# Albanian: Tiranë (indef.) or Tirana (def.)



## Anatoli

Is the Albanian capital usually written as *Tiranë* or *Tirana* in Albanian (Shqip)? If the 2nd one is used as the form with a definite article, why does the first form exist? I understand, you would need to give me some info on Albanian grammar to clarify. I am all attention. 

Look at the Albanian Wiki page on Tirana, both forms are present (+others):
http://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirana

In English, if a city is written with an article: The Hague, isn't it always the way?

Unrelated but similar - Kosovo is called both Kosova and Kosovë in Albanian, Albanian speaking Kosovans want it to be known as Kosova to the outside world, not Kosovë, the difference is only grammatic, what is it?

I don't express any opinion about politics in Kosovo here, please don't start it, it's a linguistic question.


----------



## modus.irrealis

I can't help you directly but you might be interested in page 158 of this book. If you can't access it, it basically says that the choice of definite vs. indefinite depends on the syntactic role of the noun, and I can write out more if you'd like.


----------



## Anatoli

That's sufficient, thank you, Modus.irrealis. 

I got the title wrong then, it's the other way around:
Albanian: Tiranë (def. - i.e. "_the_" Tirana) or Tirana (indef. - i.e. "_a_" Tirana)


----------



## modus.irrealis

Anatoli said:


> I got the title wrong then, it's the other way around:
> Albanian: Tiranë (def. - i.e. "_the_" Tirana) or Tirana (indef. - i.e. "_a_" Tirana)


I think you were right the first time, at least if I understand the declension tables I'm looking at -- for feminine nouns, -ë is indef. and -a is def. Although -ës and -ën are definite as well (gen./dat./abl. and acc. respectively).


----------



## lindi

It's a bit hard for my to explain in in grammar way, I will try to make some examples:
Shkojmë në Tiranë - Let's go in Tirana
Kam lindur në Tiranë - I'm born in Tirana

Tirana është kryeqyteti i Shqipërisë - Tirana is the capital of Albania
Sa e bukur që është Tirana - How beautiful is Tirana


----------

