Year 1

Syllables

Combining syllables to form words or splitting complete words into syllables.

In Maltese language, each syllable contains one vowel. By looking at the number of vowels in a word, you will know how many syllables the word has. Also, every syllable starts with a consonant.

Example:

• tazza = taz-za → (2 syllables)

• pinna = pin-na → (2 syllables)

• ferrovija = fer-ro-vi-ja → (4 syllables)

❌ tazza - tazz-a → syllables are never made up of single letters

❌ pinna - pi-nna → double letters are always split

❌ ferrovija - fe-rro-vij-a → same as above

Example:

• żiemel = żie-mel

• għaġin = għa-ġin

• għaliex = għa-liex

• hawnhekk = hawn-hekk

Finding the Odd Word from a Set

Finding the word that does not match the theme in the set.

Example:

• Mejda (table) - kexxun (drawer) - pultruna (armchair) - tuffieħa (apple) - sodda (bed) The theme is furniture and the odd word is "tuffieħa - apple"

Rhyming Words

Matching / Finding words with rhyming syllables

Example:

• tuta → ħuta

• kaxxa → taxxa

• nar → dar

Rearranging Letters to Form Words

At this level, most of the time this exercise will be accompanied with pictures to match the words to the pictures.

Example:

Forming Words by adding Syllables

At this level, most of the time this exercise will be accompanied with pictures to match the words to the pictures.

As a rule of thumb, Maltese language does not contain double vowels nor two vowels following each other. Also for such a task, there can be more than one correct answer.

Example:

• umbrella

• ħabel / ħadid / ħaxix

• karru / karrozza

True or False - (Veru jew Falz)

The aim of these exercises is to build vocabulary and understand the correct contexts. At this stage it would be short phrases.

Example:

• Tuffieħ blu (Apples are blue) → Falz (False)

• Karozza għandha erba' roti (A car has four wheels) → VERU (True)

Days of the Week in Context

Learning the days of the week in the context of a sentence linked to activities and weekly tasks.

The days of the week are:

In such a context, the days of the week usually are in the beginning of a sentence.

Examples in context:

• It-Tnejn immur l-iskola - "On Monday(s) I go to school"

• Il-Ġimgħa niltaqa mal-ħbieb tiegħi → "On Friday(s) I meet my friends."

When referring to a specific one-time event, for example a birthday celebration, the word 'nhar' ( 'day' )is added before the specific day of the week. The applies for both past and future events. the word 'nhar' literally translates to 'the day of'.

Examples in context:

• Nhar il-Ħamis sejjer għand in-nanna → "On (the day of) Thursday I am going to my Grandma's"

• Nhar l-Erbgħa kelli festin → "On (the day of) Wednesday I had a party"

Similar Consonant Sounds - 1

Maltese consonants can sound very similar. Here we will be comparing consonant sounds that are 'qawwija' (hard) or 'rotob' (soft).

P.S. - more consonant sounds are covered in Year 2.

At this stage, the goal is to identify and learn how to pronounce these letters in different parts of the word. In many instances when a strong consonant is towards the end of the word, it may sound similar to a soft consonant.

Example:bandiera - [banˈdɪː.ra]

Articles

The Definite Article

The Maltese language uses the definite article il- (translating to 'the' in English) when referring to something specifically. This article varies depending on the word following it.

For LUNAR consonants: il-

For SOLAR consonants: the 'l' is replaced with the initial letter of the following word.

P.S. - Click here to read more about Lunar and Solar consonants.

Example:

For vowels (a, e, i, o, u, ie) and silent letters (għ, h) the article is l- .

Example in context:

Illum nieżla ix-xita, għalhekk ser noqgħod id-dar. Il-kelb tkebbeb taħt il-gverta peressli il-bard. Meta l-arju jibnazza, forsi noħroġ. translation: "Today it's raining, so I am staying at home. The dog is wrapped under the blanket because it's cold. When the weather improves, maybe I'll go out."

P.S. - the Maltese language does not use the indefinite article

In Maltese, verbs are conjugated according to the pronouns. When working in the past tense, the verbs have a different suffix depending on the pronoun.

Verbs - Past Tense

At this stage, children will learn to identify basic gestures and activities based on images shown. They will not be expected to conjugate a verb in all the forms at once. The below is only for parents to use it as a guide. Children do not need to memorise this at this stage.

The 'Mamma' (the 'Stem') and 'Għerq' (the 'Root')

The Mamma is the equivalent of the infinitive form in Maltese language. It is the 'stem' and all the other forms of the verb branch out from it. From it, one can extract the għerq - i.e. the root.

The għerq is made up of the consonants of the mamma. The sequece of the consonants is always the same in all the forms of the verb.

Example: (verb " xorob" - "to drink")

Besides the suffix that is common in all past tense conjugations, there are also some changes in the vowels of the verb. As a guide:

• The first vowel in the mamma is always present in the 3rd person pronouns (Huwa, Hija, Huma). For all the other pronouns (Jien, Inti, Aħna, Intom), it is omitted.

• The last vowel is omitted for the 3rd singular feminine and plural pronouns (Hija, Huma) UNLESS that vowel is an 'o'. For the rest (Jien, Inti, Aħna, Intom) - if it is an 'e', it changes to an 'i'. If it is an 'a' or an 'o', it remains the same.

Below is an example of a verb conjugated for all different pronouns.

Verbs - Present Tense

As mentioned above, in Maltese, verbs are conjugated according to the pronouns. The present tense verbs have a different prefix for each pronoun, whereas the past tense have a suffix.

At this stage, children will learn to identify basic gestures and activities based on images shown. They will not be expected to conjugate a verb in all the forms at once. The below is only for parents to use it as a guide. Children do not need to memorise this at this stage.

Verb Endings

For plural pronouns (Aħna, Intom, Huma), the vowel 'u' is added in the end. HOWEVER:

• if the last vowel in the word is an 'a', the 'u' is replaced by a 'w'

• if the last vowel in the word is an 'e', it is omitted.

• if the last vowel in the word is an 'i', it is replaced by the 'u'.

• if the last vowel in the word is an 'o', it switches position with the preceding consonant.

• if the last vowel in the word is an 'u', another 'u' is added in the end.* *needs to be taken case-by-case, as some are irregular verbs.

Example: (verb " kiteb" - "to write")

Example: (verb " xorob" - "to drink")

Below is an example of a verb conjugated for all different pronouns.

Verbs - Imperative Tense

The imperative tense is based on the present tense form. The only difference is the first letter - it is omitted.

Example: (verb " kiteb" - "to write")

Introducing Adjectives

Adjectives come after the noun in the Maltese language.

Adjectives have 'genders', similar to nouns. In order to change an adjective from 'masculine' to 'feminine', If the adjective begins with a consonant the suffix 'a' is added.

Example

P.S. - adjectives starting with vowels are IRREGULAR. They still take the suffix 'a' , however spelling can differ when switching from 'masculine' to 'feminine'.

Colours

All colours are adjectives. Below is a list of colours both in 'masculine' and 'feminine' forms.

Who...? What? This... These...

Formulating questions

This is an introduction to interrogative and demonstrative pronouns. Students will be learning who to put together simple questions and respective answers. These will be accompanied by imagery and/or guide.

The interrogative pronouns are:

• Who = Min [miːn]

• What = X'inhu [ˈʃɪnu]

• When = Meta [ˈmɛta]

• Where = Fejn [ˈfɛjn]

• Why = Ghaliex [aˈlɪːʃ]

• How = Kif [kiːf]

The demonstrative pronouns are:

• This = (m.) dan [daːn]; (f.) din [diːn]

• These = dawn [dawn]

Formulating Questions and Answers

Question:

[demonstrative pronoun]* + [interrogative pronoun] + [pronoun] ?

**demonstrative pronoun is optional

Answer:

[demonstrative pronoun] + answer

Numbers - 1

Students will be introduced to numbers and learn to count to 10.

Introduction to Punctuation

Students are introduced to the use of the full stop ('punt' in Maltese) and capital letters (ittri kbar).

In Maltese language the capital letters are used:

• In the beginning of a new sentence.

• Proper nouns: names of people and places, days of the week, months and seasons.

Building Sentences

Students will be learning how to build basic sentences. This can include completing sentences and rearranging sentences.

The structure of a basic sentence would be:

Example in context:

• It-tifla tmur l-iskola. the girl goes to school.

• Ħija isuq karozza ħadra. my brother drives a green car.

• Is-Sajf jibda f'Ġunju. Summer starts in June.

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