In this chapter, you'll learn one of the most fundamental parts of Maltese grammar: the definite article ("the"), and build your vocabulary with essential nouns for things around you.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
In Maltese, the word for "the" is `il-`. However, its pronunciation changes depending on the first letter of the noun that follows. This concept is divided into two categories: "moon letters" and "sun letters."
For nouns starting with a "moon letter," the `il-` is pronounced as is. The moon letters are:
b, f, ġ, h, ħ, j, k, l, m, p, q, v, w
| Maltese Phrase | Phonetic Guide | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| il-bieb | (il-BEEB) | the door |
| il-ġnien | (il-JNEE-en) | the garden |
| il-ktieb | (il-KTEEB) | the book |
| il-mejda | (il-MEY-da) | the table |
For nouns starting with a "sun letter," the `l` in `il-` becomes silent and assimilates into the sound of the sun letter, effectively doubling it. The sun letters are:
ċ, d, n, r, s, t, x, z, ż
| Maltese Phrase | Written As | Pronounced As | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| the sun | il-xemx | (ish-SHEMSH) | The `l` becomes `x` (sh). |
| the boy | il-tifel | (it-TEE-fel) | The `l` becomes `t`. |
| the shoe | il-żarbun | (iż-żar-BOON) | The `l` becomes `ż` (z). |
| the cup | il-tazza | (it-TATS-tsa) | The `l` becomes `t`. |
Note: Even though the pronunciation changes, it is always written as `il-`.
For each noun, decide if its first letter is a "sun letter" (xemxija) or a "moon letter" (qamrija).
Write out the correct form of "the" + noun for the following words. Example: (book) -> il-ktieb.
The changing sound of the definite article `il-` is one of the clearest and most fascinating links to Maltese's Semitic origins. This exact system of "sun and moon letters" (in Arabic: حروف شمسية, ḥurūf shamsīyah, and حروف قمرية, ḥurūf qamarīyah) is a core feature of the Arabic language. Hearing this sound assimilation is like hearing a thousand years of linguistic history in everyday speech.
You can see this rule in action all over the Maltese islands in place names. For example, `Ir-Rabat` (Victoria's suburb on Gozo) uses the "sun letter" rule for 'r', while `Il-Belt Valletta` (the capital city) uses the "moon letter" rule for 'b'. If a noun starts with a vowel, the article often becomes `l-` with an apostrophe, as in `L-Imdina`, the ancient walled city.
This blend is what makes Maltese unique: the grammatical *rule* is Semitic, but many of the *nouns* it applies to, like `karozza` (car) or `skola` (school), are borrowed from Italian and Sicilian. It's a true linguistic melting pot!
Let's see how the definite article works in a short story.
Pawlu għandu dar. Id-dar hija kbira. (PAW-loo AN-doo dar. id-DAR HEE-ya KBEE-ra.)
Quddiem id-dar hemm it-triq. Fit-triq hemm il-karozza. (ud-DEEM id-DAR emm it-TREE'. Fit-TREE' emm il-ka-ROTS-tsa.)
Pawlu jiftaħ il-bieb. Fil-kamra hemm il-mejda u s-siġġu. (PAW-loo YIF-tah il-BEEB. Fil-KAM-ra emm il-MEY-da oo is-SIJ-joo.)
Fuq il-mejda hemm il-ktieb. Il-ktieb huwa interessanti. (Foo' il-MEY-da emm il-KTEEB. il-KTEEB HOO-wa in-te-res-SAN-ti.)
Pawlu has a house. The house is big.
In front of the house there is the street. In the street there is the car.
Pawlu opens the door. In the room there is the table and the chair.
On the table there is the book. The book is interesting.
The definite article is `il-`. It assimilates with "sun letters" (ċ, d, n, r, s, t, x, z, ż) and stays the same for "moon letters" (all others).
dar (house), skola (school), triq (street), karozza (car), siġġu (chair), tifel (boy), tifla (girl), raġel (man), mara (woman), ktieb (book), mejda (table).
Prosit! Understanding the article is a huge step. In the next chapter, we will build on this by learning the numbers from 0 to 20, which will allow you to start counting the objects you've just learned.