Conversational Maltese Language Course

This course helps students develop the basic skills necessary to communicate in Maltese in everyday situations.

By the end of the course, students will be able to pronounce the Maltese alphabet correctly, use important letters such as ‘ie’, ‘għ’, and ‘h’, and apply basic grammar concepts including articles, noun gender, personal pronouns, and common verb forms. They will also learn useful words and phrases for everyday conversations.

Students will also learn how to talk about days, months, seasons, and numbers, greet others, describe colours, and use simple sentences about topics like family, food, the body, and countries. This will help them introduce themselves and take part in basic conversations, both spoken and written.

Maltese Language Course Outcomes

Explanation: Being able to pronounce the Maltese letters (like 'ċ' for "ch" or 'ġ' for "j") accurately and use that pronunciation to correctly spell words out loud.

Example: Knowing that 'a' is pronounced like the 'a' in "father" and being able to use it correctly in words like dar (house) or qattus (cat).

Explanation: Correctly using these specific letter combinations/letters, which have unique pronunciations, in written Maltese. For example, 'ie' as in ikel (food) or 'għ' as in għajn (eye/spring).

Example: Being able to say "Today is il-Ġimgħa" (Friday) or "My birthday is in Diċembru" (December).

Example: Counting objects, such as saying żewġ (two) kotba (books) or ħames (five) tfal (children).

Example: Stating a rank or sequence, such as l-ewwel (the first) post or it-tielet (the third) ġurnata (day).

Explanation: Understanding how certain consonants (solar, lunar, and liquid) affect the definite article (il- or l-) that comes before the word. For example, is-sena (the year - solar consonant 's') vs. il-qamar (the moon - lunar consonant 'q').

Explanation: Being able to correctly divide Maltese words into their syllables is important for both pronunciation and spelling.

Explanation: Correctly choosing between il- (the default definite article), l- (used before vowels), and the euphonic vowel (i-) in words like l-iskola (the school) or id-dar (the house, due to solar consonant 'd').

Example: Knowing that the 'l' in il- is assimilated by a solar consonant (e.g., 'z', 's', 'd', 't'), changing il-saba' (the finger) to is-saba'.

Example: Using words like mejda (table), ktieb (book), or tifel (boy) correctly in conversation and text.

Explanation: Being able to identify whether a noun is masculine or feminine, which impacts adjective agreement and pronoun usage.

Example: Correctly using jien (I), int (you singular), aħna (we), etc., in sentences.

Explanation: Understanding the core three-consonant root (e.g., k-t-b for writing) of Semitic verbs which dictates how the verb is conjugated.

Example: Being able to give a command, such as Ikteb! (Write!) or Oqgħod! (Sit!).

Example: Being able to say Qed nikteb (I am writing - positive) or Ma niktebx (I do not write - negative).

Explanation: Learning common words for objects, actions, and feelings encountered during daily interactions.

Example: Knowing how to say Bonġu (Good morning), Saħħa (Goodbye/Health), or Grazzi (Thank you).

Example: Saying il-karozza l-ħamra (the red car) and using the correct form of the adjective for colour.

Explanation: Developing vocabulary and phrases centred on these common topics, such as listing family members or ordering food.

Example: Describing one's daily routine, such as Jien niekol il-kolazzjon filgħodu (I eat breakfast in the morning).

Example: Saying Jisimni [Name] (My name is [Name]) or Għandi [age] sena (I am [age] years old).

Explanation: Combining learned vocabulary and grammar to express ideas, such as writing a short note about a favourite food or giving verbal directions.

Conversational Maltese Language Course

Conversational Maltese Language Course

Maltese Language Course Outcomes

Recite the Maltese alphabet (consonants & vowels) with phonemic correctness in order to orally spell basic Maltese words.

Ensure proficiency in the correct identification and application of the vowels of the Maltese alphabet in varied and meaningful contexts.

Apply the letters ‘ie’, ‘għ’ and ‘h’ when writing in Maltese.

State the days of the week, months and seasons of the year in Maltese in an appropriate context.

Manage the correct use of the Cardinal numbers from ‘wieħed’ to ‘għaxra’ in Maltese in a given context.

Manage the correct use of Ordinal numbers from ‘l-ewwel’ to ‘l-għaxar’ in a given context.

Ensure proficiency in the identification and application of the ‘Konsonanti Xemxin’ and ‘Konsonanti Qamrin’, and ‘Konsonanti Likwidi’ in varied and meaningful contexts.

Manage basic syllabisation processes of the Maltese language.

Ensure proficiency in appropriately using the definite article ‘il-‘ and ‘l-‘ and the euphonic vowel, in both written and spoken formats.

Ensure proficiency in using the definite article correctly in front of words that start with ‘Konsonanti Xemxin’.

Ensure the correct use of Simple singular nouns when speaking and writing.

Apply the correct gender to nouns in both written and spoken formats.

Ensure proficiency in using independent personal pronouns in varied and meaningful contexts in both written and spoken formats.

Comply with the correct roots of Semitic verbs (mamma u għerq) in both written and spoken formats in varied and meaningful contexts.

Apply the correct imperative tense of various basic verbs in both written and spoken form.

Use the correct present tense (positive and negative form) of various basic verbs in both written and spoken formats.

Build one’s vocabulary of simple Maltese words that frequently appear in everyday social conversation.

Manage the correct use of simple everyday salutation expressions in Maltese.

Ensure proficiency in stating the colour of a given object in an appropriate context.

Ensure proficiency in the Maltese language by increasing one’s repertoire of simple words and basic phrases related to particular themes – Family & Friends, Food & Drink, the Body, Countries & Nationalities in both written and spoken formats.

Manage the use of simple sentences to describe everyday events and activities related to a particular theme.

Create appropriate formal and informal sentence structures commonly used in everyday social conversations when describing oneself.

Compose simple phrases and sentences related to a particular theme in both written and spoken communication.