You can now talk about the present, but what about yesterday? This chapter introduces the Maltese past tense, known as the Perfect (`il-Perfett`), which allows you to describe completed actions.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
Unlike the present tense which uses prefixes, the past tense is formed by adding suffixes to the verb root. The base form of a Maltese verb is typically the "he" form in the past tense.
Let's use our familiar example, the verb `kiteb` (he wrote), which has the root K-T-B.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Phonetic Guide | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jien (I) | ktibt | (ktipt) | I wrote |
| Int (You, s.) | ktibt | (ktipt) | You wrote |
| Huwa (He) | kiteb | (KI-teb) | He wrote |
| Hija (She) | kitbet | (KIT-bet) | She wrote |
| Aħna (We) | ktibna | (KTIB-na) | We wrote |
| Intom (You, pl.) | ktibtu | (KTIB-too) | You (pl.) wrote |
| Huma (They) | kitbu | (KIT-boo) | They wrote |
Did you see the pattern? The endings you add to the verb root are:
Examples in sentences:
Master the past tense of regular verbs.
Import Chapter 17 Flashcards(Requires login to import/study)
Match the conjugated past tense verb to the correct pronoun.
kitbet ( ) Huma (They)
ktibna ( ) Jien / Int (I / You)
kitbu ( ) Hija (She)
ktibt ( ) Aħna (We)kitbet → Hija (She)
ktibna → Aħna (We)
kitbu → Huma (They)
ktibt → Jien / Int (I / You)The verb `ħadem` (HA-dem) means "he worked". Try to fill in the blanks using the same pattern.
Malta has a long and incredibly rich history, and the past tense is the key to talking about it. From the Knights of St. John (`Il-Kavallieri ta' San Ġwann`) who `bnew` (built) Valletta, to the British who `ħakmu` (ruled) the island for over 150 years, the story of Malta is told in the past tense.
On a more personal level, asking someone what they did over the weekend (`X'għamilt fi tmiem il-ġimgħa?`) is a very common conversation starter on a Monday morning. People will share stories about how they `marru` (went) to the beach, `kilu` (ate) with family, or `raw` (watched) a football match. Learning the past tense opens up the door to sharing these everyday experiences.
Pawlu talks about what he did yesterday.
Ilbieraħ kienet ġurnata mimlija. (il-BEE-rah KEE-net joor-NA-ta MIM-lee-ya.)
Filgħodu, qomt kmieni u mort niġri. (fil-O-doo, 'omt KMEE-ni oo mort NIJ-ri.)
Wara, ħdimt fil-ġnien għal sagħtejn. (WA-ra, hdimt fil-JNEE-en aal sa-TEYN.)
Marti, Anna, sajret ikla tajba. Aħna kilna flimkien. (MAR-ti, AN-na, SAI-ret IK-la TAI-ba. AH-na KIL-na flim-KYEN.)
Filgħaxija, qrajt ktieb u rajt film fuq it-televiżjoni. (fil-ash-EE-ya, 'reyt kteeb oo reyt film foo' it-te-le-vi-ZYO-nee.)
Yesterday was a full day.
In the morning, I woke up early and I went for a run.
Afterwards, I worked in the garden for two hours.
My wife, Anna, cooked a good meal. We ate together.
In the evening, I read a book and I watched a film on the television.
The Maltese past tense (`il-Perfett`) is formed by adding suffixes to the verb root. The most common suffixes are -t, -t, (none), -et, -na, -tu, -u.
`ilbieraħ` (yesterday), `għamel` (to do/make), `mar` (to go), `qam` (to wake up), `sajjar` (to cook), `ra` (to see), `qara` (to read).
Prosit! You can now describe events in both the present and the past. In the next chapter, we will revisit possession and learn about possessive pronouns in their adjectival form (like 'my', 'your', 'his'), which will give you another, more emphatic way to talk about ownership.