So far every verb has been in the present tense, for now. The past tense says what was before. In the present Maltese needs no word for am, is or are: Ġorġ is little. In the past it does: Ġorġ was little. And the past shows the person with an ending, not with a letter at the front.
To be in the past tense
| Person | With | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | |||
| I was · I wasn't | |||
| I was · I wasn't | |||
| you were · you weren't | |||
| you were · you weren't | |||
| he, it was · wasn't | |||
| he, it was · wasn't | |||
| she, it was · wasn't | |||
| she, it was · wasn't | |||
| Plural | |||
| we were · we weren't | |||
| we were · we weren't | |||
| you were · you weren't | |||
| you were · you weren't | |||
| they were · they weren't | |||
| they were · they weren't | |||
and share , as you and she share in the present. With the ie of and becomes i: , .
is also it was, for a masculine thing, and for a feminine one: The photo was facing the wall. The haircut was terrible. And before a verb in the present says what used to be: I lived in your flat, back then. , when, joins two things: , when I was little.
Age and having are , and has a past of its own: , I had. So I was ten is , I had ten years. That is Marija's
Having: now and before
| Person | Now | Before | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | |||
| I have · I had | |||
| I have · I had | |||
| you have · you had | |||
| you have · you had | |||
| he has · he had | |||
| he has · he had | |||
| she has · she had | |||
| she has · she had | |||
| Plural | |||
| we have · we had | |||
| we have · we had | |||
| you have · you had | |||
| you have · you had | |||
| they have · they had | |||
| they have · they had | |||
The same endings as : simply becomes . No is again: , I didn't have.
Saying I'm not now and I wasn't then: in the present, is I'm not, he isn't and she isn't. No, I'm not married.
Not, now and before
| Person | Now | Before | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| I'm not · I wasn't | |||
| I'm not · I wasn't | |||
| he isn't · he wasn't | |||
| he isn't · he wasn't | |||
| she isn't · she wasn't | |||
| she isn't · she wasn't | |||
Kien żewġ tajjeb ħafna.He was a very good husband.
Kont noqgħod fil-flat tiegħek meta kont żgħir.I lived in your flat when I was little.
Ommi taf kollox. U dejjem kienet hekk!Mum knows everything. And she was always like that!
Hawn, hu wkoll kellu għaxar snin.He was ten here too.
Ġorġ! X'qatgħa kellek!Ġorġ! What a haircut you had!
Is-Sibt konna kollha hawn, għal Ella.On Saturday we were all here, for Ella.
Practice 1/6 · Finding words
Find the words
Tap every past form of to be and of having, and the ma that says not.
.
I lived in your flat when I was little.
.
He was a very good husband.
!
Mum was always like that!
, .
He was ten here too.
! !
Ġorġ! What a haircut you had!
, .
On Saturday we were all here, for Ella.
, ?
Children, where were you?
.
Ġorġ and Ċikku were upstairs.
.
Ġorġ and Ċikku were upstairs.
!
My haircut wasn't terrible!
. .
I wasn't in Hamburg. I was here.
. .
I wasn't in Hamburg. I was here.
.
We weren't in the café.
, ? !
Ċikku, where were you? You weren't here!
Practice 2/6 · The right form
Kont, kien, kienet
Choose the right word for the gap.
Meta żgħir, kont noqgħod hawn.
When I was little, I lived here.
Ġorġ, int żgħir ħafna!
Ġorġ, you were very little!
Ġorġ, int żgħir ħafna!
Ġorġ, you were very little!
Żewġi żewġ tajjeb ħafna.
My husband was a very good husband.
Ommi dejjem hekk!
Mum was always like that!
Is-Sibt kollha hawn.
On Saturday we were all here.
Tfal, fejn ?
Children, where were you?
Ġorġ u Ċikku fuq.
Ġorġ and Ċikku were upstairs.
Ir-ritratt b'wiċċu mal-ħajt.
The photo was facing the wall.
Il-qatgħa terribbli.
The haircut was terrible.
Ma kontx, ma kienx
ma goes in front and -x at the end; the person stays.
Jien ma hemm.
I wasn't there.
Jien ma hemm.
I wasn't there.
Ċikku, int ma qattus tajjeb!
Ċikku, you weren't a good cat!
Ċikku, int ma qattus tajjeb!
Ċikku, you weren't a good cat!
Il-qatgħa tiegħi ma terribbli!
My haircut wasn't terrible!
Is-Sibt filgħodu aħna ma fil-kafetterija.
On Saturday morning we weren't in the café.
Is-Sibt intom ma fil-kafetterija.
You weren't in the café on Saturday.
Ċikku ma bil-ġuħ.
Ċikku wasn't hungry.
Ġorġ u Ċikku ma isfel.
Ġorġ and Ċikku weren't downstairs.
Kelli, kellek, kellu
Choose the right word for the gap.
Hawn, hu wkoll għaxar snin.
He was ten here too.
Ġorġ! X'qatgħa !
Ġorġ! What a haircut you had!
Meta għaxar snin, kont noqgħod f'Hamburg.
When I was ten, I lived in Hamburg.
Meta għaxar snin, kont noqgħod f'Hamburg.
When I was ten, I lived in Hamburg.
Rita? Hawn seba' snin.
Rita? She was seven here.
Aħna qattus.
We had a cat.
Tfal, intom kelb?
Children, did you have a dog?
Il-ġenituri ta' żewġi dar kbira.
My husband's parents had a big house.
Practice 3/6 · Fill the gaps
Now and before
Fill the gaps with the words from the box.
Issa fuq, imma meta żgħir kont noqgħod fil-flat tiegħek.
Now I live upstairs, but when I was little I lived in your flat.
Żewġi m'għadux magħna. żewġ tajjeb ħafna.
My husband is no longer with us. He was a very good husband.
Rita issa għandha erbgħa u erbgħin sena. Hawn seba' snin.
Rita is forty-four now. She was seven here.
Is-Sibt kollha hawn, imma Ċikku kuntent.
On Saturday we were all here, but Ċikku wasn't happy.
Ġorġ u Ċikku, fejn kontu? Intom isfel!
Ġorġ and Ċikku, where were you? You weren't downstairs!
Ġorġ u Ċikku, fejn kontu? Intom isfel!
Ġorġ and Ċikku, where were you? You weren't downstairs!
Il-kejk kien fuq il-mejda, imma Ġorġ u Ċikku hemm.
The cake was on the table, but Ġorġ and Ċikku weren't there.
Aħna qattus, u intom kelb.
We had a cat, and you had a dog.
Il-ġenituri ta' żewġi dar kbira.
My husband's parents had a big house.
Practice 4/6 · Matching
Who was it?
Match the pairs.
Practice 5/6 · Building sentences
Put the words in order
Put the words in order.
I lived here when I was little.
He was a very good husband.
He was ten here too.
Yes, the haircut was terrible.
You weren't here on Saturday.
On Saturday we were all here.
When I was ten, I was in Hamburg.
When I was ten, I was in Hamburg.
Practice 6/6 · In situations
The right words
Choose the right words for the situation.
Rita asks if you're married. You're not.
You say:
I'm not, now: m'inix. Ma kontx is I wasn't.
Rita asks if you're married. You're not.
You say:
I'm not, now: m'inix. Ma kontx is I wasn't.
Ġorġ shows you a photo of himself at ten. Tell him he was very little.
You say:
Ġorġ shows you a photo of himself at ten. Tell him he was very little.
You say:
Lina asks where you were on Saturday. You were here, at Ella's birthday.
You say:
Lina asks where you were on Saturday. You were here, at Ella's birthday.
You say:
Lina asks if you were in the café on Saturday morning. You weren't.
You say:
I wasn't: ma kontx. M'inix is I'm not, now.
Lina asks if you were in the café on Saturday morning. You weren't.
You say:
I wasn't: ma kontx. M'inix is I'm not, now.
Tell Ella how old you were when you lived in Hamburg as a child. You were ten.
You say:
Age is had, so the past of having: kelli.
Tell Ella how old you were when you lived in Hamburg as a child. You were ten.
You say:
Age is had, so the past of having: kelli.
Ġorġ asks if he was a good boy. Marija laughs and tells him he wasn't.
Marija says:
Unit complete
