Beginner Maltese grammar

Maltese Grammar Basics: A Simple Beginner Guide

Learn the essential building blocks of Maltese grammar: pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, articles, gender, plurals, word order, negatives, questions, possession, basic verbs and Semitic roots.

? How to use this guide

Use this page as a quick introduction to how Maltese works. Each section gives you the rule, a simple table and beginner-friendly examples.

MT What this guide includes

This page covers Maltese pronouns, demonstratives, articles, gender, plurals, word order, negatives, question words, possession, basic verbs and roots.

Search this Maltese grammar guide

Search by English, Maltese or grammar note.

No matching grammar rows found. Try another word or clear the search box.

◎ Maltese grammar snapshot

Maltese is the only Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet and an official language of the European Union. Its grammar has a Semitic base, with strong influence from Sicilian, Italian and English vocabulary.

Feature	Maltese	Beginner note
Basic word order	Often Subject + Verb + Object	For example: Jien nitkellem bil-Malti = I speak Maltese.
Subject pronouns	Used, but verb forms also carry meaning	Pronouns are important for beginners.
Demonstratives	dan, din, dawn, dak, dik, dawk	This is a key high-value beginner grammar topic.
Gender	Masculine and feminine	Nouns and adjectives may agree.
Article	il- with sound changes	Examples: il-ktieb, id-dar, ix-xemx.
Negatives	ma … -x / mhux	Maltese negation is different from English.
Roots	Semitic root system	Many related words share consonant roots.

☷ Personal pronouns in Maltese

Personal pronouns are an essential starting point in Maltese. They are especially useful with identity sentences, descriptions and beginner conversation.

English	Maltese	Grammar note
I	jien	Used for “I”.
you singular	int	Used for one person.
he	hu	Masculine singular.
she	hi	Feminine singular.
we	aħna	Used for “we”.
you plural	intom	Used for more than one person.
they	huma	Used for “they”.

Useful point: In simple identity sentences, Maltese often does not need a separate present-tense word for “am/is/are”: Jien Malti = I am Maltese.

THIS Demonstrative pronouns in Maltese

Demonstrative pronouns are very important in Maltese because they help you say this, that, these and those. This is one of the most useful beginner grammar areas.

English	Maltese	Grammar note
this one / this masculine	dan	Used with masculine singular nouns: dan il-ktieb = this book.
this one / this feminine	din	Used with feminine singular nouns: din id-dar = this house.
these	dawn	Used with plural nouns: dawn il-kotba = these books.
that one / that masculine	dak	Used with masculine singular nouns: dak il-ktieb = that book.
that one / that feminine	dik	Used with feminine singular nouns: dik id-dar = that house.
those	dawk	Used with plural nouns: dawk il-kotba = those books.
this is a book	dan ktieb	A simple beginner identity pattern.
this is a house	din dar	Uses din because dar is feminine.
these are books	dawn kotba	Uses dawn for plural meaning.
that is the sun	dik ix-xemx	xemx is feminine; the article assimilates: ix-xemx.

High-value rule: Learn these six forms first: dan = this masculine, din = this feminine, dawn = these, dak = that masculine, dik = that feminine, dawk = those.

IL The definite article in Maltese

The basic Maltese definite article is il-, but it changes depending on the first sound of the word. This makes the article one of the most important beginner grammar points.

English	Maltese	Grammar note
the book	il-ktieb	Basic article before many consonants.
the house	id-dar	The article assimilates before d.
the sun	ix-xemx	The article assimilates before x.
the man	ir-raġel	The article assimilates before r.
the woman	il-mara	Basic article before m.
the school	l-iskola	Before a vowel, il- often becomes l-.
the child	it-tifel	The article assimilates before t.
the market	is-suq	The article assimilates before s.

Useful point: Maltese does not usually have a separate word for “a/an”. ktieb can mean “a book”, while il-ktieb means “the book”.

MF Gender and plurals in Maltese

Maltese nouns can be masculine or feminine. Plurals can be regular, but Maltese also has many broken plurals, which are inherited from its Semitic structure.

English	Maltese	Grammar note
book / books	ktieb / kotba	Broken plural.
house / houses	dar / djar	Broken plural.
boy / boys	tifel / tfal	Irregular/broken plural.
girl / girls	tifla / tfajliet	Common irregular plural.
teacher / teachers	għalliem / għalliema	A common people-word pattern.
small boy	tifel żgħir	Masculine adjective form.
small girl	tifla żgħira	Feminine adjective form.
small children	tfal żgħar	Plural adjective form.

SVO Basic Maltese word order

Maltese often uses Subject + Verb + Object word order, but because it is a Semitic language, its sentence structure can feel different from English and Romance languages.

English	Maltese	Grammar note
I speak Maltese.	Jien nitkellem bil-Malti.	Subject + verb + phrase.
I speak Maltese.	Nitkellem bil-Malti.	The subject pronoun can often be omitted.
She reads a book.	Hi taqra ktieb.	A clear beginner sentence pattern.
We live in Malta.	Aħna noqogħdu Malta.	noqogħdu can mean “we live/stay”.
the big house	id-dar il-kbira	Adjective follows the noun and also takes the article.
the small book	il-ktieb iż-żgħir	Definite adjective agrees with a definite noun.

MA Negatives in Maltese

Maltese negatives are very distinctive. With many verbs, Maltese uses ma before the verb and -x at the end of the verb. The word mhux is also very important and often means “not”.

English	Maltese	Grammar note
I speak Maltese.	Nitkellem bil-Malti.	Positive sentence.
I do not speak Maltese.	Ma nitkellimx bil-Malti.	ma before the verb and -x at the end.
I understand.	Nifhem.	Positive verb.
I do not understand.	Ma nifhimx.	Negative verb pattern.
This is not a book.	Dan mhux ktieb.	mhux is often used for “is not / are not”.
I am not Maltese.	Jien mhux Malti.	mhux with identity/description.

? Question words in Maltese

Question words are very useful in Maltese because they help you build practical sentences quickly.

English	Maltese	Example
who?	min?	Min hu? = Who is he?
what?	xiex? / xi?	X’inhu dan? = What is this?
where?	fejn?	Fejn hi l-iskola? = Where is the school?
when?	meta?	Meta tasal? = When do you arrive?
why?	għaliex?	Għaliex titgħallem il-Malti? = Why are you learning Maltese?
how?	kif?	Kif int? = How are you?
how much?	kemm?	Kemm jiswa? = How much does it cost?
which?	liema?	Liema ktieb? = Which book?

MY Possession in Maltese

Maltese possession can be expressed with forms such as tiegħi, tiegħek and tiegħu. Possessive endings are also very common with family words and body parts.

English	Maltese	Grammar note
my book	il-ktieb tiegħi	tiegħi = my / mine.
your book	il-ktieb tiegħek	tiegħek = your / yours.
his book	il-ktieb tiegħu	tiegħu = his.
her book	il-ktieb tagħha	tagħha = her / hers.
our house	id-dar tagħna	tagħna = our / ours.
their house	id-dar tagħhom	tagħhom = their / theirs.
my mother	ommi	Possessive ending attached to the noun.
my father	missieri	Common family word with possessive form.

V A simple Maltese verb pattern: nitkellem

The verb nitkellem means “I speak”. Maltese verbs are built differently from Romance verbs, but this is a useful beginner pattern.

English	Maltese	Grammar note
I speak	nitkellem	First person singular.
you speak	titkellem	Singular “you”.
he speaks	jitkellem	Masculine singular.
she speaks	titkellem	Feminine singular has the same form as “you speak” here.
we speak	nitkellmu	First person plural.
you plural speak	titkellmu	Plural “you”.
they speak	jitkellmu	Third person plural.

Example: Nitkellem bil-Malti, bl-Ingliż u bit-Taljan = I speak Maltese, English and Italian.

√ Semitic roots in Maltese

Many Maltese words are built around roots made of consonants. This is one of the features that connects Maltese to Arabic and other Semitic languages.

Root / pattern	Example words	Beginner note
K-T-B	ktieb, kotba, kiteb	Connected with writing/books.
Q-R-A	qara, naqra, qari	Connected with reading.
F-H-M	fehem, nifhem, ftehim	Connected with understanding.
GĦ-L-M	għallem, għalliem, tagħlim	Connected with teaching/learning.
X-R-B	xorob, nixrob, xorb	Connected with drinking.

Useful point: The root system makes Maltese feel very different from Romance languages, even though many everyday Maltese words also come from Sicilian, Italian and English.

◎ Quick facts

Semitic grammarMaltese has a Semitic base, but uses the Latin alphabet.

THIS

Demonstratives matterDan, din, dawn, dak, dik and dawk are essential beginner forms.

Article changesThe Maltese article changes sound in words like id-dar and ix-xemx.

? Maltese grammar FAQ

Is Maltese grammar difficult for beginners?

Maltese grammar is different from English and Romance languages because it has a Semitic structure. Beginners should start with pronouns, demonstratives, articles, gender, plurals, negatives and common verbs.

What are the demonstrative pronouns in Maltese?

The main Maltese demonstrative pronouns are dan, din, dawn, dak, dik and dawk. They mean this, these, that and those, with different forms for masculine, feminine and plural nouns.

What is the difference between dan and din in Maltese?

Dan is used with masculine singular nouns, while din is used with feminine singular nouns. For example, dan il-ktieb means “this book” and din id-dar means “this house”.

Does Maltese have masculine and feminine nouns?

Yes. Maltese nouns are usually masculine or feminine, and adjectives can change depending on gender and number.

How does the Maltese definite article work?

The basic definite article is il-, but it changes depending on the following sound. For example, il-ktieb means “the book”, id-dar means “the house” and ix-xemx means “the sun”.