i tij / e saj

Possessive Adjectives (3rd Person)

Level 1

Albanian possessives for 'his' and 'her' consist of a link article (i, e, të, së) and a stem (tij, saj). The stem depends on the owner's gender, while the article depends on the object's gender.

How It Works

In Standard Albanian, 3rd person singular possessive adjectives follow the noun they modify. When the owned thing is a specific one, the noun is in its definite form (e.g., libri, not libër).

Possessives consist of two parts:

1. The Stem: Indicates the gender of the possessor.

  • tij: Used when the owner is masculine (a man, or a masculine noun).
  • saj: Used when the owner is feminine (a woman, or a feminine noun).

2. The Link Article: Indicates the gender, number, and case of the possessed object.

  • i: Used for masculine singular nouns in the Nominative case (e.g., djali i tij).
  • e: Used for feminine singular nouns, masculine singular nouns in the Accusative case (e.g., shoh djalin e tij), and ALL plural nouns in Nominative/Accusative.
  • të: Used in oblique cases (Dative, Genitive, Ablative) for masculine singular nouns and ALL plural nouns.
  • së: Used in oblique cases exclusively for feminine singular nouns (e.g., i dhashë makinës së saj).

Examples (6)

  1. Libri i tij është i ri.

    His book is new.

    Word by Word: Book-the of him is of new.

    In the nominative case, the masculine singular noun 'libri' (definite) takes the link article 'i'.

  2. Shtëpia e saj është e madhe.

    Her house is big.

    Word by Word: House-the of her is of big.

    The feminine singular noun 'shtëpia' (definite) takes the link article 'e'.

  3. Unë e lexoj librin e tij.

    I am reading his book.

    Word by Word: I it read book-the of him.

    When a masculine noun like 'libri' moves to the accusative case ('librin'), the link article changes from 'i' to 'e'.

  4. Librat e saj janë këtu.

    Her books are here.

    Word by Word: Books-the of her are here.

    The link article 'e' is used for all plural nouns (both masculine and feminine) in the nominative and accusative cases.

  5. I dhashë çelësin shokut të tij.

    I gave the key to his friend.

    Word by Word: Him I-gave key-the friend-to of him.

    In the dative case, masculine singular nouns use the link article 'të'.

  6. I fola shoqes së saj.

    I spoke to her friend.

    Word by Word: Her I-spoke friend-to of her.

    In the dative case, feminine singular nouns use the link article 'së'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'saj' (her) for a male owner.

    Different MeaningKy është Agimi dhe kjo është makina e saj.
    Ky është Agimi dhe kjo është makina e tij.

    Makina e saj is a good phrase, but 'saj' means 'her', so it points to a woman, not to Agim. The stem 'tij' or 'saj' follows the gender of the owner, not of the thing owned. For Agim's car, use 'tij'.

  • Using the wrong link article for feminine nouns.

    motra i tij
    motra e tij

    The link article must match the gender of the noun. Since 'motra' (sister) is feminine, you must use 'e'.

  • Placing the possessive before the noun.

    i tij libri
    libri i tij

    In Albanian, possessive adjectives almost always follow the noun they describe.

How It Connects

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

i tij / e sajLevel 1Possessive Adjectives (3rd Person)

Learn This First

To learn 3rd person possessives (his/her/its), you must first understand how Albanian nouns are categorized by gender. You also need to be familiar with the linking particles 'i' and 'e', which are used to connect the possessive to the noun, and the general word order for possessives established in earlier person forms.

Words in This Pattern

tijsaj