Adjectives

A1 — Mbiemra

Adjective agreement and the linking particle system (i/e/të/së)

Can describe people, places, and things using basic adjectives with correct agreement

Examples

Shtëpia e madhe është e bukur. — The big house is beautiful.
Kam një makinë të re. — I have a new car.

AdjectivesA1

Adjectives

Adjective agreement and the linking particle system (i/e/të/së)

Learning Goal

Can describe people, places, and things using basic adjectives with correct agreement

Exam Skills:ReadingWritingSpeaking

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Shtëpia e madhe është e bukur.

The big house is beautiful.

Kam një makinë të re.

I have a new car.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

Most Albanian adjectives come after the noun and are introduced by a small word, the linking article (nyja): i, e or të. English has nothing like it, so think of it as part of the adjective: you learn i madh (big), not just madh.

Choosing i, e or të

Noun	Linking article	Example	English
masculine singular	i	një djalë i mirë, djali i mirë	a good boy, the good boy
feminine singular	e	një vajzë e mirë, vajza e mirë	a good girl, the good girl
plural, no "the"	të	djem të mirë, vajza të mira	good boys, good girls
plural with "the"	e	djemtë e mirë, vajzat e mira	the good boys, the good girls

The adjective itself also agrees: a feminine form often adds -e (i madh - e madhe), and plurals have their own forms (të mëdhenj for men, të mëdha for women or feminine nouns).

Masculine	Feminine	English
i madh	e madhe	big
i vogël	e vogël	small
i ri	e re	new, young
i vjetër	e vjetër	old
i bukur	e bukur	beautiful
i mirë	e mirë	good

After "to be"

The linking article stays when the adjective follows jam, and it agrees with the subject: Qyteti është i bukur (The city is beautiful), Berati është i vjetër, Plazhi në Ksamil është i mrekullueshëm. With a feminine subject: Kafja është e nxehtë (The coffee is hot).

Adjectives without a linking article

A second, smaller group takes no article at all. These are mostly words like shqiptar (Albanian), interesant (interesting), popullor (popular, folk) and colours borrowed from other languages: një libër interesant, muzikë popullore. The dictionary shows you which group a word belongs to: if it is listed with i/e, use the article.

The usual English-speaker error is to put the adjective first (*i madh qytet) or to forget the article (*qytet madh). Say the noun, then the article, then the adjective: qytet i madh.

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Practice Exercises

The linking particle system (i/e/të/së) is unique to Albanian and Balkan languages. It's the biggest grammatical novelty for most learners. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English adjectives don't change at all. The linking particle + agreement system is entirely new.

Common Error Patterns

Wrong linking particle (i/e/të/së)

M.sg: i, F.sg: e, M.pl: të, F.pl: e. Accusative/dative changes the particle.

Wrong adjective ending for the gender

Many adjectives change form: i madh (M) → e madhe (F)

Shtëpia e madhe është e bukur.

The big house is beautiful.

E madhe (big, F) and e bukur (beautiful, F) — both use feminine linking particle 'e'.

Kam një makinë të re.

I have a new car.

Një makinë të re — with indefinite noun, the linking particle changes to të (accusative).

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2. Family and describing people

Frequently asked questions

When do you use Adjectives?: Most Albanian adjectives come after the noun and are introduced by a small word, the linking article ( nyja ): i, e or të . English has nothing like it, so think of it as part of the adjective: you learn i madh (big), not just madh .
How do you form Adjectives?: The adjective itself also agrees: a feminine form often adds -e ( i madh - e madhe ), and plurals have their own forms ( të mëdhenj for men, të mëdha for women or feminine nouns). The linking article stays when the adjective follows jam , and it agrees with the subject: Qyteti është i bukur (The city is beautiful), Berati është i vjetër , Plazhi në Ksamil është i mrekullueshëm . With a feminine subject: Kafja është e nxehtë (The coffee is hot). A second, smaller group takes no article at all. These are mostly words like shqiptar (Albanian), interesant (interesting), popullor (popular, folk) and colours borrowed from other languages: një libër interesant , muzikë popullore .
What are common mistakes with Adjectives?: The linking particle system (i/e/të/së) is unique to Albanian and Balkan languages. It's the biggest grammatical novelty for most learners. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English adjectives don't change at all. The linking particle + agreement system is entirely new.

Noun

Linking article

Example

English

masculine singular

një djalë i mirë, djali i mirë

a good boy, the good boy

feminine singular

një vajzë e mirë, vajza e mirë

a good girl, the good girl

plural, no "the"

të

djem të mirë, vajza të mira

good boys, good girls

plural with "the"

djemtë e mirë, vajzat e mira

the good boys, the good girls

Masculine

Feminine

English

i madh

e madhe

big

i vogël

e vogël

small

i ri

e re

new, young

i vjetër

e vjetër

old

i bukur

e bukur

beautiful

i mirë

e mirë

good

Frequently asked questions

When do you use Adjectives?

Most Albanian adjectives come after the noun and are introduced by a small word, the linking article ( nyja ): i, e or të . English has nothing like it, so think of it as part of the adjective: you learn i madh (big), not just madh .

How do you form Adjectives?

The adjective itself also agrees: a feminine form often adds -e ( i madh - e madhe ), and plurals have their own forms ( të mëdhenj for men, të mëdha for women or feminine nouns). The linking article stays when the adjective follows jam , and it agrees with the subject: Qyteti është i bukur (The city is beautiful), Berati është i vjetër , Plazhi në Ksamil është i mrekullueshëm . With a feminine subject: Kafja është e nxehtë (The coffee is hot). A second, smaller group takes no article at all. These are mostly words like shqiptar (Albanian), interesant (interesting), popullor (popular, folk) and colours borrowed from other languages: një libër interesant , muzikë popullore .

What are common mistakes with Adjectives?

The linking particle system (i/e/të/së) is unique to Albanian and Balkan languages. It's the biggest grammatical novelty for most learners. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English adjectives don't change at all. The linking particle + agreement system is entirely new.