Five cases, five jobs
Nominative names the subject, accusative the direct object, genitive the 'of'-relation, dative the 'to/for'-relation, ablative the 'from/by'-region. Genitive and dative endings overlap almost completely — beginners treat them as one shape.
| Case | Job | Where you already saw it |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | the subject — the doer | burri — 'the man' (subject form) |
| accusative | the direct object — what is acted on | burrin — 'the man' (object form) |
| genitive | 'of' — possession and relation | i burrit — 'of the man' |
| dative | 'to / for' — the receiver | burrit — 'to the man' (same ending as genitive) |
| ablative | 'from / by' — source region | pranë sheshit — 'by the square' |
Don't memorize endings yet — learn which preposition wants which case; the forms come with it.
Prepositions and the case they take
These government facts are fixed — it is not true that 'prepositions take oblique cases'. Learn each pair as a unit:
| Preposition | Meaning | Case used | Real example |
|---|---|---|---|
| nga | from | nominative | Jam nga … |
| te | at; to | nominative | Kam takim te dentisti. |
| në | in; on; to | accusative | Jetoj në një apartament. |
| me | with | accusative | Me qumësht. |
| pa | without | accusative | Pa sheqer, ju lutem. |
| për | for | accusative | Një tavolinë për dy, ju lutem. |
The right column plays real canonical sentences — hear each preposition inside its example.
Hear them in sentences
Nga jeni?
Where are you from? (formal)
Era fryn nga veriu.
The wind blows from the north.
Ai banon në Londër.
He lives in London.
Në shtëpi ndihem mirë.
At home I feel well.
Kam stres në punë.
I'm stressed at work.
Jetoj me prindërit.
I live with my parents.
Një çaj me limon.
A tea with lemon.
Pa mish, ju lutem.
Without meat, please.
Ujë pa gaz, ju lutem.
Still water, please.
Për herë të parë.
For the first time.
Dhjetë euro për person.
Ten euros per person.
Ju faleminderit për darkën.
Thank you for the dinner.
'Of' — the genitive link
In a phrase like 'the key of the room', the head noun (the thing described) and the genitive dependent ('of the room') are joined by a linker — you saw the same little words in Article 03.
Numri im i telefonit është …
My phone number is …
i telefonit = 'of the phone'
Dhoma e gjumit është e qetë.
The bedroom is quiet.
e gjumit = 'of sleep' — the bedroom
Dhoma e ndenjes është e madhe.
The living room is big.
e ndenjes = 'of sitting' — the living room
Çelësi i dhomës, ju lutem.
The room key, please.
i dhomës = 'of the room'
Në emër të Krasniqit.
Under the name Krasniqi.
të Krasniqit — a name in genitive
Në emër të …
Under the name …
në emër të … — under the name of
In çelësi i dhomës, çelësi is the head noun ('the key') and dhomës is the genitive dependent ('of the room'). The linking article is determined by the construction, including the head noun's grammatical form — genitive and dative shapes look alike, which is why beginners treat them as one pattern.
Where ablative hides
Ablative territory is 'from / by / near'. Most beginner needs are covered by nga + nominative above. Watch also for pranë 'next to' — as in the canonical Pranë parkut. — which stands in the ablative neighborhood with definite forms.
- nga, te/tek → nominative.
- në, me, pa, për → accusative.
- Genitive chains use the linker i / e / të / së before the genitive form (genitive and dative noun endings look alike, but the linker belongs to the genitive construction, not to dative generally).
- Case tables matter less than the preposition→case pairs — drill those.
Next: pronouns, the little clitics, and saying 'my'.
Mini practice
Q1. Which case follows në 'in/on' in Standard Albanian?
- the accusative
- the nominative
- the genitive
- the dative
Answer: the accusative
Q2. nga 'from' and te/tek 'at' govern …
- the accusative
- the nominative
- the genitive
- the ablative
Answer: the nominative
Q3. How do you say “With milk.” in Albanian?
- Ujë pa gaz, ju lutem.
- Pa sheqer, ju lutem.
- Një çaj me limon.
- Me qumësht.
Answer: Me qumësht.
Q4. Someone says: “Një tavolinë për dy, ju lutem.” — what do they mean?
- A table for four, please.
- The bill, please.
- A table for two, please.
- Do you have a free table?
Answer: A table for two, please.
Q5. What does “Numri im i telefonit është …” mean?
- My phone is broken.
- My phone number is …
- My address is …
- The phone is ringing.
Answer: My phone number is …
