Chapter 1: L-Alfabett u l-Pronunzja (The Alphabet & Pronunciation)

Merħba! (Welcome!) Your journey into the beautiful Maltese language begins here. Let's start with the most important foundation: the alphabet and its unique sounds.

Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

Recognize all 30 letters of the Maltese alphabet.
Identify and pronounce the special Maltese letters: ċ, ġ, ħ, ż, and għ.
Understand the basic sounds of common letter combinations.

Introduction/Warm-up

The Maltese alphabet is based on the Latin script, just like English, but it has 30 letters. Many are pronounced as you'd expect, but a few are unique to Maltese. Mastering these sounds from the beginning is the key to speaking and understanding the language correctly. Let's dive in!

The Maltese Alphabet's Special Letters

Here are the letters that differ most from English. Pay close attention to their sounds.

Letter	Pronunciation Guide	Example Word (Maltese)	English Translation
Ċ, ċ	Like "ch" in church.	ċikkulata (chikk-oo-LA-ta)	chocolate
Ġ, ġ	Like "j" in judge.	ġelat (jel-AAT)	ice cream
Ħ, ħ	A strong, breathy "h" sound from the back of the throat. No English equivalent.	ħobż (hobz)	bread
Ż, ż	Like "z" in zoo. (Dotted Z)	żarbun (zar-BOON)	shoe
Għ, għ	Usually silent but modifies the vowel sound that follows, making it longer.	għasfur (aas-FOOR)	bird
Ie, ie	A long vowel sound, like "ee-eh" in the English word pier.	bieb (bee-eb)	door

Other Notable Pronunciations

H, h: Always silent, unless it's the letter 'ħ'. Example: deheb (DE-eb) - (gold).
J, j: Like the "y" in yes. Example: jott (yott) - (yacht).
Q, q: A glottal stop, like the break in "uh-oh". Example: qamar ('a-MAR) - (moon).
X, x: Like "sh" in shoe. Example: xemx (shemsh) - (sun).
Z, z: Like "ts" in cats. Example: tazza (TATS-sa) - (glass/cup). (Undotted Z)

Practice Activities

Recognition Practice:

Exercise 1: Match the Letter to the Sound

Match the Maltese letter to its English sound equivalent.

 ċ   ( ) "sh" sound
 ġ   ( ) "y" sound
 x   ( ) "ch" sound
 j   ( ) "j" sound

ċ → "ch" sound
ġ → "j" sound
x → "sh" sound
j → "y" sound

Production Practice:

Exercise 2: Say It Aloud

Try pronouncing the following Maltese words using the phonetic guides.

ċavetta (cha-VET-ta) - (key)
ġnien (jnee-en) - (garden)
ħut (hoot) - (fish)
xita (SHEE-ta) - (rain)

Cultural Insight

The Maltese language is a unique linguistic treasure. It is the only Semitic language officially written in the Latin script and the only official Semitic language of the European Union. Its core is derived from Siculo-Arabic (an extinct dialect of Arabic from Sicily), but its vocabulary is heavily infused with words from Sicilian, Italian, and, more recently, English. This rich history is audible in every sentence, making Maltese a fascinating window into the island's strategic and cultural crossroads in the Mediterranean.

Il-Ħin tal-Istorja (Story Time)

Let's read a very simple story that uses some of our new letters.

Ċikku u l-Ġelat

Ċikku huwa tifel. (CHIK-koo HOO-wa TEE-fel)

Illum, ix-xemx tiżreġ. (il-LOOM, ish-SHEMSH TIZ-rej)

Ċikku jmur fiċ-ċentru. (CHIK-koo ymoor fich-CHEN-troo)

Huwa jara ħanut tal-ġelat. (HOO-wa YA-ra ha-NOOT tal-jel-AAT)

"Irrid ġelat taċ-ċikkulata," jgħid Ċikku. (ir-REED jel-AAT tach-chikk-oo-LA-ta, y'AID CHIK-koo)

Huwa jieħu l-ġelat u joqgħod fuq bank. (HOO-wa YEH-hoo l-jel-AAT oo yo'-'OD foo' bank)

Il-ġelat huwa tajjeb ħafna. (il-jel-AAT HOO-wa TAI-yeb HAF-na)

Ċikku and the Ice Cream (Translation)

Ċikku is a boy. Today, the sun is shining.

Ċikku goes to the center. He sees an ice cream shop.

"I want a chocolate ice cream," says Ċikku.

He takes the ice cream and sits on a bench. The ice cream is very good.

Review and Consolidation

Key Letters & Sounds:

Ċ, ċ (ch), Ġ, ġ (j), Ħ, ħ (breathy h), Ż, ż (z), Għ, għ (vowel lengthener), Ie, ie (ee-eh), H, h (silent), J, j (y), Q, q (glottal stop), X, x (sh), Z, z (ts).

Self-Assessment:

Can you identify the sound of ċ, ġ, and x in a word?
Do you remember which letter is silent?
Can you explain the role of 'għ'?

Looking Ahead

Prosit! (Well done!) You've taken the first and most important step in learning Maltese. In the next chapter, we will use these sounds to learn common greetings and introductions, so you can start having your very first simple conversations.

Back to Maltese Overview Next Chapter: Greetings