cili / cila

Interrogative 'Cili'

Level 1

Cili (m) / Cila (f) means 'Which' or 'Which one'. It is used when you are choosing from a specific set of options.

How It Works

In Standard Albanian, cili functions as both a pronoun and a determiner. It must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it refers to.

1. Selection vs. Identity:
While kush asks 'Who?' in a general sense, cili asks 'Which one?' among a known set. For example, Kush erdhi? (Who came?) vs. Cili djalë erdhi? (Which boy [of the group] came?).

2. Agreement by Gender and Number:

  • Cili (Masculine Singular): Cili libër?
  • Cila (Feminine Singular): Cila vajzë?
  • Cilët (Masculine Plural): Cilët djem?
  • Cilat (Feminine Plural): Cilat lule?

3. Full Declension (Case Changes):
To become proficient in using cili, you must recognize how it changes across the cases:

Masculine:

  • Nom: Cili (Singular) / Cilët (Plural)
  • Acc: Cilin (Singular) / Cilët (Plural)
  • Dat/Abl: Cilit (Singular) / Cilëve (Plural)
  • Gen: i/e/të/së cilit (Singular) / i/e/të/së cilëve (Plural)

Feminine:

  • Nom: Cila (Singular) / Cilat (Plural)
  • Acc: Cilën (Singular) / Cilat (Plural)
  • Dat/Abl: Cilës (Singular) / Cilave (Plural)
  • Gen: i/e/të/së cilës (Singular) / i/e/të/së cilave (Plural)

Note: The Genitive forms MUST be preceded by a link particle (i, e, të, or së) to be grammatically correct.

4. Usage with 'nga':
To express 'Which of...', use the preposition nga. For example: Cili nga ju? (Which of you?).

Examples (6)

  1. Cili libër është i yti?

    Which book is yours?

    Word by Word: Which book is the yours?

    'Cili' is masculine singular to match the masculine noun 'libër'.

  2. Cila është makina jote?

    Which one is your car?

    Word by Word: Which is car your?

    'Cila' is feminine singular because it refers to the feminine noun 'makina'.

  3. Cilin djalë po kërkon?

    Which boy are you looking for?

    Word by Word: Which boy [accusative] are searching?

    'Cilin' is the masculine singular accusative form used for the direct object.

  4. Cilit djalë ia dhe librin?

    To which boy did you give the book?

    Word by Word: To-which boy [dative] it-to-him gave the-book?

    'Cilit' is the masculine singular dative form, used here for the indirect object.

  5. Kjo është shtëpia e cilës vajzë?

    This is the house of which girl?

    Word by Word: This is house-the of which girl?

    In the genitive case, 'cilës' must be preceded by a linking particle like 'e' to show possession.

  6. Cili nga ju flet anglisht?

    Which of you speaks English?

    Word by Word: Which from you speaks English?

    Using 'cili' with 'nga' to select a person from a specific group.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding a linking article before the interrogative.

    I cili libër është i yti?
    Cili libër është i yti?

    Learners often confuse the interrogative 'cili' (which) with the relative pronoun i cili (who/which). The question word never takes the articles i, e, or të.

  • Using 'cili' for feminine nouns.

    Cili vajzë është motra jote?
    Cila vajzë është motra jote?

    You must use the feminine form 'cila' when referring to feminine nouns like 'vajzë'.

  • Using the nominative case for a direct object.

    Cili këmishë do të blesh?
    Cilën këmishë do të blesh?

    When 'which' refers to the object of the action (buying), it must be in the accusative case ('cilën' for feminine).

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cili / cilaLevel 1Interrogative 'Cili'

Learn This First

To use 'cili' (which one) correctly, you must understand Albanian noun genders, as the word changes form (cili/cila) to agree with the gender of the object being asked about. Additionally, basic sentence structure using the verb 'to be' is essential for forming common questions.

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