Albanian morphology

This article concerns themorphology of the Albanian language, including the declension of nouns and adjectives, and theconjugation
of verbs. It refers to theTosk-based Albanian standard regulated by theAcademy of Sciences of Albania.

Contents
Nouns (declension)
Plural formation
Regular noun endings
Pronouns
Personal pronouns
Demonstrative pronoun
Adjectives (declension)
The linking clitic
Adjectives with the linking clitic
Adjectives without the linking clitic
Verbs (conjugation)
Regular paradigms (active voice)
Class 1
Class 2
Class 3
Irregular verbs
kam ‘have’ (auxiliary)
jam ‘be’ (auxiliary)

Bibliography

Nouns (declension)
Albanian nouns are of three genders, with neuter disappearing. Nouns are morphologically altered for number (singular/plural),
definiteness (indefinite/definite), and case. The cases are nominative, accusative, dative, ablative and vocative. Many texts include a
genitive case, but this is produced using a linking clitic (see below) and is morphologically identical to the dative. The vocative is
distinguished from the nominative in the case of only a few nouns. The dative and the ablative are identical, except for the indefinite
plural of some nouns.The indefinite accusative is always the same as the indefinite nominative.

Plural formation
Albanian plural formation is highly irregular. Suffixes include -ra, -a, -e, -onj, -ë, but modification of the stem by final consonant
palatalization or internal vowel mutation is common.

Regular noun endings

The indefinite form of the noun is identical in the nominative and accusative cases, being the uninflected form of the noun in the
singular, and the form noted above in the plural. The following are the endings for the dative and ablative cases when the noun is in
indefinite form:
 DAT ABL
singular, masculine/neuter nouns i i
singular, feminine nouns e e
plural ve ve/sh

The endings for nouns indefinite form are as follows:

NOM ACC DAT/ABL

singular, masculine nouns of "u" type u un/në ut
singular, masculine nouns of "i" type i in/në it
singular, neuter nouns t(ë) t(ë) it
singular, feminine nouns a n(ë) s(ë)
plural it/t(ë) it/t(ë) ve(t)

The masculine nouns of "u" type are those whose uninflected form ends in a stressed front vowel or in -h, -k or -g. Others are of "i"
type.

For examples of noun declension patterns, seeAlbanian language (Grammar).

Pronouns

Personal pronouns
The personal pronouns decline for case, as do nouns; they have additionalclitic (weak) forms in the accusative and dative.

NOM ACC DAT ABL ACC (clitic) DAT (clitic)

1st pers. singular unë mua mua meje më më
2nd pers. singular ti ty ty teje të të
3rd pers. singular, masculine ai atë atij atij e i
3rd pers. singular, feminine ajo atë asaj asaj e i
1st pers. plural ne ne neve nesh na na
2nd pers. plural ju ju juve jush ju ju
3rd pers. plural, masculine ata ata atyre atyre i u
3rd pers. plural, feminine ato ato atyre atyre i u

Demonstrative pronoun
The declension of thedemonstrative pronounsis very similar to that of the 3rd person personal pronouns.

NOM ACC DAT/ABL

masc. sing. ky këtë këtij
fem. sing. kjo këtë kësaj
masc. plural këta këtyre këtyre
fem. plural këto këtyre këtyre
Adjectives (declension)

The linking clitic

An Albanian noun phrase typically has the form "N Lnk Adv* A" where Lnk is the declinable particle described below. (If adverbs
appear between the adjective and the linking particle, then the latter must take its indefinite form.) The linking particle agrees with
the noun in gender, case and number.

Indefinite linking clitic:

NOM ACC/DAT/ABL
SG.M i të
SG.F e të
PL të të

Definite linking clitic:

NOM ACC DAT/ABL

SG.M i e të
SG.F e e së
PL e e të

The adjectives themselves are also declined to agree with the noun in gender and number. Paradigms differ depending on whether the
adjective is or is not used with the linking particle.

Adjectives with the linking clitic

One group of adjectives uses the same form for all except the feminine plural, which uses the ending -a. The other does not differ by
number, but has an -e on the feminine and none on the masculine.

Adjectives without the linking clitic

Some adjectives are used without the linking particle. These take different endings from those that use the linking particle, and come
in seven different types.

M.SG M.PL F.SG F.PL

- - - -
- - - a
- - e e
- ë e e
- ? e e
- ? ? ?

Each row is a different declension class.Each cell labeled "?" indicates varied/irregular endings.

Verbs (conjugation)
In the active voice, Albanian morphologically alters the indicative present, imperfect and aorist, the optative present, and the
admirative present and imperfect (with 6 person/number inflections for each), as well as the imperative (2nd person singular and
plural) and a participle (indeclinable). (The admirative endings are regular across conjugational classes and are similar to forms of the
auxiliary kam.) All other mood/tense/aspect combinations are produced periphrastically using the auxiliary kam (have) and
indeclinable particles. The Albanian passive voice continues the Indo-European medio-passive, and has separate declension
paradigms for the indicative present and imperfect, as well as the imperative. The other forms are produced from these and from the
active forms periphrastically.

Regular paradigms (active voice)

Class 1

- IND.Present IND.Imperfect IND.Aorist Optative

1 oj oja ova ofsha
2 on oje ove osh
3 on onte oi oftë
1 ojmë onim uam ofshim
2 oni onit uat ofshit
3 ojnë onin uan ofshin

Imperative: Singular -o, Plural -oni

Participle: -uar

Class 2

- IND.Present IND.Imperfect IND.Aorist Optative

1 - ja a sha
2 - je e sh
3 - te i të
1 im nim ëm shim
2 ni nit ët shit
3 in nin ën shin

Imperative: Singular -, Plural -ni

Participle: -ur

Class 3
 - IND.Present IND.Imperfect IND.Aorist Optative
1 - ja ta tsha
2 - je te ç
3 - nte ti ttë
1 më nim tëm tshim
2 ni nit tët tshit
3 në nin tën tshin

Imperative: Singular -, Plural -ni

Participle: -tur

Irregular verbs
Most proper Albanian verbs are irregular since they change their only vowel of the stem, often rearranging consonant order or by
changing the stem completely. Verbs of foreign origin like studioj, kandidoj, refuzoj, provoj, etc. are regular. Verbs derived from
nouns, like ndryshoj (from ndryshe, different), vlerësoj (from vlerë, value), are normally regular. Here are some examples of irregular
verbs:

kam ‘have’ (auxiliary)

kam, ke, kisha, pata, paça, ki, pasur. (I have, you have, I had (aorist), I had (simple perfect), I (wish to) have, (imperative) have!, had
(participle).

jam ‘be’ (auxiliary)

jam, është, isha, qesh, qofsha, ji!, qenë.

shoh, to see

shosh, sheh, shihja, pashë, pafsha, shih!, parë.

ha, to eat.

ha, ha, haja, hëngra, ngrënsha, ha!, ngrënë.

rri, to stay

rrí, rri, rrija, ndenja, ndenjsha, rrì!, ndejur.

vij, to come

vij, vjen, vija, erdha, ardhsha, eja!, ardhur.

bie, to fall

bie, bie, bija, rashë, rafsha, bjer!, rënë.

flas, to speak

flas, flet, flisja, fola, folsha, fol!, folur.

them, to say
them, thua, thoja, thashë, thënça,thuaj!, thënë.

Bibliography
Buchholz, Oda & Wilfried Fiedler. Albanische Grammatik. Leipzig: VEB Verlag Enzyklopädie, 1987.
Camaj, Martin. Albanische Wortbildung. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1966.
Camaj, Martin. Albanian Grammar. Trans. Leonard Fox. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1984.
Gut, Christian, Agnés Brunet-Gut & Remzi Përnaska.Parlons albanais. Paris: L'Harmattan, 1999.
Hubbard, Phillip L. The Syntax of the Albanian Verb Complex. New York–London: Garland Publishing, 1985.
Mann, Stuart E. An Albanian Historical Grammar. Hamburg: Helmut Buske, 1977.
Newmark, Leonard, Philip Hubbard, & Peter Prifti.Standard Albanian: A Reference Grammar for Students .
Standford: Stanford University Press, 1982.
Newmark, Leonard & Vladimir Dervishi.Albanian Handbook with English and Albanian Glossaries . Kensington, MD:
Dunwoody Press, 1999.
Neziroski, Fatime. Manuel de conjugaison des verbes albanais. Paris–Budapest–Torino: L'Harmattan, 2003.
Ressuli, Namik. Grammatica albanese. Bologna: Pàtron, 1986.
Zymberi, Isa. Colloquial Albanian. London–New York: Routledge, 1991.

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