prej

Preposition 'Prej'

Level 1

The preposition prej primarily means 'from' or 'of'. It is used to show where something comes from, what it is made of, or the cause of a feeling.

How It Works

The preposition prej is a versatile tool in Albanian. Here are its primary functions:

  • Origin/Source: Indicates a specific point of origin. Mora një letër prej mësueses (I received a letter from the teacher).
  • Material: Describes what an object is made of. Tavolinë prej druri (A table of wood).
  • Cause: Explains the reason for a state. Dridhem prej të ftohtit (I am shivering from the cold).
  • Time: Indicates duration starting from the past. Prej vitesh (For/since years).
  • Agent in Passive Voice: Identifies who performs the action in a passive sentence. Libri u shkrua prej tij (The book was written by him).

Grammatical Behavior:
When you use prej, the noun changes its ending to the ablative form:
1. Indefinite Singular: Masculine nouns often end in -i/-u (e.g., prej druri) and feminine nouns in -e (e.g., prej luleje).
2. Masculine Definite: Usually ends in -it (e.g., prej malit).
3. Feminine Definite: Usually ends in -ës or -es (e.g., prej vajzës).
4. Indefinite Plural: Often ends in -sh (e.g., prej malesh).
5. Definite Plural: Ends in -ve (e.g., prej maleve - from the mountains).

Examples (4)

  1. Kjo unazë është prej ari.

    This ring is made of gold.

    Word by Word: This ring is from gold.

    Here 'prej' indicates the material (gold) and triggers the ablative form 'ari'.

  2. Ai vjen prej qytetit.

    He comes from the city.

    Word by Word: He comes from the-city.

    In this context, 'prej' indicates a specific source or origin.

  3. Nuk jemi parë prej shumë kohësh.

    We haven't seen each other for a long time.

    Word by Word: Not we-are seen from much times.

    Used here to express duration starting from a point in the past.

  4. Ajo qan prej gëzimit.

    She is crying from joy.

    Word by Word: She cries from the-joy.

    Here 'prej' indicates the cause of the action (joy).

Common Mistakes

  • Using the Nominative case instead of the Ablative after 'prej'.

    Mora një dhuratë prej shoku.
    Mora një dhuratë prej shokut.

    Prepositions like 'prej' must be followed by the ablative case. 'Shoku' is nominative; 'shokut' is the correct ablative form.

  • This sentence is correct, but nga is the more usual choice for where you come from.

    Different MeaningUnë jam prej Tirane.
    Unë jam nga Tirana.

    Prej is grammatically fine for origin and is common in many regions. In modern standard speech, nga is the usual way to say where you are from.

How It Connects

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

prejLevel 1Preposition 'Prej'

Learn This First

To use the preposition 'prej' correctly, you must first understand the Albanian noun system, specifically how to identify noun gender and how to form the ablative case, which 'prej' always requires.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

prej