Where Maltese comes from
Maltese is the national language of Malta and, together with English, one of its two official languages. It descends from the Arabic spoken in Sicily during the Arab period of the 9th to 11th centuries, which makes it a Semitic language. After the Normans arrived in 1091 and the islands came under European rule, Italian and Sicilian words poured into the vocabulary, and English followed during the British period. The result is a language with an Arabic skeleton and a large share of Romance and English words.
Maltese is unusual because it is the only Semitic language written in Latin script. The alphabet has 30 letters, most of which are familiar. A few carry marks or combinations that cause trouble for new readers, and they are explained below. English is used side by side with Maltese in daily life, and most people switch between them within a single sentence. Italian is also widely understood.
The special letters
Six spellings account for most of the confusion. The sounds below are approximations for English speakers.
- ċ sounds like ‘ch’ in church, so Ċirkewwa is close to ‘chir-KEW-wa’.
- ġ sounds like ‘j’ in jam, so Ġgantija starts with a soft ‘j’.
- ħ is a strong ‘h’, so Ħamrun is pronounced with a clear breath at the start.
- għ is silent or lengthens the vowel in most words, so Għar Dalam sounds like ‘ar DAH-lam’.
- ż sounds like ‘z’ in zoo, while plain z is a ‘ts’ sound as in grazzi.
- x sounds like ‘sh’, so Xlendi is close to ‘SHLEN-dee’.
Two further rules help. The letter q is a glottal stop, a quick catch in the throat that sounds like the pause in ‘uh-oh’, and j sounds like English ‘y’. Once these are in place, most place names become much easier.
Place names visitors meet
- Ħaġar Qim: roughly ‘ha-JAR eem’, with a throat catch before the final syllable. The Hagar Qim temples are on the south coast.
- Għar Dalam: ‘ar DAH-lam’, as above.
- Mellieħa: ‘mel-LEE-eh-ha’, with the last h clearly breathed. The northern town and its bay are covered under Mellieħa.
- Xlendi: ‘SHLEN-dee’, a small resort bay on Gozo.
- Marsaxlokk: ‘mar-sa-SHLOK’, a fishing village in the south-east. See Marsaxlokk.
- Mdina: ‘em-DEE-na’, with a very short first sound.
Fifteen useful words and phrases
| English | Maltese | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning | Bonġu | BON-joo |
| Good evening | Bonswa | bon-SWAH |
| Good night | Il-lejl it-tajjeb | il-LAYL it-TIE-yeb |
| Please | Jekk jogħġbok | yek YOJ-bok |
| Thank you | Grazzi | GRAT-tsee |
| Yes | Iva | EE-va |
| No | Le | leh |
| Excuse me | Skużani | skoo-ZAH-nee |
| How are you? | Kif int? | keef INT |
| Fine, OK | Tajjeb | TIE-yeb |
| Welcome | Merħba | MER-ha-ba |
| Cheers | Prosit | PRO-seet |
| Bye | Ċaw | chow |
| How much? | Kemm? | kem |
| Where is…? | Fejn hu…? | fayn HOO |
The pronunciations are approximate, and local speakers use many regional variations. If a phrase is not understood, a smile and a switch to English will usually solve the problem.
English and Italian in daily life
English is taught from primary school and the islands have had an English-language media for generations. Road signs, menus, bus information and museum labels are normally in English or in both languages. Italian is understood by many because Italian television has been widely watched for decades, and older generations often speak it comfortably. In shops, a greeting in Maltese followed by English is the usual sequence.
Written Maltese looks different from anything else in Europe. On street signs you will see the definite article attached to the next word with a hyphen, as in il-Belt, which means ‘the city’ and is the everyday name for Valletta. Place names often begin with Ħal- or Ħ’-, which comes from an old word for a village, and Wied-, which means valley. Knowing these elements helps with maps and road signs.
Reading menus and signs
Menus in tourist areas are mostly in English, but village bakeries and snack bars often show only Maltese names. A pastizz is a pastry, ħobż is bread, ġbejna is a small cheese and ilma is water. Bus stops and street names are often written in Maltese only, so a short list of the words for street (triq), square (pjazza) and church (knisja) helps when following directions. The page on Maltese food lists the dish names you are most likely to see on a menu.
Practical tips
Do not worry about getting the pronunciation exactly right. Listening helps more than reading: bus announcements, radio and the greetings exchanged in shops give a quick feel for the rhythm of the language within a day or two. Maltese speakers are used to visitors and appreciate an attempt, even if it is only bonġu and grazzi. When asking for directions, show a map or a written name rather than relying on a spoken version of the place name, because the same site can appear on road signs under its Maltese name and in guidebooks under an English form. For place-by-place guides, the about Malta overview is a good starting point.
