri i Anës shtëpia e Anës | Ana's book Ana's house |
The particle të in dua të / duhet të is different (subjunctive) — don't confuse it with the article.
Full table by case →Short pronoun forms
They go before the verb. Native speakers use them all the time — even together with the object itself: E pashë Anën — "I saw Ana".
| — | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| e | him / it (acc.) | nuk e di s'e di ku e ke? |
| më | to me / me | më pa |
| të | to you / you | të pashë |
| na | to us / us | na pa |
| ju | to you / you (pl.) | ju falënderoj |
| i | to him / her (dat.) | i fola |
| i | them (acc.) | i pashë |
| u | to them (dat.) | u thashë |
Merged forms (dat. + acc.)
"To whom" and "what" merge into one word. The forms ia, jua and ua cover both "it" and "them".
| — | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| ma | to me + him, her, it | ma solle |
| m'i | to me + them | m'i solle |
| ta | to you + him, her, it | ta dhashë |
| t'i | to you + them | t'i dhashë |
| ia | to him / her + it or them | ia solla |
| na e · na i | to us + it · to us + them | na e solli na i solli |
| jua | to you (pl.) + it or them | jua dhashë |
| ua | to them + it or them | ua tregova |
| iu | to him/her/them + u (reflexive verbs, past) | iu duk |
Prepositions & cases
Which case each preposition governs.
Accusative (kallëzore)
| me | with | indef.me një libër def.me librin pl.me librat |
| në | in, on, to | indef.në një shtëpi def.në shtëpinë pl.në shtëpitë |
| për | for, about | indef.për një fëmijë def.për fëmijën pl.për fëmijët |
| mbi | on, above | indef.mbi një tavolinë def.mbi tavolinën pl.mbi tavolinat |
| nën | under | indef.nën një pemë def.nën pemën pl.nën pemët |
| ndër | among | ndër shokët ndër të tjera |
| nëpër | through, around | indef.nëpër një rrugë def.nëpër rrugën pl.nëpër rrugët |
| pa | without | indef.pa sheqer def.pa shokun pl.pa shokët |
Nominative (emërore)
| nga | from | indef.nga një qytet def.nga qyteti pl.nga qytetet |
| te (tek) | at, to | indef.te një mik def.te mjeku pl.te prindërit |
| deri te | up to, until | indef.deri te një lumë def.deri te lumi pl.deri te lumenjtë |
Ablative (rrjedhore)
| prej | from, of | indef.prej një qyteti def.prej qytetit pl.prej qyteteve |
| midis | between, among | midis dy shtëpive midis nesh |
| mes | amid, among | indef.mes një pylli def.mes pyllit pl.mes pyjeve |
| ndaj | towards | ndaj fëmijëve ndaj meje |
| kundër | against | indef.kundër një ligji def.kundër ligjit pl.kundër ligjeve |
| sipas | according to | indef.sipas një plani def.sipas planit pl.sipas planeve |
| rreth | around, about | indef.rreth një problemi def.rreth problemit pl.rreth problemeve |
| gjatë | during, along | indef.gjatë një dite def.gjatë ditës pl.gjatë ditëve |
| pranë | near, next to | indef.pranë një shtëpie def.pranë shtëpisë pl.pranë shtëpive |
| afër | near | indef.afër një lumi def.afër lumit pl.afër lumenjve |
| larg | far from | indef.larg një qyteti def.larg qytetit pl.larg qyteteve |
| para | before, in front of | indef.para një ndërtese def.para ndërtesës pl.para ndërtesave |
| pas | after, behind | indef.pas një muri def.pas murit pl.pas mureve |
| përpara | in front of | indef.përpara një shtëpie def.përpara shtëpisë pl.përpara shtëpive |
| përveç | except, besides | indef.përveç një libri def.përveç librit pl.përveç librave |
| brenda | inside, within | indef.brenda një kutie def.brenda kutisë pl.brenda kutive |
| jashtë | outside | indef.jashtë një qyteti def.jashtë qytetit pl.jashtë qyteteve |
| poshtë | below, under | indef.poshtë një ure def.poshtë urës pl.poshtë urave |