Two genders, visible in pairs
Many people-words come in masculine/feminine pairs. Listen to the endings — the feminine usually ends in -e or -a, the masculine in a consonant or -ë.
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| mik | mike |
| shok | shoqe |
| fqinj | fqinje |
| kushëri | kushërirë |
| mësues | mësuese |
| student | studente |
| nxënës | nxënëse |
| baba | nënë |
| vëlla | motër |
| djalë | vajzë |
| burrë | grua |
Text-only table — read the masculine/feminine pairs as printed forms.
Indefinite → definite: the ending does the work
The dictionary gives you the indefinite form. Add a postposed ending and the noun becomes 'the …':
| a … (indefinite) | the … (definite) | plural 'the …' |
|---|---|---|
| shtëpi | shtëpia | shtëpitë |
| libër | libri | librat |
| djalë | djali | djemtë |
| burrë | burri | burrat |
| grua | gruaja | gratë |
| mollë | molla | mollët |
| qytet | qyteti | qytetet |
| qen | qeni | qentë |
Only the first column has audio — the definite forms are printed for pattern recognition.
Burri im punon shumë.
My husband works a lot.
burri = 'the man/husband' — definite
Kush është ai burrë?
Who is that man?
burrë = 'a man' — indefinite
Ku është libri im?
Where is my book?
libri = 'the book'
Kafeneja hapet në tetë.
The café opens at eight.
kafeneja = 'the café'
Plurals in the wild
There is no single plural ending — plural definite forms like -të, -ët, -it are the ones you will actually read. Learn them inside real sentences:
Rrobat janë të pastra.
The clothes are clean.
Ku janë këpucët e mia?
Where are my shoes?
Zogjtë fluturojnë.
The birds are flying.
Peshqit notojnë.
The fish are swimming.
Lulet janë të bukura.
The flowers are beautiful.
Malet janë të larta.
The mountains are high.
Fëmijët tanë janë në shkollë.
Our children are at school.
Prindërit e mi janë të moshuar.
My parents are elderly.
Ditët verore janë të gjata.
The summer days are long.
Adjectives agree: i for him, e for her
The little linker before an adjective changes with the noun's gender: i before masculine, e before feminine.
| Masculine (i …) | Feminine (e …) |
|---|---|
| i madh | e madhe |
| i vogël | e vogël |
| i bukur | e bukur |
| i kuq | e kuqe |
| i bardhë | e bardhë |
| i kaltër | e kaltër |
| i ri | e re |
| i mirë | e mirë |
| i lartë | e lartë |
Molla është e ëmbël.
The apple is sweet.
Lulja është e bukur.
The flower is beautiful.
Ullinjtë janë të mirë.
The olives are good.
What a dictionary gives you
- Citation form = indefinite singular: shtëpi, libër, mollë.
- Masculine definites often end -i/-u; feminines -a/-ja.
- Plurals are learned per noun — no single suffix to memorize.
- Adjectives after nouns wear i (m.) or e (f.) linkers.
Next: what happens when a noun becomes a case — genitive 'of', dative 'to', and the prepositions that control them.
Mini practice
Q1. What does “nënë” mean?
- father
- mother
- brother
- sister
Answer: mother
Q2. How do you say “family” in Albanian?
- mik
- njeri
- person
- familje
Answer: familje
Q3. Someone says: “A jeni të martuar?” — what do they mean?
- We're engaged.
- I'm not married.
- Are you married?
- I'm married.
Answer: Are you married?
Q4. Albanian 'the man' from burrë 'a man' is …
- burri — 'the' is an ending on the noun
- i burrë — a separate word before it
- burrë e — 'the' goes after as a word
- burrëtë — always -të
Answer: burri — 'the' is an ending on the noun
Q5. In the nominative singular phrase 'the big house' (shtëpia e madhe), the adjective after a feminine noun takes …
- no linker at all
- the linker i: i madhe
- the linker e: e madhe
- the linker të: të madhe
Answer: the linker e: e madhe
