Meeting people in Maltese
How are you, what is your name, where are you from, I like it: the first five minutes. 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
- Kif inti?kif IN-tee
- How are you?
- Tajjeb, grazziTAY-yeb, GRATS-zee
- I'm fine, thanks
- U int?oo INT
- And you?
- X'jismek?sh-YIS-mek
- What's your name?
- Jisimni...yi-SIM-nee
- My name is...
- Minn fejn inti?min fayn IN-tee
- Where are you from?
- Jien minn...yeen min
- I'm from...
- TogħġobniTOJ-ob-nee
- I like it
- Sabiħsa-BEEH
- It's beautiful
- MerħbaMER-ba
- Welcome
The polite form used with shopkeepers, elderly neighbors, or anyone you have just met. "Inti" is the second-person singular pronoun. Expect the answer "Tajjeb, grazzi" (Fine, thanks) almost every time.
The near-universal response to "how are you". "Tajjeb" literally means "good". Women sometimes say "Tajba" (TAY-ba), the feminine form, when referring to their own state.
Literally "what is your name?" collapsed into one word. The "x'" sounds like English "sh". Follow up by saying "Jisimni..." (my name is...) to introduce yourself.
A common conversation opener in a country built on tourism and emigration. Many Maltese families have relatives in Australia, Canada, or the UK, so the answer often sparks a longer chat.
Literally "it pleases me".