Genitive Case: Plural

Level 2

In Albanian, the genitive case is a construction: Linking Article + Dative Plural Noun. It is used to show possession or relationship for plural groups (e.g., 'of the students').

How It Works

The genitive case in Standard Albanian is identical in form to the dative plural, distinguished by the presence of a linking article.

1. The Noun Ending:
For plural nouns in the genitive, the ending is -ve, attached to the plural stem. In Standard Albanian, this form is primarily used for definite nouns or nouns preceded by specific quantifiers like disa (some):

  • djem (boys) → djemve (of the boys)
  • vajza (girls) → vajzave (of the girls)

2. The Linking Article:
The genitive case always requires a linking article (i, e, të, së). This article must agree with the gender, number, case, and definiteness of the preceding noun (the head noun):

  • i: Used if the head noun is masculine singular in the Nominative (e.g., libri i studentëve). With a definite head noun, this changes to e in the Accusative (e.g., shoh librin e studentëve).
  • e: Used with feminine singular heads in the Nominative, definite feminine singular heads in the Accusative, and definite plural heads in the Nominative/Accusative (e.g., makina e punëtorëve, librat e studentëve).
  • të: Used with indefinite singular Accusative heads (shoh një libër të studentëve, shoh një makinë të studentëve), plural indefinite heads (e.g., disa libra të studentëve) or with masculine singular, indefinite feminine singular, and plural heads in the Dative/Ablative. For example: i dhashë ujë një vajze të fqinjëve (I gave water to a daughter of the neighbors).
  • së: Used when the head noun is feminine singular definite in an oblique case (e.g., i dhashë ujë vajzës së fqinjëve).

3. Genitive and Group Expressions:
A genitive can name a definite or indefinite possessor: librat e studentëve (the students' books), librat e disa studentëve (the books of some students). A group or composition expression can instead use an indefinite ablative in -sh, without a linking article: një grup studentësh (a group of students).

4. Shared Endings:
The definite plural genitive, dative, and ablative share the ending -ve.

5. Function:
The genitive primarily expresses possession, origin, or specific characteristics belonging to a specific group.

Examples (4)

  1. Dritaret e shtëpive janë të hapura.

    The windows of the houses are open.

    Word by Word: The windows [linking article] [houses-genitive] are [linking article] open.

    Here, 'e' agrees with the definite plural 'dritaret', and 'shtëpive' is the genitive plural of 'shtëpi'.

  2. Ky është libri i mësuesve.

    This is the teachers' book.

    Word by Word: This is the book [linking article] [teachers-genitive].

    The article 'i' agrees with the masculine singular 'libri', while 'mësuesve' indicates the plural possessors.

  3. Fola me prindërit e djemve.

    I spoke with the boys' parents.

    Word by Word: I spoke with the parents [linking article] [boys-genitive].

    The preposition 'me' takes the accusative. Its definite plural object 'prindërit' therefore takes the linking article 'e' before 'djemve'.

  4. Këto janë lodrat e fëmijëve.

    These are the children's toys.

    Word by Word: These are the toys [linking article] [children-genitive].

    'Fëmijëve' is the genitive plural of the irregular plural 'fëmijë'.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the linking article.

    Makinat punëtorëve janë atje.
    Makinat e punëtorëve janë atje.

    Without the article 'e', the noun 'punëtorëve' looks like a dative indirect object. The article is mandatory to establish the genitive relationship.

  • Matching the article to the possessor instead of the possessed noun.

    Libri e vajzave.
    Libri i vajzave.

    The article must agree with 'libri' (masculine singular), so 'i' is required, even though 'vajzave' is feminine plural.

How It Connects

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Genitive Case: PluralLevel 2

Learn This First

To learn the genitive case in the plural, you must first understand how nouns are made definite in the plural, as the genitive endings build upon these forms. Additionally, you need to be familiar with the general function of the genitive case and the use of the linking article 'të', which is mandatory for plural genitive constructions.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

eesë
Sources
  1. Matasović: A Grammatical Sketch of Albanian, sections 4.2.7, 4.4, 4.6
  2. University of Texas: Albanian Online, imperative formation
  3. University Ss. Cyril and Methodius: Albanian phonetics, punojeni epenthesis
  4. Inclusion Europe: Albanian easy-to-read standards, page 22
  5. Nuhi Veselaj: Rreth shquarsisë, masculine stems ending in stressed -e