Definiteness
Albanian doesn’t have a separate word for "a" or "the" the way English does. Instead, definiteness is marked by changing the noun’s own ending — indefinite "a book" is libër, definite "the book" is libri. This kind of suffixed article is a feature Albanian shares with a handful of other Balkan languages, not with most of the rest of Europe.
Masculine nouns (most end in a consonant):
Ending | Rule | Example |
most consonants | add -i | gjysh → gjyshi |
-k, -g, -h | add -u | shok → shoku |
-ë (a few) | replace -ë with -i | burrë → burri |
-ër | drop -ë, add -i | libër → libri |
stressed -a (very few) | add -i | baba → babai |
Feminine nouns:
Ending | Rule | Example |
-ë | replace -ë with -a | nënë → nëna |
stressed -i | add -a | shtëpi → shtëpia |
unstressed -e | replace -e with -ja | shoqe → shoqja |
-ël, -ëll, -ër, -ërr | drop -ë, add -a | motër → motra |
Definiteness isn’t just about nouns. Whenever a Class 2 adjective (the kind that needs a linking article i/e/të/së in front of it) describes a noun, that article has to agree with the noun’s definiteness as well as its case, gender and number — so this concept comes back once adjectives are covered too.
These are the main patterns for the singular; there are further rules for making a plural noun definite, and inevitably some irregular words — see the "Plural formation" page for those, and eventually the noun dictionary will show the confirmed forms for every individual word.
Definiteness also interacts with case — a definite noun’s ending changes again depending on its role in the sentence. See the "Cases" page for how that works, or head back to "Nouns: the basics" for the overview.