Language/Maltese/Grammar/Possessive-Pronouns

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◀️ Personal Pronouns — Previous Lesson Next Lesson — Demonstrative Pronouns ▶️

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MalteseGrammar0 to A1 Course → Possessive Pronouns

Possessive Pronouns are essential in every language. Knowing how to use them correctly can make the difference between communicating effectively, or not. In Maltese, like in many other languages, possessive pronouns express ownership or possession of something. For example, if you have a car, you can use a possessive pronoun to indicate that it is yours. In this lesson, you will learn the possessive pronouns in Maltese and how to use them in sentences.

What are Possessive Pronouns?[edit | edit source]

Before we dive into possessive pronouns in Maltese, let's first understand what possessive pronouns are.

Possessive pronouns are pronouns that are used to indicate possession. They take the place of a noun that denotes ownership or possession of something. They are also used to show how one thing relates to another. For example, in the sentence "This is my book," the word "my" is a possessive pronoun that denotes ownership of the book.

Possessive pronouns are typically placed before the noun that they replace. For example, in the sentence "This is my car," the possessive pronoun "my" comes before the noun "car."

In Maltese, possessive pronouns are similar to their counterparts in English. However, they often reflect the gender of the noun that they replace.

Possessive Pronouns in Maltese[edit | edit source]

In Maltese, possessive pronouns are called "pronominijiet possissivi" (pronounced as pro-no-mee-nee-jet pos-tsee-see-vee).

Here are the possessive pronouns in Maltese:

Maltese Pronunciation English
tiegħi tee-eh-gee mine/mine own
tiegħek tee-eh-gek yours (masculine)
tiegħek tee-eh-gek yours (feminine)
tiegħu tee-eh-goo his/his own
tagħha tah-aa hers/hers own
tiegħna tee-eh-na ours/our own
tiegħkom tee-eh-kom yours (plural)
tagħhom tah-om theirs/their own

As you can see, the Maltese possessive pronouns vary depending on the gender of the noun, the number of people or things in possession and whether the noun is singular or plural.

Let's take a look at some examples.

Maltese Pronunciation English
Il-kelb tiegħi hawn. il-kelb tee-eh-gee hawn This is my dog.
Il-karozza tiegħek hija safi. il-karozza tee-eh-gek hee-ya sa-fee Your (masculine) car is clean.
Il-ħanut tiegħi huwa ta'ħtija. il-ha-noot tee-eh-gee hoo-wa ta-ee-tee-ya My shop is underneath it.
Il-binja tagħhom hija dejjem misturata. il-bin-ya tah-om hee-ya de-jaam mis-tu-ra-ta Theirs (plural) building is always mixed.

Possessive pronouns with singular nouns[edit | edit source]

In Maltese, most singular nouns have a gender – either masculine or feminine. Therefore, when you're using possessive pronouns with singular nouns, you need to use the appropriate gender.

For example:

  • Il-ktieb tiegħi. (my (masculine) book)
  • Il-kitba tagħha. (her (feminine) pen)


Possessive pronouns with plural nouns[edit | edit source]

In Maltese, possessive pronouns with plural nouns are usually the same – regardless of whether the noun is masculine or feminine.

For example:

  • Il-kwadruj tagħna. (our (plural) paintings)
  • Il-karozzi tagħkom huma safi. (Your (plural) cars are clean.)


Possessive pronouns with infinitives[edit | edit source]

An infinitive is a verb form that usually begins with the word "to" in English. For example, "to speak" or "to eat."

In Maltese, you can use a possessive pronoun with an infinitive to indicate who is performing the action.

For example:

  • X'rid tiegħi nagħmel illum? (What do I want to do today?)
  • Titkellem ma' dak tiegħi li xogħolhom f'Brussell. (I will talk with mine that work in Brussels.)

Possessive pronouns with demonstratives[edit | edit source]

Demonstratives are words that indicate the location or position of something. For example, "this," "that," "these," and "those."

In Maltese, you can use a possessive pronoun with a demonstrative to indicate ownership.

For example:

  • Il-kitba tiegħi hawn hekk. (My (feminine) pen is here like that)
  • Dan huwa loġob tiegħi. (This is my (masculine) toy.)


Possessive pronouns as emphasis[edit | edit source]

In Maltese, possessive pronouns can also be used as a form of emphasis – to point out who owns something or to express how strongly one feels about ownership.

For example:

  • Dak hu karozza tiegħek? (That is your (masculine) car?)
  • Il-ktieb huwa tiegħi permezz u permezz. (The book is mine, entirely.)

Exercises[edit | edit source]

Test your knowledge of the possessive pronouns by completing the following exercises.

1. Translate the following sentences into Maltese:

  • This is my (feminine) bike.
  • Theirs (masculine) house is big.

2. Translate the following sentences into English:

  • Dan hu kotba tagħna.
  • Il-kaċċa huwa tiegħi.

Conclusion[edit | edit source]

Now that you've learned about the possessive pronouns in Maltese, you'll be able to have more in-depth conversations without worrying about expressing possession or ownership wrong. Keep practicing and incorporating these new phrases into your conversations so that you can master them and move on to the next stage in your journey to mastering the Maltese language.


Other Lessons[edit | edit source]


Sources[edit | edit source]


◀️ Personal Pronouns — Previous Lesson Next Lesson — Demonstrative Pronouns ▶️

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