So you’ve mastered your first lesson in Albanian but are not sure yet how to describe the smile of your crush? Well, it’s time to get more serious with grammar and learn about Albanian adjectives and their important role in sentences.
Similar to Albanian nouns, adjectives can change from singular to plural and have gender, cases, and declensions. This seems like a lot, but the rules are pretty logical, and once you get the hang of it, it’s easy to understand. To help you out, I came up with this guide to Albanian adjectives. Keep scrolling!
Table Of Contents
Understanding Albanian Adjectives
According to its grammatical definition, an adjective is a variable part of speech, and its role in the sentence is to show the characteristics of the noun. These characteristics can be qualities, properties, or relationships of the person or object in question.
Let’s break this down to make it easier to understand. Think of words like beautiful, fast, or red. These can all describe a noun in a sentence; therefore, they are adjectives. Here are some examples of Albanian adjectives:
- Beautiful girl – vajzë e bukur
- Fast car – makinë e shpejtë
- Red dress – fustan i kuq
The list can go on, but the point is simple. Adjectives in Albanian help describe or modify the noun by providing information regarding size, shape, age, quantity, color, or other characteristics. They make the language much more vivid, allowing us to clarify meaning, enhance expression, and create better imagery, whether in speech or in writing.
Types Of Albanian Adjectives
There are two main types of adjectives in Albanian, depending on what they describe:
Quality Adjectives
Quality adjectives (mbiemrat cilësorë) describe characteristics of the noun that can be perceived by the senses, or that can be imagined. Here are some common examples
- Color:
- Red – i kuq
- Black – i zi
- Shape or form:
- Round – i rumbullakët
- Tall – i gjatë
- Physical or emotional descriptions:
- Soft – i butë
- Pleased – e kënaqur
- Quality of character:
- Loyal – besnik
- Cunning – dinak
- Honest – i ndershëm
Quality adjectives can also describe abstract qualities, from which we can create nouns. For example:
| English | Albanian Adjective | Sound | English | Albanian Noun | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beautiful | I bukur | Beauty | Bukuri | ||
| Happy | I lumtur | Happiness | Lumturi | ||
| White | I bardhë | Whiteness | Bardhësi |
Quality adjectives also create antonymous pair words to add more vivid descriptions, such as:
- young (i ri) – old (i vjetër)
- good (mirë) – bad (keq)
- beautiful (i bukur) – ugly (i shëmtuar)
They also express the grammatical category of degree:
Relational Adjectives
Relational adjectives (mbiemrat marrëdhënior) express the features of the noun by describing its relationship with another person, object, circumstance, action, or number. For example:
- School bus – autobuzi i shkollës: The adjective indicates the relation of the noun with the school.
- Physics book – libri i fizikës: The adjective indicates how the book is related to a school subject.
Relational adjectives are expressed in several ways. Here are some examples:
- Material adjectives:
- Stone castle – kala e gurtë)
- Iron door – derë e hekurt
- Glass cup – gotë qelqi
- Possessive adjectives:
- Childhood home – shtëpia e fëmijërisë
- Natural phenomena – dukuri natyrore
- Agentive adjectives:
- Washing machine – makinë larëse
- Grinding mill – mulli bluarës
- Temporal adjectives:
- Summer vacation – pushime verore
- Today’s meeting – mbledhja e sotme
- Spatial adjectives:
- Coastal area – zona bregdetare
- Northern region – rajoni verior
- Numeral adjectives:
- Fourth class – klasa e katërt
- Second book – libri i dytë
Keep in mind that relative adjectives can’t describe abstract circumstances or states, create antonymous pair words, or express categories of degrees.
Albanian Adjectives: Morphological Structure
The Albanian language also divides adjectives into two categories based on their morphological structure. You can easily make a distinction by noticing if there is a letter before the adjective or not. Let’s take a look.
Definite Adjectives
Definite adjectives (mbiemrat e nyjshëm) are the ones that are always accompanied by the letters -i or -e beforehand, or -të when in plural form.
- Beautiful – i bukur
- Young – e re
- Green – e gjelbërt
- Big – e madhe
- Unexpected – të papritur
- Strangers – të panjohur
- Fast – e shpejtë
- Expensive – e shtrenjtë
Indefinite Adjectives
On the other hand, indefinite adjectives are the ones that don’t have the letter -i or -e, before the word.
- Brave – trim
- Coastal – bregdetar
- Exemplary – shembullor
- Blue – blu
- Hilarious – gazmor
- Dreamy – ëndërrimtar
- Luxurious – luksoze
- Hardworking – punëtor
- Lazy – dembel
Gender In Albanian Adjectives
The adjective’s gender is always determined by the gender of the noun. Let’s break it down to make it easier to understand.
We always pay attention to the letter that stands before the adjective for definite adjectives. The rule is simple; -i for masculine, and -e for feminine.
| English | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| Good | I mirë | E mirë |
| Beautiful | I bukur | E bukur |
| Wise | I mençur | E mençur |
| White | I bardhë | E bardhë |
| Short | I shkurtër | E shkurtër |
| Tired | I lodhur | E lodhur |
But there is a small number of definite adjectives that, when shifting from masculine to feminine, not only change the letter from -i to -e, but also the ending.
- Young – i ri changes to e re
- Black – i zi changes to e zezë
- Evil – i lig changes to e ligë
For indefinite adjectives, the gender changes from masculine to feminine by adding the letter -e at the end of the word. For example:
- Brave – trim changes to trime
- Dreamy – ëndërrimtar to ëndërrimtare
- Cunning – dinak to dinake
- Luxurious – luksoz to luksoze
- Ambitious – ambicioz to ambicioze
- Genius – gjenial to gjeniale
- Lazy – dembel to dembele
- Hardworking – punëtor to punëtore
In other cases, the adjective does not change, even when the gender does.
- Blue party – partia blu is feminine because the noun ends with an -a.
- Blue jacket – xhupi blu is masculine because the noun ends with an -i.
There are many other examples of adjectives that stay the same regardless of gender, sich as gray – gri, pink – rozë, meaningful – kuptimplotë, etc.
Number In Albanian Adjectives
This is the tricky part, but don’t worry, I promise to do my best to break it down in a way that”s easy to digest.
We all know that, in English, the adjective doesn’t change even when the noun becomes plural or vice-versa. Well, that’s not the case in the Albanian language. Both definite and indefinite adjectives change when the number of the noun changes. This happens in more ways than one. Or two, or three. Yep, it can be a bit challenging, especially for beginners. But I keep my promises, so I’m letting out the secret on how to learn this faster: gender!
Masculine Adjectives: Definite
Masculine adjectives of definite form change number in the following ways:
By changing the letter -i to -të.
- Good – i mirë – të mirë
- Relatives – i afërt – të afërt
- Tired – i lodhur – të lodhur
By changing the letter from -i to -të and adding the ending -nj/-inj.
- Young – i lig – të rinj
- Bad – i keq – të këqinj
- Black – i zi – të zinj
By changing the letter -i to -të, and phonemes.
- Evil – i lig – të ligj
- Small – i vogël – të vegjël
By changing all three: the letter -i to -të, phonemes, and the ending to -nj/-enj.
- Big – i madh – të mëdhenj
- Bad – i keq – të këqinj
Masculine Adjectives: Indefinite
Masculine adjectives of indefinite form change number in the following ways:
By adding the ending -ë.
- Neighbor – fqinj – fqinjë
- Active – aktiv – aktivë
By adding the ending -nj.
- Spiteful – inat – inatçinj
- Debt – borxh – borxhlinj
By remaining the same in singular and plural forms.
- Victorious – fitues – fitues
- Challenging – sfidues – sfidues
Compound adjectives, which are formed by using two words, change only the second part. The first word remains singular, and only the second one shifts into plural.
- Heartless – zemërgur – zemërgurë
- Merciless – shprtvogël – shpirtvegjël
Feminine Adjectives: Definite
Feminine adjectives of definite form change number in the following ways:
By changing the letter from -e to të.
- Red – e kuqe – të kuqe
- Today – e sotme – të sotme
By changing the letter from -e to -të, and adding an -a ending.
- Yellow – e verdhë – të verdha
- Sweet – e ëmbël – të ëmbla
By changing the letter from -e to -të, and changing phonemes, as well.
- Bad – e keqe – të këqija
- Big – e madhe – të mëdhaja
Feminine Adjectives: Indefinite
Feminine adjectives of indefinite form change number in the following ways:
By remaining the same in plural and singular.
- Noble – fisnike – fisnike
- Pretty – simpatike – simpatike
For compound adjectives, by only shifting the number of the second word. It’s the same logic as the masculine form.
- Arrogant – mendjemadhe – mendjemëdha
- Narrow-minded – mendjengushtë – mendjengushta
For compound adjectives, by adding an -a ending.
- Stubborn – kokëfortë – kokëforta
Cases In Albanian Adjectives
Definite adjectives change cases in the same way as Albanian nouns. There are five cases in Albanian: nominative (emërore), genitive (gjinore), dative (dhanore), accusative (kallëzore), and ablative (rrjedhore). There are two main rules you have to remember:
1. For the declension of definite adjectives, only the letter -i, e, or -të changes according to the case.
Here’s an example with the adjective “young boy” – djalë i ri.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Djalë i ri | Djemtë të rinj |
| Genitive | i/e djalit të ri | i/e djemve të rinj |
| Dative | Djalit të ri | Djemve të rinj |
| Accusative | Djalin e ri | Djemtë e rinj |
| Ablative | Prej djalit të ri | Prej djemve të rinj |
2. Indefinite adjectives don’t change case, only number and gender.
Here’s an example with the adjective “mountain river” – lumë malor.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Lumë malor | Lumenjtë malor |
| Genitive | i/e lumit malor | i/e lumenjve malor |
| Dative | Lumit malor | Lumenjve malor |
| Accusative | Lumin malor | Lumenjtë malor |
| Ablative | Prej lumit malor | Prej lumenjve malor |
PS.: Mountain is a noun in English, so you might be confused by this example. Well, what if I told you it’s a noun in Albanian, too? However, the Albanian language has a rule called the adjectivization of the noun, which means that the noun can turn into an adjective, and vice-versa. In this case, mountain (mal) changes to malor. This is quite advanced, so I suggest, you learn the grammar categories of the adjectives first.
Degree In Albanian Adjectives
One of the most important grammatical categories is the degree of adjectives. In simple terms, this is the level of quality or intensity in which the adjectives describe the noun.
There are three levels of degree: positive statement, comparative, and superlative.
Here’s an example: Good < Better < The best
- Ben is a good student – Beni është nxënës i mirë. – This is a positive statement, there’s no comparison.
- Ana is a better student than Ben – Ana është nxënëse më e mirë se Beni. – There is a comparison, one has more of a quality than the other.
- Dea is the best student in the class – Dea është nxënësja më e mirë e klasës. – This is the highest quality, superior to all others.
As you might have noticed, to compare qualities in Albanian, we usually use the word -më. If we want to express that the noun has a lesser quality, then we use -më pak. Only quality adjectives that express characteristics of the noun can be compared, in different degrees.
| Positive Statement | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| big – i madh | bigger – më i madh | the biggest- më i madhi |
| fast – e shpejtë | faster – më e shpejtë | the fastest – më e shpejta |
| warm – e ngrohtë | less warm – më pak e ngrohtë | the least warm – më pak e ngrohta |
| smart – i zgjuar | less smart – më pak i zgjuar | the least smart – më pak e zgjuari |
How Do You Say “Adjective” In Albanian?
In Albanian, the word for adjective is mbiemri.
Albanian Vocabulary: Common Adjectives
A list of the most common Albanian adjectives is just what you need for some practice, so keep this close to your notes while studying.
Frequently Asked Questions Related To Albanian Adjectives
1. What Are Adjectives In Albanian?
An adjective in Albanian is a variable part of speech that describes the characteristics of a noun. It can indicate quality, size, color, shape, or even abstract concepts. Adjectives modify nouns to provide more details and make the language more vivid. For example, words like beautiful (i bukur) or fast (i shpejtë) help us paint a clearer picture in a sentence.
2. How Do Albanian Adjectives Differ From English Adjectives?
Albanian adjectives differ from English ones in that they must agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe, while English adjectives remain unchanged. Additionally, Albanian adjectives typically follow the noun, though they can sometimes precede it for emphasis. Unlike in English, adjectives in Albanian also change form based on whether the noun is definite or indefinite.
3. What Are The Basic Rules For Using Adjectives In Albanian?
In Albanian, adjectives must agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and definiteness. They usually follow the noun, but can precede it for emphasis.
4. Can Adjectives Come Before The Noun In Albanian?
Generally, adjectives follow the noun in Albanian, but in poetic or emphatic language, they can precede it for stylistic purposes.
Takeaways
So there you have it: the full guide to Albanian adjectives. Feel free to return as many times as you need to these lessons; it’s the best way to learn. It’s absolutely okay if you need time to take in all this new information. Adjectives are one of the most important parts of Albanian grammar, and complicated, too.
To wrap it up, here are the most important things you need to remember from this guide.
- Adjectives in Albanian are a changeable part of speech; their function is to describe the characteristics or qualities of the noun.
- Adjectives are words with a full meaning, but their presence in a sentence depends on the noun. That’s the reason adjectives have the same grammatical categories as nouns; only the degree is a unique feature of adjectives.
- Similar to nouns, adjectives have number, gender, and case.
- Adjectives have three degrees of comparability: positive, comparative, and superlative.
We spend an entire school year learning all these, so don’t pressure yourself into learning it all in one day. It takes time, patience, and a whole lot of practice, but you’re going to make it! With the Ling app, you can start your first Albanian lesson today.
