Aha, the roof!

Malta has two official languages: English and Maltese. And most people also speak, or at least understand, Italian. For those of you who don’t know where Malta is: it’s right below Sicily. It’s tiny, but it has the history of a giant – temples older than Stonehenge, a marvellous capital city that showcases centuries of art, and one church or chapel for every day of the year. And it also has its very own language!

Republic Street, Valletta

When I moved here, I thought communication wouldn’t be a big issue, since everyone is supposed to speak English. FAIL. Maltese is really and truly the first language. It’s a really strange, but fascinating language - a mix of English, Italian and Arabic. I figured I have to at least know what people around me are saying. So I threw a notepad and a pen in my handbag and headed to the University of Malta, where I completed two courses in Maltese for foreigners. An unforgettable experience.

After that, I puckered up the courage to occasionally communicate with the locals in their native language. I feel it’s more respectful for me to adapt to them, than the other way around. That proved to be quite a challenge. No course can prepare you for real-life conversations. And believe it or not, there are different accents in Maltese – when you go to Gozo, Malta’s sister island, the tone completely changes and some words become incomprehensible. 

And this is Gozo

When hubby-to-be, a.k.a. the Malteser, and I bought our flat, we had quite a few workers coming in and out of our very first home. One of the first things that needed to be installed was the telephone line, otherwise there was no way for me to work. And that’s when I realised that knowing at least some basic Maltese can be a godsend. The technician spoke no English at all. Nothing. So he mumbles something and all I understand is “bejt”. Aha, bejt – I know what that means: roof. So we go up to the roof – five floors, in complete silence. God, this lift is slow. Here we are, standing on the roof, staring at each other. Awkward smile. Jiena nofs Belgjana u nofs Taljana. Nistudja l-Malti l-università. Imma mhux faċli…* (“I’m half Belgian and half Italian. I’m studying Maltese at university. It’s not easy.”). End of conversation. Reschedule appointment. Preferably with an English-speaking installer.

Maltese. Be honest, it doesn't look easy, does it?

Today, I can safely say that my Maltese has improved dramatically. Not to the point where I can keep up with an entire discussion. But I understand a lot. I’m still a bit uncomfortable speaking this odd language, though. My intonation is that of a drunk Italian and I invent words, usually by adding a “u” to Italian words – for some reason my brain thinks that Maltese is an offshoot of Sardinian. Mhux hekk?

* If you’re Maltese, I apologise for butchering your language.