Getting around in Maltese
Left, right, the station, one ticket, where is the toilet. Play the ten Maltese words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Maltese phrases in this lesson
- Fejn hu t-tojlit?fayn hoo t-TOY-lit
- Where is the toilet?
- Kif nasal għal...?kif NA-sal al
- How do I get to...?
- Lejn ix-xelluglayn ish-shel-LOOG
- To the left
- Lejn il-leminlayn il-LEH-min
- To the right
- Drittdrit
- Straight ahead
- Hawnown
- Here
- L-istazzjonlis-tats-YON
- Train station
- Xarabanksha-ra-BANK
- Bus
- L-ajruportlay-roo-PORT
- Airport
- Biljett wieħed, jekk jogħġbokbil-YET WEE-et, yek yo-OJ-bok
- One ticket, please
"Tojlit" is directly borrowed from English. Public toilets exist in major tourist spots but are sparse elsewhere. Cafes are generally willing to let customers use the facilities if you ask politely.
Literally "toward the left".
From Italian "dritto" (straight). One crisp syllable that is easy to catch and repeat. Locals often add a forward hand wave to reinforce the meaning.
Malta has no trains; the bus network run by Malta Public Transport covers the whole island. "L-istazzjon" in practice refers to the main bus terminus in Valletta near the City Gate.
The old word for the bus; locals also just say "il-bus".
Bus tickets can be bought from the driver with exact change or via the Tallinja card (a reloadable smartcard). A single journey costs less than two euros. Day passes are available for tourists.