Module 1Grammar reviewPremium
Module 1 grammar on one page
Reviews practise both sides: wherever Lukas and Lena would say something differently, you do it once as each.
Masculine and feminine
Every noun is masculine or feminine; most feminine nouns end in -a. People and animals come in pairs, and adjectives follow the noun and take its gender. is this for a masculine noun, for a feminine one.
| Masculine | Feminine | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| neighbour | ||
| neighbour | ||
| friend | ||
| friend | ||
| musician | ||
| musician | ||
| tomcat · she-cat | ||
| tomcat · she-cat | ||
| grandfather · grandmother | ||
| grandfather · grandmother | ||
| · · | · · | new · good · bad |
| new · good · bad | ||
| this | ||
| this | ||
Ċikku qattus tajjeb.Ċikku is a good tomcat.
Il-kafetterija ta' Lina tajba ħafna.Lina's café is very good.
The article: il-
The article joins its noun with a hyphen. Before a sun letter it takes that letter's sound, and after a vowel the i drops. An adjective after the noun takes the article too.
| Before | Article | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most letters | · | the neighbour · the coffee | |
| the neighbour · the coffee | |||
| A vowel | · | the name · the meal | |
| the name · the meal | |||
| A sun letter | · · · · … | · · · · | the key · the house · the grandmother · the boss · the tea |
| the key · the house · the grandmother · the boss · the tea | |||
| After a vowel | · · … | · · | the new neighbour · Marija is the grandmother · he's the boss |
| the new neighbour · Marija is the grandmother · he's the boss | |||
The sun letters are .
Int il-ġar il-ġdid?Are you the new neighbour?
Ċikku hu s-sid hawn.Ċikku is the boss here.
jien, int, hu, hi: and no word for is
In the present there is no word for am, is or are: the pronoun and the noun simply stand together. is you for one person, whoever it is; for several.
| Pronoun | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | ||
| I · I'm Marija. | ||
| I · I'm Marija. | ||
| you · Are you the new neighbour? | ||
| you · Are you the new neighbour? | ||
| · | · | he, it · she, it · Here's the coffee. · Here's the key. |
| he, it · she, it · Here's the coffee. · Here's the key. | ||
| Plural | ||
| we · We're friends. | ||
| we · We're friends. | ||
| you · You're neighbours. | ||
| you · You're neighbours. | ||
| they · They're neighbours. | ||
| they · They're neighbours. | ||
Whose? tiegħi, tiegħek
The possessive comes after the noun, which keeps its article. It never changes for the noun.
| Person | Possessive | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| my, mine · my key | |||
| my, mine · my key | |||
| your · your house | |||
| your · your house | |||
| his · his cat | |||
| his · his cat | |||
| her · her grandmother | |||
| her · her grandmother | |||
| our · our house | |||
| our · our house | |||
| your · your café | |||
| your · your café | |||
| their · their neighbour | |||
| their · their neighbour | |||
Having: għandi, għandek
There is no verb for have: , at someone's, takes an ending for the person.
| Person | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| I have | ||
| I have | ||
| you have | ||
| you have | ||
| he has | ||
| he has | ||
| she has | ||
| she has | ||
| we have | ||
| we have | ||
| you have | ||
| you have | ||
| they have | ||
| they have | ||
Għandek iċ-ċavetta tiegħi!You have my key!
Għandek iċ-ċavetta tiegħi!You have my key!
Lina għandha kafetterija.Lina has a café.
Saying no: le and mhux
answers no. says not, before a word that is not a verb. A verb takes in front and -x at the end.
| Yes | No | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| yes · no | ||
| yes · no | ||
| mine · not mine | ||
| mine · not mine | ||
| bad · not bad | ||
| bad · not bad | ||
| Ġorġ · not Ġorġ | ||
| Ġorġ · not Ġorġ | ||
| I know · I don't know | ||
| I know · I don't know | ||
Le, mhux Ġorġ. U mhux Lina.No, not Ġorġ. And not Lina.
Iċ-ċavetta? Ma nafx.Your key? I don't know.
Questions
A question keeps the order of a statement and rises at the end. at the end asks for a yes. Other questions start with a question word.
| Word | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| who? · And who is this? | ||
| who? · And who is this? | ||
| what? · What's your name? | ||
| what? · What's your name? | ||
| where? · Where do you live? | ||
| where? · Where do you live? | ||
| how? · How are you? | ||
| how? · How are you? | ||
| right? · You're the new neighbour, right? | ||
| right? · You're the new neighbour, right? | ||
Liking: jogħġobni
The thing you like is the subject, and it does the pleasing: , the cake pleases me. The front of the verb goes with that thing, j- for a masculine one and t- for a feminine one, as in and . The person who likes it is the ending: -ni me, -ok you, -u him, -ha her.
| Who likes it | (masculine) | (feminine) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| I like it (it pleases me) | |||
| I like it (it pleases me) | |||
| you like it (it pleases you) | |||
| you like it (it pleases you) | |||
| he likes it (it pleases him) | |||
| he likes it (it pleases him) | |||
| she likes it (it pleases her) | |||
| she likes it (it pleases her) | |||
I like the cake. She likes the café: the café (t-) pleases her (-ha).
The present tense, singular
The person is a letter at the front: for I, for you and for she, or for he. A dictionary lists the he-form. There is no infinitive: after and the second verb takes the person too.
| Meaning | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sleep | ||||
| sleep | ||||
| live | ||||
| live | ||||
| know | ||||
| know | ||||
| play | ||||
| play | ||||
Verament irrid norqod.I really want to sleep.
Verament irrid norqod.I really want to sleep.
Tista' ddoqq għada?Could you play tomorrow?
Tista' ddoqq għada?Could you play tomorrow?
Where? hawn, hemm, fil-, bil-
asks where. before a noun is on or above. The short prepositions , , and join the article.
| Preposition | With | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| · · | in · in the café · in the living room · at home | ||
| in · in the café · in the living room · at home | |||
| · | with, by · at night · hungry | ||
| with, by · at night · hungry | |||
| to, for · to the café | |||
| to, for · to the café | |||
| from · from the café | |||
| from · from the café | |||
Lina toqgħod fuq il-kafetterija.Lina lives above the café.
Ċikku jorqod fis-salott.Ċikku is asleep in the living room.
Practice 1/7 · The right form
A bit of everything
Choose the right word for the gap.
Għandek iċ-ċavetta !
You have my key!
Għandek iċ-ċavetta !
You have my key!
Ċikku jorqod .
Ċikku is asleep in the living room.
Jien isfel.
I live downstairs.
Jien isfel.
I live downstairs.
Ella tmur għall-kafetterija.
Ella wants to go to the café.
Hawn kafetterija ħafna.
There's a very good café here.
ta' Marija.
Marija's house.
Il-kejk ħafna!
I like the cake very much!
Il-kejk ħafna!
I like the cake very much!
Ella? Il-kejk ħafna.
Ella? She likes the cake a lot.
tajjeb ħafna!
The coffee is very good!
tajjeb ħafna!
The coffee is very good!
t-tajba!
Enjoy your meal!
The right person
Choose the right word for the gap.
Sinjura Marija, Ċikku l-qattus ?
Mrs Marija, is Ċikku your cat?
Sinjura Marija, Ċikku l-qattus ?
Mrs Marija, is Ċikku your cat?
Ċikku ħabib ta' Ella, u Ella ħabiba .
Ċikku is Ella's friend, and Ella is his.
Marija n-nanna tiegħi. Jien in-neputija .
Marija is my grandmother. I'm her granddaughter.
Ella, Sinjura Marija: Ċikku mhux il-qattus ?
Ella, Mrs Marija: isn't Ċikku your cat?
Ella, Sinjura Marija: Ċikku mhux il-qattus ?
Ella, Mrs Marija: isn't Ċikku your cat?
Marija u Ella? Ċikku mhux il-qattus .
Marija and Ella? Ċikku isn't their cat.
qattus?
Do you have a cat?
Ġorġ trumbetta.
Ġorġ has a trumpet.
Intom ċavetta?
Do you two have a key?
Intom ċavetta?
Do you two have a key?
Huma kafetterija tajba.
They have a good café.
Il-kejk ?
Do you like the cake?
Practice 2/7 · Finding words
Find the words
Tap the verbs in the 3rd person singular (he, she, it).
, .
Marija knows everything, and Ġorġ plays at night.
.
Ċikku takes the key and goes to the café.
.
Ella is here every day.
, .
Ġorġ lives upstairs, and Marija lives downstairs.
? . !
The key? I don't know. Ċikku knows!
, .
Ella takes the cake, and Ċikku sleeps upstairs.
Practice 3/7 · Fill the gaps
Ella's day
Fill the gaps with the words from the box.
Filgħodu Ella għall-kafetterija.
In the morning Ella goes to the café.
Hi tieħu l- u l-.
She takes cake and juice.
Filgħaxija Ċikku .
In the evening Ċikku sleeps in the living room.
As Lukas
Grazzi, jien bil-ġuħ. issa.
Thanks, I'm not hungry. I'm going now.
As Lena
Grazzi, jien bil-ġuħ. issa.
Thanks, I'm not hungry. I'm going now.
Lina , u kafetterija.
Lina is a neighbour of ours, and she has a café.
Lina , u kafetterija.
Lina is a neighbour of ours, and she has a café.
Il-kejk , u l-kafetterija wkoll.
I like the cake, and I like the café too.
Ella? Il-meraq ħafna.
Ella? She likes the juice a lot.
In-nanna dar, imma Ċikku mhux il-qattus .
Grandma has a house, but Ċikku isn't her cat.
Ċikku qattus, mhux !
Ċikku is a tomcat, not a she-cat!
Lina u Ġorġ? Din ukoll, u ċavetta.
Lina and Ġorġ? This is their house too, and they have a key.
Practice 4/7 · Building sentences
Put the words in order
Put the words in order.
As Lukas
I'm the new neighbour.
As Lena
I'm the new neighbour.
Can you play tomorrow, Ġorġ?
Can you play tomorrow, Ġorġ?
My grandmother knows everything.
Where does Lina live?
Where does Lina live?
Ċikku isn't a bad tomcat.
I have a grandmother and a grandfather.
I have a grandmother and a grandfather.
Do you have your key?
Your key, you two? I don't know.
Ċikku has some cake, and he likes it a lot.
I live downstairs, and Ġorġ upstairs.
I live downstairs, and Ġorġ upstairs.
Practice 5/7 · In situations
The right words
Choose the right words for the situation.
Ask Ella, who is nine, if she is hungry.
You say:
Maltese says int to a child and to an adult alike.
Ask Ella, who is nine, if she is hungry.
You say:
Maltese says int to a child and to an adult alike.
Ask Marija, an old lady you don't know well, if she knows everything.
You say:
You say int to her too, and the verb takes t- for you: taf.
Ask Marija, an old lady you don't know well, if she knows everything.
You say:
You say int to her too, and the verb takes t- for you: taf.
As Lukas
Marija asks how you are. You're fine.
You say:
As Lena
Marija asks how you are. You're fine.
You say:
The cat is sitting on your cake. Tell him no.
You say:
The cat is sitting on your cake. Tell him no.
You say:
As Lukas
Ella asks where you're going. Tell her it's the café.
You say:
As Lena
Ella asks where you're going. Tell her it's the café.
You say:
Lina puts a plate of cake in front of Ella.
Lina says:
Tell Ella that you and Ġorġ have a very good café downstairs.
You say:
Tell Ella that you and Ġorġ have a very good café downstairs.
You say:
Ġorġ tells you that he plays the trumpet.
Ġorġ says:
Ella tells you that she and Ċikku are friends.
Ella says:
Ella is a girl, so she is a ħabiba; Ċikku is a ħabib. His is tiegħu.
You give Ella a piece of cake. Ask her if she likes it.
You say:
You give Ella a piece of cake. Ask her if she likes it.
You say:
Practice 6/7 · Questions
The right answer
Choose the right answer.
Ella, għandek nanna?
Ella, do you have a grandmother?
Min hi Lina?
Who is Lina?
Ċikku qattusa?
Is Ċikku a she-cat?
Intom għandkom qattus?
Do you two have a cat?
Ġorġ, int mużiċist?
Ġorġ, are you a musician?
Ġorġ u Marija: fuq jew isfel?
Ġorġ and Marija: upstairs or downstairs?
Taf fejn hi ċ-ċavetta tiegħi?
Do you know where my key is?
A verb says no with ma ... -x: ma nafx. mhux goes before a word that is not a verb.
Il-kafetterija ta' Lina togħġbok?
Do you like Lina's café?
Il-kafetterija is feminine, so the verb starts with t-; -ni is for me.
U Ċikku? Hu bil-ġuħ?
And Ċikku? Is he hungry?
Min hu Ċikku?
Who is Ċikku?
After a vowel the i of the article drops: hu s-sid.
Practice 7/7 · Matching
Question and answer
Match each question to its answer.
Unit complete
