Past Participle Formation

Level 2

The Albanian past participle (pjesorja) is the 'third form' of a verb. It is used with 'kam' (to have) for the past tense, with 'jam' (to be) for the passive voice, and as an adjective when paired with a linking article.

How It Works

The past participle is a non-finite form, meaning it doesn't change for person or number when used as a verb. It is formed by adding specific suffixes to the verb stem:

  • -uar: Used for most verbs ending in -oj. Example: punoj (I work) becomes punuar.
  • -r: Used for verbs ending in -uaj or -yej, where the -j is replaced by -r. Example: paguaj becomes paguar; lyej becomes lyer.
  • -rë: Used for stems ending in a stressed vowel (with or without a final -j). Example: bëj (to do) becomes bërë; pi (to drink) becomes pirë.
  • -ur: Used for consonant-ending stems. Example: hap (to open) becomes hapur.
  • -në: Used for specific irregular verbs. Example: them (to say) becomes thënë; jam becomes qenë.
  • -tur: Used for verbs ending in -e or specific stem changes. Example: fle (to sleep) becomes fjetur.

Syntactically, it is used in:
1. Compound Tenses: With kam to form the Present Perfect.
2. Passive Voice: With jam to show an action received.
3. Adjectives: When preceded by a linking article (e.g., i hapur - opened). Note that when used as an adjective, the participle must inflect for gender and number to agree with the noun (e.g., e hapur, të hapura).
4. Non-finite clauses: With duke or pa.
5. Standard Infinitive: Combined with për të to form the Standard Infinitive (e.g., për të punuar - to work).

Examples (4)

  1. Unë kam punuar shumë sot.

    I have worked a lot today.

    Word by Word: I have worked much today.

    Here, the participle 'punuar' (from punoj) combines with 'kam' to form the present perfect tense.

  2. Dritarja është e hapur.

    The window is open.

    Word by Word: The window is [linking article] opened.

    When used with a linking article (e), the participle 'hapur' functions as an adjective.

  3. Ai u largua pa ngrënë.

    He left without eating.

    Word by Word: He [reflexive] left without eaten.

    The participle 'ngrënë' (from ha) is used after the preposition 'pa' to mean 'without doing something'.

  4. Libri është shkruar nga një autor i njohur.

    The book is written by a well-known author.

    Word by Word: The book is written from a author [linking article] known.

    The participle 'shkruar' (from shkruaj) is used with 'është' to form the passive voice.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the wrong auxiliary verb for movement.

    Unë jam shkuar në shkollë.
    Unë kam shkuar në shkollë.

    Unlike Italian or French, Albanian uses 'kam' (to have) for all active compound tenses, even for verbs of movement like 'shkoj' (to go).

  • Overgeneralizing the -uar ending to all verbs.

    Dera është e hapuar.
    Dera është e hapur.

    Verbs with consonant stems like 'hap' take the '-ur' ending, not '-uar'.

How It Connects

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Past Participle FormationLevel 2

Learn This First

To form the Albanian past participle, learners must first be familiar with basic verb stems and conjugation classes in the present tense, as the participle is derived from these stems. Additionally, a firm grasp of the vowel 'ë' is required, as it frequently appears in the suffixes that characterize this form.

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Patterns that build on this one.

And 2 more in the full list.