Help and emergencies in Maltese
The words you hope to never need. 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
- Għajnuna!ay-NOO-na
- Help!
- Sejjaħ tabib!SAY-yah ta-BEEB
- Call a doctor
- Pulizijapoo-li-TSEE-ya
- Police
- Spiżerijaspee-ze-REE-ya
- Pharmacy
- SptarSPAR
- Hospital
- Intilfejtin-til-FAYT
- I'm lost
- Ma nħossniex tajjebma n-HOS-neesh TAY-yeb
- I don't feel well
- Instaqluin-STAH-loo
- It was stolen
- Hija emerġenzaEE-ya e-mer-JEN-tsa
- It's an emergency
- Ħallini waħdihal-LEE-nee WAH-dee
- Leave me alone
The "għ" at the start is near-silent, so this sounds like it begins with a short "ay". Shout it loudly and clearly in any emergency. Maltese people respond quickly and helpfully to distress.
"Tabib" is the Semitic word for doctor, shared with Arabic. For a medical emergency, dial 112. Malta has Mater Dei Hospital in Msida as the main public hospital, with a 24-hour emergency department.
The emergency number is 112.
Pharmacies are common throughout Malta and pharmacists speak English. A night pharmacy rota ensures 24-hour coverage: a list of on-duty pharmacies is posted on every pharmacy door.
The "t" in "sptar" is often swallowed in fast speech, making it sound like "spar". Mater Dei Hospital is the main referral center. Private clinics like St. James Hospital also handle emergencies.
If you are genuinely disoriented in Valletta's warren of baroque streets, this one word prompts immediate help. Maltese people are exceptionally friendly toward confused tourists and will often walk you to your destination.
"Nħossni" means "I feel myself". The "nh" cluster is a nasal-aspirated combination: keep the N resonating while you breathe out the H. Women say "tajba" instead of "tajjeb" at the end.
If your bag or phone is taken, report it immediately to the nearest police station for insurance purposes. Malta is generally safe but petty theft occurs in tourist-heavy areas like Paceville and Valletta markets.
Literally "leave me on my own".