më / të (kallëzore)

Accusative Clitics 'Më' and 'Të'

Level 1

In Albanian, the words for 'me' and 'you' (singular) as direct objects are the short clitics më and të. They usually sit right before the verb.

How It Works

Accusative clitics are short forms of personal pronouns that function as the direct object of a sentence.

1. Forms:

  • më: me (1st person singular)
  • të: you (2nd person singular, informal)

2. Accusative vs. Dative:
In Albanian, the 1st and 2nd person singular clitics are identical for both the Accusative (direct object) and Dative (indirect object) cases. For example, më can mean 'me' or 'to me'.

3. Placement:
In most cases, these clitics are placed immediately before the verb. However, there are specific rules for different moods:

  • Future and Subjunctive: The clitic is inserted between the particle të and the verb (e.g., do të më shohësh).
  • Negative Sentences: The clitic follows nuk or s'.

4. Imperative Placement:
Placement changes in the imperative:

  • Positive: The clitic moves to the end of the verb (e.g., Dëgjomë!). In the plural, it sits between the stem and the ending (e.g., Dëgjomëni!).
  • Negative: With mos, the clitic stays before the verb (e.g., Mos më dëgjo!).

5. Clitic Doubling:
Albanian uses clitic doubling. Even if you use the full pronoun for emphasis (e.g., Mua më shikon), the clitic më must still be present.

6. Contractions:
When a dative clitic (më/të) meets the 3rd person accusative clitic 'e', they contract into ma and ta (e.g., Ma dha - He gave it to me).

Examples (6)

  1. Ai më shikon.

    He sees me.

    Word by Word: He me sees.

    The clitic 'më' acts as the direct object (accusative) and is placed before the verb 'shikon'.

  2. Unë të pashë dje.

    I saw you yesterday.

    Word by Word: I you saw yesterday.

    The clitic 'të' represents 'you' as the object of the past tense verb 'pashë'.

  3. Nuk më dëgjon.

    He/she doesn't listen to me.

    Word by Word: Not me listens.

    In negative sentences with nuk, the clitic stays between the negative particle and the verb.

  4. Do të më shohësh nesër.

    You will see me tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Will to me see tomorrow.

    In the future tense, the clitic is placed between the particle 'të' and the verb.

  5. Dëgjomëni!

    Listen to me! (plural)

    Word by Word: Listen-me-(plural)!

    In the plural imperative, the clitic is often inserted between the verb stem and the plural ending.

  6. Mos më shiko!

    Don't look at me!

    Word by Word: Don't me look!

    Unlike positive commands, in negative commands, the clitic stays before the verb.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the clitic when using the full pronoun.

    Mua shikon.
    Mua më shikon.

    In Albanian, the clitic is mandatory. You cannot rely on the full pronoun 'mua' alone to indicate the object.

  • Placing the clitic after the verb in indicative sentences.

    Shikon më.
    Më shikon.

    Unlike English 'sees me', Albanian clitics must precede the verb in standard statement sentences.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

më / të (kallëzore)Level 1Accusative Clitics 'Më' and 'Të'

Learn This First

To use the accusative clitics 'më' and 'të', learners need to understand the personal pronouns they represent, how to conjugate basic verbs that take these objects, and the grammatical function of the accusative case in Albanian.

Words in This Pattern