Albanian Adjectives: Agreement & Forms

Two kinds: with a little linking word, and without

Most common Albanian adjectives come with a small linking word - i, e, të, or së - that sits right in front of the adjective. It is not part of the adjective itself; it is a separate agreement word that changes to match the noun. That is why dictionaries list "good" as i mirë, not just mirë.

These are called articulated adjectives, and they cover most of the high-frequency ones: i mirë (good), i madh (big), i vogël (small), i ri (new/young), i keq (bad), i bukur (beautiful).

A smaller group - non-articulated adjectives - take no linking word and carry their agreement entirely through their own endings, such as besnik (loyal), feminine besnike. A quick rule: if the dictionary shows a little i or e in front, keep that word and change it to match the noun; if the adjective stands alone, it just takes endings.

How adjectives agree with the noun

An articulated adjective agrees with its noun in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). Most of that agreement is carried by the linking word, while the adjective stem often changes less.

Two patterns cover most cases: some adjectives keep the same stem and only add -a in the feminine plural (like mirë); others add -e in the feminine (like madh → madhe). In the plural, the linking word usually becomes të for both genders.

Where the adjective goes

Albanian adjectives normally come after the noun they describe, linking word included: djalë i mirë (a good boy), vajzë e mirë (a good girl), vajzë e bukur (a beautiful girl). Notice the linking word flips from i to e when the noun turns feminine.

The linking word also shifts a little with case - for instance the feminine e can become së in certain possessive constructions. You do not need the full case system to start describing things; pick it up gradually as you meet real sentences.

Comparing things: comparative and superlative

To compare, put më ("more") in front of the adjective, and use se or nga for "than": Ana është nxënëse më e mirë se Beni ("Ana is a better student than Ben").

Albanian has no separate superlative ending - it reuses the comparative in a definite form. So i mirë (good) → më i mirë (better) → më i miri (the best); i madh (big) → më i madh (bigger) → më i madhi (the biggest).

More common adjectives

A starter set for describing people, places, and things. besnik shows the non-articulated pattern (no linking word); the rest are articulated and follow the forms above.