është... që

Cleft Sentences for Emphasis

Level 4

Cleft sentences (fjali me fokusim) use the structure jam + [focused element] + që to highlight specific information, similar to 'It is... that' in English.

How It Works

In Standard Albanian, a cleft sentence splits a single thought into two parts to ensure the listener focuses on one specific detail. While common in formal writing for contrastive focus, Albanian often uses inversion in daily speech to achieve the same effect.

1. Structure and Agreement
The verb jam must agree in person and number with the element being focused if that element is a personal pronoun. Unlike English, where 'It is' remains static, Albanian changes the copula:

  • Jam unë që... (It is I who...)
  • Jemi ne që... (It is we who...)

For past actions, the copula shifts to the imperfect tense while still maintaining person agreement (e.g., Isha unë që erdha - It was I who came).

2. Double Agreement Rule
If the focused element is the subject, the verb in the relative clause following që must also agree in person and number with that subject (e.g., Jam unë që erdha).

3. Case and Form of the Focused Element
When the focused element is a noun or pronoun, it typically appears in the Nominative case, acting as a predicate nominal for the verb 'jam' (e.g., Është libri që e bleva). However, if the focused element is a prepositional phrase or an adverb, it retains its original form (e.g., Ishte për ty që e bëra - It was for you that I did it).

4. Clitic Doubling
When focusing on a noun that serves as the object of the relative clause, you must include the appropriate object clitic in the second clause to maintain grammatical correctness (e.g., Është libri që e dua).

Examples (4)

  1. Jam unë që e nisa këtë bisedë.

    It is I who started this conversation.

    Word by Word: Am I that it started this conversation.

    Notice how 'jam' agrees with 'unë' (1st person singular) and the verb 'nisa' also agrees with the subject 'unë'.

  2. Ishte dje që u mor vendimi.

    It was yesterday that the decision was made.

    Word by Word: Was yesterday that was taken decision-the.

    Here, an adverb of time (dje) is focused using the imperfect tense of 'jam'.

  3. Është ky libër që po e kërkoja.

    It is this book that I was looking for.

    Word by Word: Is this book that [I] was it looking-for.

    The focused element 'ky libër' is in the nominative case, even though it functions as the object of the second clause. Note the mandatory use of the clitic 'e' to refer back to it.

  4. Jemi ne që e fituam ndeshjen.

    It is we who won the match.

    Word by Word: Are we that it won match-the.

    The verb 'jemi' agrees with 'ne', and the clitic 'e' is used because 'ndeshjen' is a definite object.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'është' (3rd person) for all subjects regardless of person.

    Është ne që fituam.
    Jemi ne që fituam.

    In Albanian, the verb 'jam' must agree with the focused pronoun. Since 'ne' is 1st person plural, you must use 'jemi'.

  • Using the accusative case for the focused object.

    Është librin që e bleva.
    Është libri që e bleva.

    In a cleft construction, the focused element acts as a predicate nominal and must be in the nominative case, even if it is the logical object of the following clause.

How It Connects

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

është... qëLevel 4Cleft Sentences for Emphasis

Learn This First

Cleft sentences in Albanian ('është... që') require a solid grasp of the verb 'jam' (to be) and the relative pronoun 'që'. Learners must understand how these components work together to isolate and emphasize a specific part of a sentence, such as the subject, object, or adverbial phrase.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.