Maltais survival kit

About this kit

Maltese is the national language of Malta, spoken by about 520,000 people. The only Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet, it blends a Maghrebi Arabic core with countless Italian and English loanwords. With this kit, you have the bare minimum to get by in Valletta, Sliema or Gozo.

Maltese (Malti) is one of the most singular languages in Europe. Spoken by about 520,000 people in Malta and the diaspora, it is the only Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet and the only Semitic official language of the European Union. Its base comes from medieval Maghrebi Arabic, brought during Arab rule between the 9th and 13th centuries. Over the centuries, under the Knights of Saint John, British rule and Italian exchanges, Maltese absorbed a huge amount of borrowings from Italian (especially Sicilian) and English. The result is a language whose grammar and everyday words remain Semitic, while modern, technical and religious vocabulary draws massively from Latin and English.

The Maltese alphabet has 30 letters, including specific characters like ħ (aspirated h), ġ (close to English j), ż (voiced z) and the glottal q. This makes the pronunciation both exotic and accessible to French speakers, who quickly recognize Romance loanwords. Almost all Maltese are bilingual in Maltese and English, with English as a co-official language. Italian is widely understood thanks to television and cultural proximity with Sicily.

Traveling to Malta with a few Maltese words instantly changes the quality of interactions: a Bonġu in a bakery, a Grazzi ħafna leaving a taxi, a Saħħa to toast at the cafe. This kit gathers the essentials to greet, ask for directions, order at a restaurant, handle an emergency and leave gracefully. You will also find cultural tips to avoid faux pas and decode local codes: patron saint feasts, family meals, Tallinja buses, ferries to Gozo.