Language/Maltese/Grammar/Adjectives
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Introduction
Welcome to the Adjectives lesson in the Complete 0 to A1 Maltese Course! In this lesson, you will learn how to use adjectives in Maltese and how to agree them with nouns. Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns, indicating qualities such as size, color, shape, and more. Understanding adjectives is essential for building basic sentences in Maltese.
Using Adjectives in Maltese
In Maltese, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe. For example, the sentence "The red car" would be "Il-karozza ħamra". In this case, "karozza" means "car" and "ħamra" means "red".
Agreement with Nouns
In Maltese, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in number and gender. This means that if the noun is singular and feminine, the adjective must also be singular and feminine. If the noun is plural and masculine, the adjective must be plural and masculine. Here are some examples:
| Maltese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Il-baqra tat-tifel | il-BAH-ra tat-TI-fel | The boy's cow |
| Il-baqar tat-tifla | il-BAH-kar tat-TI-fla | The girl's cow |
| L-ktieb ħadra | l-KTYEB HAD-ra | The green book |
| L-ktiebijiet ħadra | l-KTYE-bi-jiet HAD-ra | The green books |
In the first two examples, "baqra" means "cow", and it agrees in gender and number with "tat-tifel" (the boy) or "tat-tifla" (the girl). The adjective "ħadra" (green) also agrees in gender and number with "ktieb" (book) or "ktiebijiet" (books).
Position in a Sentence
In most cases, adjectives come after the noun they describe in Maltese, as we have seen. However, in some cases, they can come before the noun, especially if they indicate size, quantity, or importance. For example:
| Maltese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| L-aqwa aktar personne | l-AH-wa ak-TAR per-SO-nay | The best person |
| Is-sigħa kbira | is-SI-a K-bi-ra | The big watch |
| Iċ-ċikkulata ħafifa | iċ-ĊIK-ku-la-ta ħa-FEE-fa | The light (low-fat) chocolate |
As you can see, the adjective precedes the noun in each example above. Keep in mind that this is not the usual order, but it is used to give extra emphasis or to express a specific meaning.
Common Adjectives
Here are some common adjectives in Maltese, organized by category:
Colors
| Maltese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ħamra | HAM-ra | Red |
| kaxxi | kak-SEE | Brown |
| blu | BLOO | Blue |
| safran | SAF-ran | Yellow |
| ħadra | HAD-ra | Green |
| isfar | IS-far | White |
| iswed | IS-wed | Black |
Appearance
| Maltese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| kbar | K-bar | Big |
| sagħtar | sa-RA-tar | Small |
| nofsani | nof-SA-nee | Half |
| ferħan | fer-HAN | Happy |
| morda | MOR-da | Sad |
| saqajn | SA-kan | Ugly |
| ħelwa | HEL-wa | Pretty |
Feelings
| Maltese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| mqanqla | mak-LA | Tired |
| ħażin | ĦA-zin | Sick |
| xemxija | shem-SHEE-ya | Happy (slang) |
| wieħed | WYEH-ed | Lonely |
| xewqa | shew-KA | Wishful |
| qiegħed | ħied | Bored |
| għadxi | AH-gdzi | Angry |
Practice
Now it's time to practice what you've learned about adjectives in Maltese. Complete the following exercises by writing the correct form of the adjective in brackets.
- Il-kelb______ (ieqir) - The small dog
- Iċ-Ċinema ħadra u safra (franka) - The cinema is green and yellow (frank).
- L-artal______ (kbar) - The big table
- L-orsi tat-tifla______ (skuri) - The girl's dark bears
- L-għajnuna huma ħafifa uħud huma ______ (qwija) - The help is light and some is quiet.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have completed the Adjectives lesson in the Complete 0 to A1 Maltese Course. You have learned how to use adjectives in Maltese and how to agree them with nouns. Keep practicing to improve your skills, and don't forget to move on to the next lesson. In the next lesson, you will learn about comparatives and superlatives in Maltese.
Other Lessons
- Past Participle in Maltese
- Indefinite Articles in Maltese
- Negation
- How to Use Be
- Possessive Case in Maltese
- Past Tense
- Subject Verb Object Order
- Conditional Mood
- Plurals
Sources
| ◀️ Future Tense — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Comparatives and Superlatives ▶️ |