Maltese doesn't say I am thirty. It says I have thirty years, with the of having: The question is , literally how much time do you have? About someone else, the ending changes as always: How old is Ċikku?
Who is how old?
| Person | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| I'm thirty. | ||
| I'm thirty. | ||
| How old are you? | ||
| How old are you? | ||
| Ġorġ is twenty-eight. | ||
| Ġorġ is twenty-eight. | ||
| Ella is nine. | ||
| Ella is nine. | ||
| We're thirty. | ||
| We're thirty. | ||
| How old are you? (to several people) | ||
| How old are you? (to several people) | ||
| The cats are two. | ||
| The cats are two. | ||
The word for year depends on the number, as with everything you count: , . One year is , and two years is a single word, . From three to ten the noun is plural, , and the number loses its end: , . From eleven on the noun is singular again: , . Months work the same way.
Years and months
| Number | Years | Months | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | a year · a month | ||
| a year · a month | |||
| 2 | two years · two months | ||
| two years · two months | |||
| 3 to 10 | · | three years · ten years · six months | |
| three years · ten years · six months | |||
| 11 to 19 | eleven years · eleven months | ||
| eleven years · eleven months | |||
| 20 and up | · | twenty years · thirty years · twenty months | |
| twenty years · thirty years · twenty months | |||
-ejn means exactly two: , . In speech the year often drops: I'm thirty. Ella is almost ten.
From three to ten: the number before
| Number | Age | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | three years | |
| three years | ||
| 4 | four years | |
| four years | ||
| 5 | five years | |
| five years | ||
| 6 | six years | |
| six years | ||
| 7 | seven years | |
| seven years | ||
| 8 | eight years | |
| eight years | ||
| 9 | nine years | |
| nine years | ||
| 10 | ten years | |
| ten years | ||
These are the short forms you know from and . From eleven to nineteen the number adds -il: , .
Bigger ages use the tens you know from prices, with the ones first: , eight and twenty, is 28; is 44.
Numbers to 100
| Number | Word | Number | Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 21 | ||
| 30 | 28 | ||
| 40 | 44 | ||
| 50 | 65 | ||
| 60 | 72 | ||
| 70 | 99 | ||
| 80 | |||
| 90 |
Kemm għandek żmien?How old are you?
Għandi tletin sena.I'm thirty.
Għandi tletin sena.I'm thirty.
Ibni għandu ħamsin sena, u binti erbgħa u erbgħin.My son is fifty, and my daughter forty-four.
Ella għandha disa' snin, kważi għaxra.Ella is nine, almost ten.
Ħu Ella għandu sitt xhur biss.Ella's brother is only six months old.
U Ċikku, kemm għandu żmien?And Ċikku, how old is he?
Practice 1/5 · Finding words
Find the words
Tap the words for year and month.
.
I'm thirty.
.
I'm thirty.
, .
My son is fifty, and my daughter forty-four.
, .
Ella is nine, almost ten.
? .
Ella's brother? Only six months.
? .
Is Ċikku two? Nobody knows.
!
On Saturday I'll be ten!
? , .
Is the baby two months old? No, six months.
.
I'm twenty-eight.
Practice 2/5 · The right form
One year, two years, ten years
Choose the right word for the gap.
Ella għandha disa' .
Ella is nine.
Għandi tmienja u għoxrin .
I'm twenty-eight.
Ħu Ella għandu sitt .
Ella's brother is six months old.
Ċikku għandu ?
Is Ċikku two?
Għandi tletin .
I'm thirty.
Għandi tletin .
I'm thirty.
Is-Sibt, għaxar !
On Saturday, ten years old!
It-tarbija għandha biss.
The baby is only two months old.
Ibni għandu ħamsin .
My son is fifty.
Il-qattusa għandha tliet .
The she-cat is three.
I have, she has
Age is had: choose the form of għand for the person.
Kemm żmien?
How old are you?
tletin sena.
I'm thirty.
tletin sena.
I'm thirty.
Ella disa' snin.
Ella is nine.
Ibni ħamsin sena.
My son is fifty.
Ella u Ċikku, kemm żmien?
Ella and Ċikku, how old are you?
Ella u Ċikku, kemm żmien?
Ella and Ċikku, how old are you?
Il-qtates? Ma nafx kemm żmien.
The cats? I don't know how old they are.
Jien? tmienja u għoxrin sena.
Me? I'm twenty-eight.
Practice 3/5 · Matching
Big numbers
Match the words to the numbers.
Practice 4/5 · Building sentences
Put the words in order
Put the words in order.
How old are you?
I'm thirty.
I'm thirty.
Ella is nine, almost ten.
Ella's brother is only six months old.
How old is Ċikku? Nobody knows.
How old is Ċikku? Nobody knows.
I'm twenty-eight.
Is Ċikku two?
Is the baby two months old?
My birthday is the tenth of July.
My birthday is the tenth of July.
Practice 5/5 · In situations
The right words
Choose the right words for the situation.
Ella asks how old you are. You're thirty.
You say:
Age is had: għandi. From eleven on, the year stays singular: tletin sena.
Ella asks how old you are. You're thirty.
You say:
Age is had: għandi. From eleven on, the year stays singular: tletin sena.
Ask Ella how old she is.
You say:
Ask Ella how old she is.
You say:
Ask Marija how old her son is.
You say:
Ask Marija how old her son is.
You say:
Marija points at an old photo of a young man. It's her husband, aged twenty.
Marija says:
The age is his, so għandu; after twenty the year is singular, sena.
Tell Anna that Ella is nine.
You say:
Tell Anna that Ella is nine.
You say:
Ella tells you when her birthday is.
Ella says:
Unit complete
