Plural formation
Forming the plural in Albanian isn’t a single rule the way adding "-s" mostly is in English — the ending depends on how the noun is spelled, and on its gender. Here are the main patterns for indefinite plurals.
Masculine nouns:
Ending | Rule | Example |
most (nationalities, professions) | add -ë | student → studentë |
some | add -a | film → filma |
-im, some loanwords in -et/-on | add -e (gender flips to feminine — see "Nouns: the basics") | gabim → gabime |
-ër | drop -ë, add -a | libër → libra |
-ll | replace -ll with -j | artikull → artikuj |
-as, -(ë)s, -ues, -yes | unchanged | mësues → mësues |
Feminine nouns:
Ending | Rule | Example |
most | replace -ë with -a | gazetë → gazeta |
-ër | drop -ë, add -a | motër → motra |
-i, -e, -a, -o (and some -ë) | unchanged | shtëpi → shtëpi |
Some plurals are simply irregular and have to be memorized: djalë ("boy") → djem, baba ("father") → baballarë, vëlla ("brother") → vëllezër, grua ("woman") → gra, derë ("door") → dyer.
Once a noun is plural, making it definite adds one more layer, and the exact rule differs by gender:
Gender | Indefinite plural ends in | Rule | Example |
masculine | a vowel (incl. -j) | add -t | studentë → studentët |
masculine | a consonant | add -it | mësues → mësuesit |
feminine | unstressed vowel | add -t | revista → revistat |
feminine | stressed vowel | add -të | shtëpi → shtëpitë |
As with definiteness, the exact ending always depends on the individual word — this page covers the patterns, the noun dictionary will show the confirmed plural for each entry.