Noun gender
Albanian has two main genders — masculine and feminine. Gender decides the ending of the definite form and the linking article of an adjective: djalë i mirë — "a good boy", vajzë e mirë — "a good girl".
How to tell the gender: look at the definite form
The most reliable way is to look at the definite form. Masculine nouns end in -i or -u there, feminine ones in -a or -ja.
| indef. form | def. form | gender | meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| libër | libri | m. | book |
| mik | miku | m. | friend |
| djalë | djali | m. | boy, son |
| vëlla | vëllai | m. | brother |
| vajzë | vajza | f. | girl, daughter |
| shtëpi | shtëpia | f. | house |
| shoqe | shoqja | f. | friend (female) |
| motër | motra | f. | sister |
Hints from the dictionary form
Nouns ending in a consonant are mostly masculine: qytet "city", mik "friend", libër "book". Nouns in -ë, -e and stressed -i are mostly feminine: shkollë "school", shoqe "friend (female)", shtëpi "house". But this is only a hint: djalë "boy" and vëlla "brother" are masculine although they end in a vowel. When in doubt, check the definite form.
Gender shows in the adjective too
The linking article before an adjective repeats the gender of the noun: i for masculine, e for feminine. So qyteti i madh — "the big city", but shtëpia e madhe — "the big house": the adjective changes its ending too.
Neuter
The neuter has almost disappeared from modern Albanian. It survives in a few nouns made from adjectives and verbs: të ftohtët — "the cold", të ngrënët — "food, eating". For now it is enough to recognise them.