Being able to talk about time is essential. In this chapter, you will learn the names of the days of the week and the months of the year in Maltese.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
The Maltese week starts on Monday. Notice how many of the names are derived from numbers!
| Maltese | Phonetic Guide | English |
|---|---|---|
| It-Tnejn | (it-TNEYN) | Monday |
| It-Tlieta | (it-TLEE-eh-ta) | Tuesday |
| L-Erbgħa | (l-ERB-aa) | Wednesday |
| Il-Ħamis | (il-HA-mees) | Thursday |
| Il-Ġimgħa | (il-JIM-aa) | Friday |
| Is-Sibt | (is-SIBT) | Saturday |
| Il-Ħadd | (il-HADD) | Sunday |
Many of the months in Maltese will sound familiar, as they share Latin roots with English.
| Maltese | Phonetic Guide | English |
|---|---|---|
| Jannar | (yan-NAR) | January |
| Frar | (frar) | February |
| Marzu | (MAR-tsoo) | March |
| April | (ap-REEL) | April |
| Mejju | (MEY-yoo) | May |
| Ġunju | (JOON-yoo) | June |
| Lulju | (LOOL-yoo) | July |
| Awwissu | (aw-WISS-oo) | August |
| Settembru | (set-TEM-broo) | September |
| Ottubru | (ot-TOO-broo) | October |
| Novembru | (no-VEM-broo) | November |
| Diċembru | (di-CHEM-broo) | December |
Master the days of the week and months of the year.
Import Chapter 8 Flashcards(Requires login to import/study)
Unscramble the letters to form a Maltese day of the week.
Practice saying your birth month in Maltese. For example: "My birthday is in October" -> `Għeluq snini f'Ottubru.`
(aa-LOOK SNEE-nee f'ot-TOO-broo)
The names for the days of the week in Maltese provide a fascinating glimpse into the island's history. `It-Tnejn` (Monday), `It-Tlieta` (Tuesday), and `L-Erbgħa` (Wednesday) are derived from the Semitic numbers for two, three, and four, counting from Sunday. `Il-Ħamis` (Thursday) also comes from the Semitic number for five.
However, `Il-Ġimgħa` (Friday) comes from the Arabic word for assembly or gathering, referencing the traditional day of congregation. `Is-Sibt` (Saturday) is from the Hebrew "Sabbath," and `Il-Ħadd` (Sunday) is from the Semitic word for "one," marking it as the first day of the traditional week.
The months, in contrast, are almost all borrowed from Sicilian/Italian, showing the strong Romance influence on Maltese vocabulary over the centuries. This daily vocabulary is a living record of Malta's diverse cultural layers.
Let's read a short story about planning a week.
Din il-ġimgħa, Marija għandha ħafna pjanijiet. (Deen il-JIM-aa, Ma-REE-ya AN-da HAF-na pya-NI-YEET.)
Nhar it-Tnejn, hija tmur l-iskola. (Nar it-TNEYN, EE-ya tmoor lis-KO-la.)
Nhar l-Erbgħa, għandha appuntament mat-tabib. (Nar l-ERB-aa, AN-da ap-pun-ta-MENT mat-ta-BEEB.)
Nhar il-Ġimgħa, tmur iċ-ċinema mal-ħbieb. (Nar il-JIM-aa, tmoor ich-chi-NE-ma mal-HBEEB.)
Is-Sibt huwa għeluq sninha! Il-festa hija f'Awwissu. (is-SIBT OO-wa aa-LOOK SNEEN-ha! il-FES-ta EE-ya f'aw-WISS-oo.)
Il-Ħadd, tistrieħ id-dar. (il-HADD, tis-TREEH id-DAR.)
This week, Marija has many plans.
On Monday, she goes to school.
On Wednesday, she has an appointment with the doctor.
On Friday, she goes to the cinema with friends.
Saturday is her birthday! The party is in August.
On Sunday, she rests at home.
Days: `It-Tnejn`, `It-Tlieta`, `L-Erbgħa`, `Il-Ħamis`, `Il-Ġimgħa`, `Is-Sibt`, `Il-Ħadd`.
Months: `Jannar` through `Diċembru`.
Other: `ġimgħa` (week), `pjanijiet` (plans), `appuntament` (appointment), `għeluq snin` (birthday), `tistrieħ` (she rests).
Prosit! You can now talk about specific days and months. In the next chapter, we'll learn some basic adjectives and colors, which will allow you to start describing the nouns you've learned in more detail.