Prosit! You have learned a lot of grammar and vocabulary. Now, let's see how it all comes together in practical, everyday situations.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
Read through these conversations and notice how different elements we've learned are combined.
Barista: Bonġu! X'nixtieq? (BON-joo! sh'nish-TEEK?) - Hello! What would you like?
Klijent (Customer): Bonġu. Nixtieq kafè u pastizz tal-irkotta, jekk jogħġbok. (BON-joo. nish-TEEK ka-FEH oo pas-TITS tal-ir-KOT-ta, yek YOJ-bok.) - Hello. I'd like a coffee and a ricotta pastizz, please.
Barista: Tajjeb. Xi ħaġa oħra? (TAI-yeb. shi HA-ja OH-ra?) - Good. Anything else?
Klijent: Le, grazzi. Kemm hu? (Le, GRAT-si. Kemm oo?) - No, thank you. How much is it?
Barista: Dak tliet ewro. (Dak tleet EW-ro.) - That's three euro.
Turist (Tourist): Skużani, fejn hi l-eqreb spiżerija? (skoo-ZAH-nee, feyn ee l-E'-reb spi-dze-REE-ya?) - Excuse me, where is the nearest pharmacy?
Pawlu: L-ispiżerija? Mur dritt minn din it-triq, u mbagħad id-dritt wara l-bank. (lis-pi-dze-REE-ya? Moor dreet minn deen it-TREE', oo mbadj id-DREET WA-ra l-bank.) - The pharmacy? Go straight down this street, and then it's on the right after the bank.
Turist: Hija 'l bogħod? (EE-ya l bo-OOT?) - Is it far?
Pawlu: Le, ma hijiex. Forsi ħames minuti mixi. (Le, ma ee-YESH. FOR-si hames min-OO-ti MISH-i.) - No, it's not. Maybe a five-minute walk.
Turist: Grazzi ħafna! (GRAT-si HAF-na!) - Thank you very much!
Review the key phrases from our everyday conversations.
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Choose the best response to complete the conversation.
Pawlu: Bonġu Marija! Kif int?
Marija: Tajjeb, grazzi. U int?
Pawlu: ____________
The correct answer is 2. Mhux ħażin, grazzi. (Not bad, thanks.)
Imagine you are at a shop. Write a short, 3-line dialogue where you:
Jien (Me): Bonġu!
Shopkeeper: Bonġu.
Jien: Nixtieq flixkun ilma, jekk jogħġbok. Kemm jiswa?
Conversations in Malta are often warm and friendly. It's common to start any interaction, even in a shop, with a simple `Bonġu` and `Kif int?`. Don't be surprised if a simple question leads to a longer chat!
A very common feature of spoken Maltese is the tag question `hux?` (pronounced "hoosh?"). It's used at the end of a sentence just like "right?", "isn't it?", or "eh?" in English. It's used to confirm information or to make the conversation more inclusive. For example: `It-temp sabiħ illum, hux?` (The weather is nice today, right?). Using `hux?` can make your spoken Maltese sound much more natural.
A phone call between two friends making plans for the weekend.
Marija: Allo, Pawlu? Marija hawn. Kif int? (Allo, PAW-loo? Ma-REE-ya own. Kif int?)
Pawlu: Allo Marija. Tajjeb, grazzi. U int? (Allo Ma-REE-ya. TAI-yeb, GRAT-si. Oo int?)
Marija: Kollox sew. Smajt, għandek pjanijiet għal nhar il-Ġimgħa? (KOL-losh sew. Smight, AN-dek pya-NI-YEET aal nar il-JIM-aa?)
Pawlu: Le, ma għandix pjanijiet. Għaliex? (Le, ma an-DEESH pya-NI-YEET. aa-LEESH?)
Marija: Trid tmur iċ-ċinema? Hemm film ġdid. (Treed tmoor ich-chi-NE-ma? Emm film jdeed.)
Pawlu: Iva, nixtieq! Meta niltaqgħu? (EE-va, nish-TEEK! ME-ta nil-TA'-oo?)
Marija: Nistgħu niltaqgħu fis-sebgħa, quddiem iċ-ċinema. Tajjeb? (NIS-taw nil-TA'-oo fis-SEB-aa, ud-DEEM ich-chi-NE-ma. TAI-yeb?)
Pawlu: Perfett! Mela narak il-Ġimgħa. Saħħa! (Per-FETT! ME-la na-RAK il-JIM-aa. SAH-ha!)
Marija: Hello, Pawlu? It's Marija. How are you?
Pawlu: Hello Marija. Fine, thanks. And you?
Marija: Everything's well. Listen, do you have plans for Friday?
Pawlu: No, I don't have plans. Why?
Marija: Do you want to go to the cinema? There's a new film.
Pawlu: Yes, I'd like to! When shall we meet?
Marija: We can meet at seven, in front of the cinema. Good?
Pawlu: Perfect! So, I'll see you on Friday. Goodbye!
This chapter is all about combining the building blocks you've learned: greetings, asking questions (`Kif`, `Fejn`, `Meta`), using verbs (`nixtieq`, `tmur`), numbers, and prepositions (`quddiem`, `wara`) to create meaningful interactions.
`X'nixtieq?` (What would you like?), `Xi ħaġa oħra?` (Anything else?), `Kemm hu?` (How much is it?), `Għandek pjanijiet?` (Do you have plans?), `Meta niltaqgħu?` (When shall we meet?), `hux?` (right?).
Prosit! You're now applying your skills in conversation. So far, we have focused on the present. In the next chapter, we will learn how to talk about the future by introducing `Il-Futur tal-Verbi` (The Future Tense), allowing you to discuss your upcoming plans with certainty.