User:Speckler/Albanian grammar
Nouns, categories[edit]
Genders: 3, masculine, feminine, neuter
Number: 2, singular, plural
Definiteness: 2, indefinite, definite
Cases: 6, nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, ablative, vocative
Gender[edit]
Albanian has three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine and neuter.
Number[edit]
There are two numbers in Russian: singular and plural.
Definiteness[edit]
A noun can be either indefinite or definite.
Case[edit]
There are six cases in Albanian: nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, ablative and vocative, although the vocative only occurs with a limited number of words. The cases apply to both definite and indefinite nouns and there are numerous cases of syncretism. The equivalent of a genitive is formed by using the prepositions i/e/të/së with the dative.
Nouns, declensions[edit]
There are five declensions
Verbs[edit]
present tense of "to be"
| person | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | unë jam | ne jemi |
| 2nd | ti je | ju jeni |
| 3rd | ai, ajo është | ata, ato është |
.[edit]
The following shows the declension of the masculine noun mal (mountain):
| Indefinite Singular | Indefinite Plural | Definite Singular | Definite Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | mal (mountain) | male (mountains) | mali (the mountain) | malet (the mountains) |
| Accusative | mal | male | malin | malet |
| Genitive | i/e/të/së mali | i/e/të/së maleve | i/e/të/së malit | i/e/të/së maleve |
| Dative | mali | maleve | malit | maleve |
| Ablative | mali | maleve/malesh | malit | maleve |
The following table shows the declension of the feminine noun vajzë (girl)
| Indefinite Singular | Indefinite Plural | Definite Singular | Definite Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | vajzë (girl) | vajza (girls) | vajza (the girl) | vajzat (the girls) |
| Accusative | vajzë | vajza | vajzën | vajzat |
| Genitive | i/e/të/së vajze | i/e/të/së vajzave | i/e/të/së vajzës | i/e/të/së vajzave |
| Dative | vajze | vajzave | vajzës | vajzave |
| Ablative | vajze | vajzave/vajzash | vajzës | vajzave |
The definite article is placed after the noun as in many other Balkan languages, for example Romanian and Bulgarian.
- The definite article can be in the form of noun suffixes, which vary with gender and case.
- For example in singular nominative, masculine nouns add -i, or those ending in -g/-k, take -u (to avoid palatalization):
- mal (mountain) / mali (the mountain);
- libër (book) / libri (the book);
- zog (bird) / zogu (the bird).
- Feminine nouns take the suffix -(j)a:
- veturë (car) / vetura (the car);
- shtëpi (house) / shtëpia (the house);
- lule (flower) / lulja (the flower).
- For example in singular nominative, masculine nouns add -i, or those ending in -g/-k, take -u (to avoid palatalization):
- Neuter nouns take -t.
Albanian has developed an analytical verbal structure in place of the earlier synthetic system, inherited from Proto-Indo-European. Its complex system of moods (6 types) and tenses (3 simple and 5 complex constructions) is distinctive among Balkan languages. There are two general types of conjugation. In Albanian the constituent order is subject verb object and negation is expressed by the particles nuk or s' in front of the verb, for example:
- Toni nuk flet anglisht "Tony does not speak English" ;
- Toni s'flet anglisht "Tony doesn't speak English" ;
- Nuk e di "I do not know" ;
- S'e di "I don't know".
In imperative sentences, the particle mos is used :
- Mos harro "do not forget!".
However, with verbs in the non-active form (forma joveprore), the verb is often in sentence-initial position :
- Parashikohet një ndërprerje "An interruption is anticipated".