How do you say thank you in Maltese?

"Thank you" in Maltese is "Grazzi" (pronounced GRA-tsee). It comes from the Italian "grazie".

How do you say hello in Maltese?

"Good morning" in Maltese is "Bonġu" (BON-joo). "Good evening" is "Bonswa" (bon-SWA). The informal farewell/cheers "Saħħa" (SAH-ha) also doubles as a greeting. "Welcome" is "Merħba" (MER-hba).

What does "Mela" mean in Maltese?

"Mela" (MEH-la) is one of the most versatile Maltese words — it can mean "of course", "sure", "well then", or simply serve as an all-purpose conversational filler. You will hear it constantly in everyday speech.

Is English widely spoken in Malta?

Yes — English is one of Malta's two official languages (alongside Maltese). Visitors can get by entirely in English. Learning even a few Maltese words like "Grazzi" (thank you) and "Bonġu" (good morning) is appreciated by locals.

Language · 31 phrases · 5 categories · English pronunciation

Useful Maltese Phrases

Maltese (Malti) is the only Semitic language written in the Latin script and one of Malta's two official languages. English is widely understood, but a few words of Maltese go a long way with locals.

Pronunciation key

→ġ = 'j' as in 'jump' (Bonġu = BON-joo).
→ċ = 'ch' as in 'church'.
→x = 'sh' as in 'shore'.
→ż = 'z' as in 'zero'; z = 'ts' as in 'cats'.
→ħ = breathy 'h' as in 'hold'; plain h is usually silent.
→q = a glottal stop (the catch in 'uh-oh'), not a 'k'.
→għ = mostly silent, lengthens the surrounding vowel.

Greetings8 phrases

Maltese	English	Say it
Bonġu	Good morning	BON-joo
Bonswa	Good evening	bon-SWA
Il-lejl it-tajjeb	Good night	il-LAYL it-TY-yeb
Merħba	Welcome	MER-hba
Saħħa	Cheers / bye / health	SAH-ha
Čaw	Bye (informal)	chow
Kif int?	How are you?	keef int
Tajjeb, grazzi	Good, thanks	TY-yeb GRA-tsee

Courtesy6 phrases

Maltese	English	Say it
Grazzi	Thank you	GRA-tsee
Jekk jogħġbok	Please	yek YOJ-bok
Skużi	Excuse me / sorry	SKOO-zee
Skużani	I'm sorry	skoo-ZA-nee
Mhux problema	No problem	moosh pro-BLEH-ma
M'hemmx mn'hiex	You're welcome	emsh m'NEESH

Basics6 phrases

Maltese	English	Say it
Iva	Yes	EE-va
Le	No	leh
Forsi	Maybe	FOR-see
Ma nifhimx	I don't understand	ma NIF-himsh
Titkellem bl-Ingliż?	Do you speak English?	tit-KEL-lem bling-LEESH
Ma nitkellimx bil-Malti	I don't speak Maltese	ma nit-KEL-limsh bil-MAL-tee

Out & About6 phrases

Maltese	English	Say it
Fejn hu...?	Where is...?	fayn oo
Kemm?	How much?	kemm
Kemm jiswa?	How much does it cost?	kemm YIS-wa
Il-kont, jekk jogħġbok	The bill, please	il-KONT yek YOJ-bok
Intlift	I'm lost	INT-lift
Ssingil bil-karozza tal-linja	A single bus ticket	SIN-jil bil-ka-ROT-tsa tal-LIN-ya

Local Colour5 phrases

Maltese	English	Say it
Mela!	Of course! / sure (all-purpose filler)	MEH-la
U ajma!	Oh dear! / come on!	oo-AY-ma
Orrajt?	All right? (greeting)	or-RYT
Ħanini / Ħanina	Dear / sweetheart (m/f)	ha-NEE-nee / ha-NEE-na
Bis-serjeta?	Seriously?	bis-ser-YEH-ta

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