botën

Botën is the Albanian definite form of the noun bota, meaning "the world" or "the Earth." In standard usage, it refers to the world in a broad sense, including the physical globe, human society, and the realm of existence. The term appears in everyday speech, journalism, literature, and education, and it can be found in discussions of geography, culture, politics, and philosophy.

In Albanian grammar, botën is used when the noun is definite and functions in forms such as the direct object or after certain prepositions. For example, in phrases like shoh botën (I see the world) or në botën (in the world), botën marks the definite form of the noun. The corresponding indefinite or subject form is bota. The word can also be combined with adjectives to express notions such as “the modern world” (bota moderne) or “the wider world” (bota më e gjerë).

Culturally, botën appears in proverbs, essays, and news discourse to convey the idea of global or universal contexts. It is used across Albanian-speaking regions and retains its general sense rather than a strictly geographic one, allowing references to global events as well as to human experience at large. The term is widely understood in both formal and informal registers.

See also: the Albanian language; world, globe; bota.