Module 4: Shopping and Food

Ix-xiri u l-ikel — Shopping and Food

Overall Outline

PDF page	Textbook footer	Content
1	none	Cover: Shopping and Food
2	1	Grocery dialogue: buying ham, cheese, paying and change
3	2	Fruit, vegetable, meat and fish vocabulary
4	3	Clothing list; what to wear when going out, what to buy for cooking
5	4	Fruit and vegetable English–Maltese vocabulary table
6	5	Oreo cake ingredients, weights and capacities
7	6	Method steps, ordinal numbers, writing quantities in words
8	7	Imperatives and sentences 1–21
9	8	Imperatives and sentences 22–30; describing the woman's outfit
10	9	Describing the man's outfit; matching eight people with texts
11	10	Numbers 1–20, number listening, phone numbers
12	11	Phone numbers (continued), sums
13	12	20–100, compound numbers, 101 and 105
14	13	Confusing-number listening; spelling numbers in sentences
15	14	Number forms and singular/plural before nouns
16	15	Number–noun agreement fill-in
17	16	Standalone numbers vs numbers before nouns
18	17	The dual: two days, two hands, two years, etc.
19	18	Quantity adverbs and fill-in in context

Cover Page Breakdown

Original	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
MQF 2 – Maltese Language and Cultural Orientation for Foreigners	MQF Level 2: Maltese language and cultural orientation course for foreigners. MQF Malta Qualifications Framework 2 Level 2; not "second module" Maltese Language Maltese language and and Cultural Orientation cultural orientation / cultural introduction for Foreigners for foreigners.
Module 4 – Ix-xiri u l-ikel	Module 4: shopping and food. Module 4 Module 4 ix-xiri the shopping (assimilated definite article) u and l-ikel the food.
Shopping and Food	Shopping and food. shopping shopping and and food food.
Is-Sur E. Sammut addattat min-noti tas-Sa A. Cefai	Mr E. Sammut adapted from the notes of Ms A. Cefai. is-Sur Mr E. Sammut a name addattat adapted min-noti from the notes tas-Sa of Ms (abbreviated title, kept as in the textbook) A. Cefai a name.
Learning Works	Institution/brand name, kept as a proper name. Learning learning Works part of the brand name; not translated as an ordinary phrase.

The repeated signature on later pages has the same meaning and is not explained page by page.

1 Shopping Dialogue, Line by Line

Original	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
Il-Qari – Aqra dan id-djalogu.	Reading: read this dialogue. il-qari the reading aqra read (imperative) dan this id-djalogu the dialogue.
Klara marret tixtri mingħand tal-merċa.	Klara went shopping at the grocer's. Klara a name marret she went tixtri she buys mingħand from (someone/shop) tal-merċa the grocer, grocery seller.
Bonġu Tumas, agħtini kwart perżut jekk jogħġbok.	Good morning, Tumas, give me a quarter-weight of ham, please. bonġu good morning Tumas a name agħtini give me (agħti + -ni) kwart a quarter; for loose goods usually about 250 g perżut ham jekk jogħġbok please (fixed polite phrase).
Bonġu Klar, ara ġej.	Good morning, Klara, coming right up. bonġu good morning Klar an affectionate short form of Klara ara look (conversational prompt) ġej coming; here, "right away".
Għandi bżonn ukoll nofs kwart ġobon tal-qoxra ħamra u ħames mitt gramma ġobon maħkuk.	I also need half a quarter of red-rind cheese and 500 grams of grated cheese. għandi bżonn I need ukoll also nofs kwart an eighth; about 125 g in the kilogram context ġobon cheese tal-qoxra with a rind / of the rind ħamra red (feminine, modifying qoxra) u and ħames mitt five hundred gramma gram ġobon maħkuk grated cheese maħkuk grated.
Kollox sew... xi ħaġa oħra?	All right... anything else? kollox everything sew well, fine xi ħaġa something oħra else (feminine, with ħaġa).
Le dak kollox, x’għandi nagħtik?	No, that's everything; how much should I pay you? le no dak that kollox all x’ what għandi should I / do I have nagħtik I give you (payment in the shopping context).
Tliet ewro u ħamsin ċenteżmu jekk jogħġbok.	Three euros and fifty cents, please. tliet three (before a noun) ewro euros u and ħamsin fifty ċenteżmu cents jekk jogħġbok please.
Ħa, hawn għandek erba’ ewro.	Here, here's four euros. ħa here, take it (when handing something) hawn here għandek you have, here's yours erba’ four (before a noun) ewro euros.
Mela ħamsin ċenteżmu bqija, saħħa!	Then fifty cents change, cheers! mela then, so ħamsin ċenteżmu fifty cents bqija the rest, change saħħa cheers, goodbye; literally "health".
Grazzi u l-ġurnata t-tajba.	Thanks, and have a good day. grazzi thanks u and l-ġurnata the day t-tajba good (feminine); the whole phrase is a wish.

Comprehension Questions and Reference Answers

Question and answer	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
Xi xtrat Klara? — Klara xtrat kwart perżut, nofs kwart ġobon tal-qoxra ħamra u ħames mitt gramma ġobon maħkuk.	What did Klara buy? — Ham, red-rind cheese and grated cheese, with the quantities matching the dialogue. xi what xtrat she bought Klara a name kwart / nofs kwart a quarter / an eighth perżut ham ġobon tal-qoxra ħamra red-rind cheese ħames mitt gramma 500 grams ġobon maħkuk grated cheese.
Kemm nefqet? — Nefqet tliet ewro u ħamsin ċenteżmu.	How much did she spend? — €3.50. kemm how much nefqet she spent tliet ewro three euros u plus ħamsin ċenteżmu fifty cents.
F’din il-kaxxa ikteb kemm tista’ oġġetti li tista’ tixtri mingħand tal-merċa.	In the box, write as many items as you can that you can buy at the grocer's. f’din il-kaxxa in this box ikteb write kemm tista’ as many as you can oġġetti items li that tista’ tixtri you can buy mingħand tal-merċa from the grocer.

Reference list for exercise 3 (one word per line):

ħobż bread.
ħalib milk.
ġobon cheese.
perżut ham.
bajd eggs (collective noun).
butir butter.
dqiq flour.
zokkor sugar.
melħ salt.
żejt oil.
ross rice.
għaġin pasta.
kafè coffee.
te tea.
gallettini biscuits.

2 Exercise 4: Fruit and Vegetable List

F’din il-kaxxa ikteb kemm tista’ frott u ħaxix li ssib mingħand tal-ħaxix.

In the box, write as many fruits and vegetables as you can find at the greengrocer's.

f’din il-kaxxa in this box.
ikteb write.
kemm tista’ as many as you can.
frott fruit (collective).
u and.
ħaxix vegetables (collective).
li ssib that you find.
mingħand tal-ħaxix from the greengrocer.

Reference answers:

tuffieħ apples.
larinġ oranges.
banana bananas.
lanġas pears.
għeneb grapes.
lumi lemons.
frawli strawberries.
patata potatoes.
basal onions.
tewm garlic.
tadam tomatoes.
karrotti carrots.
ħass lettuce.
ħjar cucumbers.

Exercise 5: The Butcher's and the Fishmonger's

F’din il-kaxxa ikteb kemm tista’ tipi ta’ laħam li ssib mingħand tal-laħam, u tipi ta’ ħut li ssib mingħand tal-ħut.

In the box, list the kinds of meat you can find at the butcher's, and the kinds of fish you can find at the fishmonger's.

tipi kinds.
ta’ laħam of meat.
li ssib that you find.
mingħand tal-laħam from the butcher's.
u and.
ta’ ħut of fish.
mingħand tal-ħut from the fishmonger's.

Meat: reference answers	Fish: reference answers
tiġieġ chicken ċanga beef majjal pork ħaruf lamb fenek rabbit dundjan turkey	tonn tuna salamun salmon sardin sardines lampuki dolphinfish / the local lampuka fish (plural) awrat gilthead bream spnott sea bass

Note: tal-laħam / tal-ħut / tal-ħaxix in everyday use can mean the person or shop that sells these goods, not just literally "of meat / of fish / of vegetables".

3 Exercise 6: Clothing List

F’din il-kaxxa ikteb kemm tista’ oġġetti tal-ħwejjeġ li tista’ tixtri minn ħanut tal-ħwejjeġ.

In the box, write as many clothing items as you can that you can buy at a clothes shop.

f’din il-kaxxa in this box.
ikteb write.
kemm tista’ as many as you can.
oġġetti tal-ħwejjeġ clothing items.
li tista’ tixtri that you can buy.
minn from.
ħanut tal-ħwejjeġ clothes shop.

Reference answers:

qmis shirt.
libsa dress / suit.
dublett skirt.
qalziet trousers.
ġakketta jacket.
kowt coat.
flokk top, t-shirt.
ingravata tie.
żarbun shoes.
buż boots.
sandli sandals.
kpiepel hat.
xalla scarf / shawl.
kalzetti socks.
ħwejjeġ ta’ taħt underwear.

Speaking Task One: What to Wear

X’se tilbes biex...? (What will you wear to...?)

x’se tilbes what will you wear.
biex to (purpose).
tmur you go.
jien I.
nilbes I wear; distinct from "you wear" tilbes.

Situation and reference answer	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
Ix-xogħol? — Jien se nilbes qmis u qalziet għax-xogħol.	Work? — I'll wear a shirt and trousers for work. ix-xogħol work jien se nilbes I will wear qmis shirt u and qalziet trousers għax-xogħol to work (għal + article; not "because of work").
Il-baħar? — Jien se nilbes malja u sandli biex immur il-baħar.	The beach? — I'll wear a swimsuit and sandals to go to the beach. il-baħar the sea/beach malja swimsuit sandli sandals biex to immur I go.
Xi tieġ jew okkażjoni speċjali? — Jien se nilbes libsa sabiħa għal tieġ.	A wedding or special occasion? — I'll wear a nice dress for the wedding. xi some tieġ wedding jew or okkażjoni speċjali special occasion libsa sabiħa a nice dress għal tieġ for a wedding.
Tiekol f’restorant? — Jien se nilbes qmis u ġakketta biex immur niekol f’restorant.	Eating at a restaurant? — I'll wear a shirt and jacket to go and eat at a restaurant. tiekol you eat f’restorant at a restaurant ġakketta jacket biex immur to go niekol I eat.

Speaking Task Two: What to Buy

X’se tixtri mis-supermarket biex...? (Jien se nixtri...)

x’se tixtri what will you buy.
mis-supermarket from the supermarket.
biex to (purpose).
jien se nixtri I will buy.

Question and reference answer	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
Tipprepara xi ħaġa ħafifa għall-brejk tax-xogħol? — Jien se nixtri ħobż, ġobon u tadam biex nipprepara ftira.	Preparing something light for the work break? — I'll buy bread, cheese and tomatoes to make a ftira. tipprepara you prepare xi ħaġa something ħafifa light għall-brejk for the break tax-xogħol of work ħobż bread ġobon cheese tadam tomatoes biex nipprepara to prepare ftira Maltese flatbread / stuffed bread.
Issajjar l-ikla tal-Ħadd? — Jien se nixtri fenek, patata, basal u ħaxix biex insajjar stuffat tal-fenek.	Cooking Sunday lunch? — I'll buy rabbit, potatoes, onions and vegetables to make rabbit stew. issajjar you cook l-ikla the meal tal-Ħadd of Sunday fenek rabbit patata potatoes basal onions ħaxix vegetables biex insajjar to cook stuffat stew tal-fenek of rabbit.

The second answer follows the example already given in the textbook and is not to be mistaken for a blank in the original exercise.

4 Fruit and Vegetable Table: Completion and Word Notes

Il-frott u l-ħaxix: fruit and vegetables.

il-frott the fruit (collective noun).
u and.
l-ħaxix the vegetables (collective noun).

This page is mainly a vocabulary matching exercise, one word/phrase per line; there is no need to force the items into sentences.

Original table word	Maltese reference answer	English and notes
Cabbages	kaboċċi	cabbages; already given in the original table.
Onions	basal	onions; collective noun.
Garlic	tewm	garlic.
Potatoes	patata	potatoes.
Cucumbers	ħjar	cucumbers; a single one can be ħjara.
Cauliflower	pastard	cauliflower.
Beans	fażola	beans/legumes; broad beans are separately ful, a different kind.
Pumpkins	qargħa aħmar	the common expression for pumpkins. qargħa gourd aħmar red; remember the food name as a fixed combination.
Peas	piżelli	peas.
Mushrooms	faqqiegħ	mushrooms.
Carrots	karrotti	carrots; singular karrotta.
Lettuce	ħass	lettuce.
Bell Peppers	bżar ħelu	sweet peppers. bżar peppers ħelu sweet; often also distinguished by colour.
Spinich [original spelling]	spinaċi	spinach; the standard English spelling is "spinach".
Oranges	larinġ	oranges; already given, refers to the collective.
Grapefruits	grejpfrut	grapefruit; a loanword, regional/dictionary variants exist.
Lemons	lumi	lemons; a single one can be lumija.
Apples	tuffieħ	apples (collective); a single one is tuffieħa.
Banana	banana	a banana; several can be banana as a collective or with a countable form, depending on context.
Pears	lanġas	pears (collective); a single one is lanġasa, countable plural lanġasiet.
Grapes	għeneb	grapes (collective).
Watermelons	dulliegħ	watermelons (collective); a single one is dulliegħa.
Melons	bettieħ	melons (collective); a single one is bettieħa.
Peaches	ħawħ	peaches (collective); a single one is ħawħa.
Plums	għanbaqar	plums (collective).
Strawberries	frawli	strawberries (collective).
Cherries	ċirasa	the common collective expression for cherries; the countable form depends on context.
Tadam [already Maltese in the original table]	tadam; English: tomatoes	tomatoes (collective); a single one is tadama. Don't treat Tadam as an English word to be translated into Maltese.

Learning focus: fruit and vegetables often use collective nouns; "a single one" and "as a food category" do not always use the same form. Don't treat every collective noun as if it were an English-style plural.

5 Ingredient Notes, Line by Line

Original	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
Il-Qari – Aqra din ir-riċetta.	Reading: read this recipe. il-qari the reading aqra read din this (feminine) ir-riċetta the recipe.
Ir-riċetta tal-lum hija r-riċetta tal-kejk tal-Oreo.	Today's recipe is the Oreo cake recipe. ir-riċetta the recipe tal-lum of today hija is (feminine) tal-kejk of the cake tal-Oreo of Oreo.
L-ingredjenti li għandkom bżonn huma...	The ingredients you need are... l-ingredjenti the ingredients (plural) li that għandkom bżonn you need huma are (plural).

Each Ingredient: Word and Quantity

Original amount	Written-out number	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
200g dqiq	mitejn gramma dqiq	200 g of flour. mitejn two hundred gramma gram dqiq flour.
280g zokkor	mitejn u tmenin gramma zokkor	280 g of sugar. mitejn two hundred u and tmenin eighty zokkor sugar.
40g trab taċ-ċikkulata	erbgħin gramma trab taċ-ċikkulata	40 g of cocoa powder. erbgħin forty trab powder taċ-ċikkulata of chocolate; in baking, understood by the ingredient name, not changed into another ingredient.
3 kuċċarini trab tal-ħami	tliet kuċċarini trab tal-ħami	three teaspoons of baking powder. tliet three (before a noun) kuċċarini teaspoons (plural) trab powder tal-ħami for baking.
Ftit melħ	ftit melħ	a little salt. ftit a little melħ salt.
80g butir mhux mielaħ	tmenin gramma butir mhux mielaħ	80 g of unsalted butter. tmenin eighty butir butter mhux not mielaħ salted.
240ml ħalib	mitejn u erbgħin millilitru ħalib	240 ml of milk. mitejn two hundred u erbgħin plus forty millilitru millilitre ħalib milk.
3 bajdiet	tliet bajdiet	three eggs. tliet three bajdiet countable eggs (plural); the collective noun is bajd.
½ kuċċarina essenza tal-vanilla	nofs kuċċarina essenza tal-vanilla	half a teaspoon of vanilla essence. nofs half kuċċarina teaspoon (singular) essenza essence tal-vanilla of vanilla.
12-il gallettina tal-Oreo	tnax-il gallettina tal-Oreo	twelve Oreo biscuits. tnax-il twelve, form used before a noun gallettina biscuit (singular in this structure) tal-Oreo of the Oreo brand.

6 Exercise Analysis

Imla l-vojt bin-numri fi kliem, skont kif mitlub u skont l-ingredjenti li hemm fir-riċetta.

Fill in the blanks by writing the numbers in words, as required and according to the ingredients in the recipe.

imla l-vojt fill in the blank.
bin-numri with the numbers.
fi kliem in words.
skont according to.
kif mitlub as required.
u and.
l-ingredjenti the ingredients.
li hemm that there are, listed.
fir-riċetta in the recipe.

Completed Steps and Sentence-by-Sentence Analysis

Il-metodu — L-ewwel pass: the method — first step.

il-metodu the method.
l-ewwel first.
pass step.

Completed sentence	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
Ixgħel il-forn minn qabel fuq it-temperatura ta’ 170°C — mija u sebgħin grad Celsius.	Preheat the oven to 170°C. ixgħel switch on (imperative) il-forn the oven minn qabel in advance fuq set at it-temperatura the temperature ta’ of mija u sebgħin one hundred and seventy grad Celsius degrees Celsius.
Itfa’ mitejn gramma dqiq, mitejn u tmenin gramma zokkor, erbgħin gramma trab taċ-ċikkulata, tliet kuċċarini trab tal-ħami, ftit melħ u tmenin gramma butir fi skutella kbira.	Put 200 g of flour, 280 g of sugar, 40 g of cocoa powder, three teaspoons of baking powder, a little salt and 80 g of butter into a large bowl. itfa’ put in mitejn gramma dqiq 200 g of flour mitejn u tmenin gramma zokkor 280 g of sugar erbgħin gramma 40 g trab taċ-ċikkulata cocoa powder tliet kuċċarini three teaspoons trab tal-ħami baking powder ftit melħ a little salt u and tmenin gramma butir 80 g of butter fi skutella in a bowl kbira big (feminine).
Ħawwad sakemm ikollok konsistenza tajba.	Stir until you have a good consistency. ħawwad stir sakemm until ikollok you get/have konsistenza consistency, texture tajba good, right.

It-tieni pass: the second step.

it-tieni second.
pass step.

Completed sentence	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
Ħawwad mitejn u erbgħin millilitru ħalib, tliet bajdiet u nofs kuċċarina essenza tal-vanilla flimkien ġewwa kontenitur.	Mix 240 ml of milk, three eggs and half a teaspoon of vanilla essence together in a container. ħawwad mix mitejn u erbgħin millilitru 240 ml ħalib milk tliet bajdiet three eggs u and nofs kuċċarina half a teaspoon essenza tal-vanilla vanilla essence flimkien together ġewwa inside kontenitur container.
Wara żid din it-taħlita bil-mod, fit-taħlita tad-dqiq u ħawwad sew. (Li tkun għamilt qabel).	Then slowly add this mixture to the flour mixture you made earlier, and mix well. The brackets are an added note in the original; as a standalone clause it is incomplete. wara after żid add din this it-taħlita the mixture bil-mod slowly fit-taħlita into the mixture tad-dqiq of flour u and ħawwad sew mix well li that tkun għamilt you have made qabel before.
Farrak tnax-il gallettina tal-Oreo ġewwa din it-taħlita u ħawwadha magħhom.	Crush twelve Oreo biscuits into this mixture and stir them in. farrak crush tnax-il twelve (before a noun) gallettina tal-Oreo Oreo biscuit ġewwa din it-taħlita in this mixture u and ħawwadha stir it (-ha refers to the feminine taħlita) magħhom with them.

It-tielet pass: the third step.

it-tielet third.
pass step.

Completed sentence	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
Ifrex din it-taħlita f’kontenitur tond b’dijametru ta’ ħamsa u għoxrin ċentimetru li qabel tkun dlikt bil-butir sabiex tevita li jeħel dan il-kejk.	Spread this mixture in a round container 25 cm in diameter that you have buttered in advance, so that this cake doesn't stick. ifrex spread out din it-taħlita this mixture f’kontenitur in a container tond round b’dijametru with a diameter ta’ of ħamsa u għoxrin twenty-five ċentimetru centimetre li that qabel in advance tkun dlikt you have spread/buttered bil-butir with butter sabiex so that tevita you avoid li jeħel it sticks dan il-kejk this cake.

Completed sentence

Translation and word-by-word breakdown

Ifrex din it-taħlita f’kontenitur tond b’dijametru ta’ ħamsa u għoxrin ċentimetru li qabel tkun dlikt bil-butir sabiex tevita li jeħel dan il-kejk.

Spread this mixture in a round container 25 cm in diameter that you have buttered in advance, so that this cake doesn't stick.
ifrex spread out
din it-taħlita this mixture
f’kontenitur in a container
tond round
b’dijametru with a diameter
ta’ of
ħamsa u għoxrin twenty-five
ċentimetru centimetre
li that
qabel in advance
tkun dlikt you have spread/buttered
bil-butir with butter
sabiex so that
tevita you avoid
li jeħel it sticks
dan il-kejk this cake.

Ir-raba’ pass: the fourth step.

ir-raba’ fourth; don't confuse with the cardinal erba’.
pass step.

Completed sentence	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
Aħmi l-kejk tal-Oreo ġewwa l-forn għal madwar tletin minuta.	Bake the Oreo cake in the oven for about thirty minutes. aħmi bake l-kejk tal-Oreo the Oreo cake ġewwa l-forn in the oven għal for (duration) madwar about tletin thirty minuta minutes (singular in this counting structure).
Wara oħroġ il-kejk, aqsmu u kulu!	Then take the cake out, cut it up and eat it! wara then oħroġ take out il-kejk the cake aqsmu cut it (aqsam + object -u) u and kulu eat it (understood with object -u; don't read -u as "you-plural" everywhere).

7 Imperative Instructions, Line by Line

Original	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
L-Imperattiv – Il-Kmand	The imperative — the command. l-imperattiv the imperative il-kmand the command.
X’qed tinnota dwar il-verbi li huma mmarkati bil-grassett f’paġna ?	What do you notice about the verbs marked in bold on the page? The page number is blank in the original; by context it refers to the recipe steps. x’ what qed -ing tinnota you notice dwar about il-verbi the verbs li huma that are mmarkati marked bil-grassett in bold f’paġna on a page.
Dan jintuża meta tikkmanda lil xi ħadd, jew titlob xi ħaġa lil xi ħadd.	It is used when you command someone, or ask something of someone. dan this (the imperative) jintuża is used meta when tikkmanda you command lil xi ħadd someone (object) jew or titlob you ask xi ħaġa something lil xi ħadd of someone.
Ħares lejn dawn il-verbi fl-imperattiv u ikteb sentenza bihom.	Look at these imperative verbs and write a sentence with each. ħares lejn look at dawn il-verbi these verbs fl-imperattiv in the imperative u and ikteb write sentenza a sentence bihom with them.

Reference answer for the observation: Dawn il-verbi jagħtu kmand jew struzzjoni. These verbs give a command or an instruction.

dawn il-verbi these verbs.
jagħtu they give.
kmand command.
jew or.
struzzjoni instruction.

Reference Sentences for All of 1–21

Verb and reference sentence	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
1. Agħti — Agħti l-ktieb lil Marija.	Give the book to Marija. agħti give l-ktieb the book lil Marija to Marija.
2. Ilbes — Ilbes il-kowt.	Put on the coat. ilbes put on il-kowt the coat.
3. Agħmel — Agħmel l-eżerċizzju.	Do the exercise. agħmel do l-eżerċizzju the exercise.
4. Ersaq — Ersaq hawn.	Come here. ersaq approach, come hawn here.
5. Irkeb — Irkeb il-karozza tal-linja.	Get on the bus. irkeb ride, board il-karozza tal-linja the bus.
6. Iftaħ — Iftaħ il-bieb.	Open the door. iftaħ open il-bieb the door.
7. Agħlaq — Agħlaq it-tieqa.	Close the window. agħlaq close it-tieqa the window.
8. Ieqaf — Ieqaf hawn.	Stop here. ieqaf stop hawn here.
9. Kul — Kul it-tuffieħa.	Eat the apple. kul eat it-tuffieħa the apple.
10. Aħsel — Aħsel idejk.	Wash your hands. aħsel wash idejk your hands (dual + possessive).
11. Aqbad — Aqbad il-ballun.	Catch the ball. aqbad grab, catch il-ballun the ball.
12. Itfa’ — Itfa’ z-zokkor fl-iskutella.	Put the sugar into the bowl. itfa’ put in z-zokkor the sugar fl-iskutella in the bowl.
13. Sajjar — Sajjar l-ikla.	Cook the meal. sajjar cook l-ikla the meal.
14. Qatta’ — Qatta’ l-basal.	Chop the onions. qatta’ chop l-basal the onions.
15. Aħmi — Aħmi l-kejk.	Bake the cake. aħmi bake l-kejk the cake.
16. Ħawwad — Ħawwad it-taħlita.	Stir the mixture. ħawwad stir it-taħlita the mixture.
17. Dawwar — Dawwar il-paġna.	Turn the page. dawwar turn il-paġna the page.
18. Ħallas — Ħallas il-kont.	Pay the bill. ħallas pay il-kont the bill.
19. Farfar — Farfar il-mejda.	Dust the table. farfar dust il-mejda the table.
20. Ċapċap — Ċapċap għalihom.	Clap for them. ċapċap clap għalihom for them.
21. Farfar — Farfar l-ixkaffa.	Dust the shelf. farfar dust; the original repeats this verb, another sentence is made here l-ixkaffa the shelf.

8 Answers for Sentences 22–30

Verb and reference sentence	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
22. Kompli — Kompli l-eżerċizzju.	Continue the exercise. kompli continue, carry on l-eżerċizzju the exercise.
23. Irranġa — Irranġa l-kamra.	Tidy the room. irranġa tidy, arrange, repair l-kamra the room.
24. Irritorna — Irritorna l-ktieb.	Return the book. irritorna return l-ktieb the book.
25. Ipprova — Ipprova din il-libsa.	Try on this dress. ipprova try din this il-libsa the dress.
26. Ifforma — Ifforma sentenza.	Form a sentence. ifforma form sentenza sentence.
27. Ipprintja — Ipprintja d-dokument.	Print the document. ipprintja print d-dokument the document.
28. Ipparkja — Ipparkja l-karozza hawn.	Park the car here. ipparkja park l-karozza the car hawn here.
29. Iffajlja — Iffajlja d-dokument.	File the document. iffajlja file, archive d-dokument the document.
30. Ibbukkja — Ibbukkja mejda għal tnejn.	Book a table for two. ibbukkja book mejda table għal for tnejn two people; the full cardinal is used independently here.

Understanding the Etymology Notes, Line by Line

Original	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
Il-verbi kollha ta’ paġna 5 huma Semitiċi, jiġifieri ġejjin mill-Għarbi.	"All the verbs on page 5 are Semitic, that is, they come from Arabic." This is the textbook's original sentence; the page reference does not match this PDF. il-verbi the verbs kollha all ta’ paġna 5 of page 5 huma are Semitiċi Semitic jiġifieri that is ġejjin come from (plural) mill-Għarbi from Arabic.
Il-verbi ta’ dil-paġna mhumiex Semitiċi, iżda huma Rumanzi (Taljani) u Ingliżi.	"The verbs on this page are not Semitic but Romance (Italian) and English." This is a teaching generalisation; it isn't enough to determine etymology word by word. il-verbi the verbs ta’ dil-paġna of this page mhumiex they are not Semitiċi Semitic iżda but, rather huma they are Rumanzi Romance Taljani Italian u and Ingliżi English.
Ikteb x’inhuma libsin dawn in-nies.	Write what these people are wearing. ikteb write x’inhuma what they are libsin wearing (plural) dawn these in-nies the people.

The Woman's Photo: Reference Paragraph

Il-mara liebsa flokk abjad, xorts tal-ġins u ġakketta bil-fjuri. Għandha nuċċali u ġiżirana twila.

English: the woman is wearing a white top, denim shorts and a floral jacket; she has glasses and a long necklace. The clothing categories are general descriptions based on the photo; no brand is inferred.

il-mara the woman.
liebsa wearing (feminine singular).
flokk top.
abjad white.
xorts shorts.
tal-ġins denim.
u and.
ġakketta jacket.
bil-fjuri with floral pattern.
għandha she has, she is wearing.
nuċċali glasses.
ġiżirana necklace.
twila long (feminine).

9 The Man's Photo: Reference Paragraph

Ir-raġel liebes libsa skura, qmis ċara u ingravata. Għandu żarbun kannella.

English: the man is wearing a dark suit, a light shirt and a tie, and brown shoes.

ir-raġel the man.
liebes wearing (masculine singular).
libsa a suit (here, a suit).
skura dark (with feminine libsa).
qmis shirt.
ċara light.
u and.
ingravata tie.
għandu he has, he is wearing.
żarbun shoes.
kannella brown.

The Eight-Person Illustration: Exercise and Answers

X’inhuma lebsin? Ikteb in-numru fil-kaxxa t-tajba. What are they wearing? Write the number in the correct box.

x’inhuma lebsin what are they wearing; read alongside libsin on the previous page, both as in the material.
ikteb write.
in-numru the number.
fil-kaxxa in the box.
t-tajba the correct.

From left to right the illustration reads: 6, 3, 1, 2, 7, 5, 8, 4.

Person's original sentence	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
1. Marija liebsa flokk biċ-ċingi vjola, ġins u żarbun tat-takkuna kannella. Għandha wkoll ċintorin kannella.	Marija is wearing a purple strappy top, jeans and brown heeled shoes, plus a brown belt. Marija a name liebsa wearing (f) flokk top biċ-ċingi with straps vjola purple ġins jeans u and żarbun tat-takkuna heeled shoes kannella brown għandha she has / is wearing wkoll also ċintorin belt.
2. Toni liebes flokk bil-komma qasira aħmar, ġins, ċintorin iswed u żarbun kannella.	Toni is wearing a red short-sleeved top, jeans, a black belt and brown shoes. Toni a name liebes wearing (m) flokk top bil-komma with sleeves qasira short (modifying komma) aħmar red (modifying flokk) ġins jeans ċintorin belt iswed black u and żarbun kannella brown shoes.
3. Lina liebsa flokk aħdar, qalziet griż u żarbun iswed.	Lina is wearing a green top, grey trousers and black shoes. Lina a name liebsa wearing flokk aħdar green top qalziet griż grey trousers u and żarbun iswed black shoes.
4. Fredu liebes qalziet aħdar, qmis, ġakketta tal-ġins u żarbun iswed. Taħt il-qmis għandu flokk abjad.	Fredu is wearing green trousers, a shirt, a denim jacket and black shoes; under the shirt he has a white top. Fredu a name liebes wearing qalziet aħdar green trousers qmis shirt ġakketta tal-ġins denim jacket u and żarbun iswed black shoes taħt under il-qmis the shirt għandu he has / is wearing flokk abjad white top.
5. Luċija liebsa blaws griż, dublett blu ċar, tajz trasparenti, żarbun tat-takkuna kannella u ġiżirana.	Luċija is wearing a grey blouse, a light blue skirt, sheer tights, brown heeled shoes and a necklace. Luċija a name liebsa wearing blaws blouse griż grey dublett skirt blu ċar light blue tajz tights trasparenti sheer żarbun tat-takkuna heeled shoes kannella brown u and ġiżirana necklace.
6. Pawlu liebes flokk tal-komma qasira aħdar, ġins blu u żarbun kannella.	Pawlu is wearing a green short-sleeved top, blue jeans and brown shoes. Pawlu a name liebes wearing flokk top tal-komma qasira short-sleeved aħdar green ġins blu blue jeans u and żarbun kannella brown shoes.
7. Kristina għandha flokk biċ-ċingi aħdar, qalziet blu u fuqu dublett roża. Liebsa wkoll buż blu.	Kristina is wearing a green strappy top and blue trousers, with a pink skirt over them, and blue boots as well. Kristina a name għandha she has / is wearing flokk biċ-ċingi strappy top aħdar green qalziet blu blue trousers u and fuqu over it (the trousers) dublett roża pink skirt liebsa wearing wkoll also buż blu blue boots.
8. Rita liebsa flokk aħdar bil-komma qasira. Fuqu għandha flokk taċ-ċingi blu. Liebsa wkoll qalziet griż u żarbun iswed.	Rita is wearing a green short-sleeved top with a blue strappy top over it, plus grey trousers and black shoes. Rita a name liebsa wearing flokk aħdar green top bil-komma qasira short-sleeved fuqu over it għandha she has / is wearing flokk taċ-ċingi blu blue strappy top wkoll also qalziet griż grey trousers u and żarbun iswed black shoes.

Source caption Il-Malti bħala lingwa barranija: Maltese as a foreign language.

il-Malti Maltese.
bħala as.
lingwa language.
barranija foreign (feminine).
Stephanie Dempsey the original illustrator's credit.

10 A. Reading 1–20

In-numri bil-Malti: the numbers in Maltese.

in-numri the numbers.
bil-Malti in Maltese.

Number	Maltese and English	Number	Maltese and English
1	wieħed one (standalone / masculine)	11	ħdax eleven
2	tnejn two	12	tnax twelve
3	tlieta three	13	tlettax thirteen
4	erbgħa four	14	erbatax fourteen
5	ħamsa five	15	ħmistax fifteen
6	sitta six	16	sittax sixteen
7	sebgħa seven	17	sbatax seventeen
8	tmienja eight	18	tmintax eighteen
9	disgħa nine	19	dsatax nineteen
10	għaxra ten	20	għoxrin twenty

These are the standalone reading forms; don't write erbgħa as erba’ in every position — the latter is the form used before a noun.

B. Number Bingo Listening

Ejjew nilagħbu ftit tombla! Immarka n-numru li tisma’.

Let's play a bit of bingo! Mark the number you hear.

ejjew come on (to several people).
nilagħbu we play.
ftit a bit.
tombla bingo / number-draw game.
immarka mark.
n-numru the number.
li tisma’ that you hear.

Answer status: no recording available, so it cannot be determined which squares to mark. The empty squares are part of the bingo layout, not homework blanks to be filled with numbers.

C. Phone Numbers

Ikteb in-numri ta’ dawn in-nies. Write these people's phone numbers.

ikteb write.
in-numri the numbers / phone numbers.
ta’ of.
dawn in-nies these people.
is-Sur Mr.
Vella a surname.

Reference digit-by-digit reading for Is-Sur Vella — 21678723:

tnejn, wieħed, sitta, sebgħa, tmienja, sebgħa, tnejn, tlieta

tnejn 2.
wieħed 1.
sitta 6.
sebgħa 7.
tmienja 8.
sebgħa 7.
tnejn 2.
tlieta 3.

Reading a phone number digit by digit is a suitable way to read it here; don't read the whole eight-digit number as an integer of tens of millions.

11 C. Phone Numbers (Continued)

Original number	Digit-by-digit reference answer in words
Is-Sur Dimech — 99871803	disgħa 9 disgħa 9 tmienja 8 sebgħa 7 wieħed 1 tmienja 8 żero 0 tlieta 3
Is-Sur Psaila — 27231234	tnejn 2 sebgħa 7 tnejn 2 tlieta 3 wieħed 1 tnejn 2 tlieta 3 erbgħa 4
Is-Sur Bonanno — 77002517	sebgħa 7 sebgħa 7 żero 0 żero 0 tnejn 2 ħamsa 5 wieħed 1 sebgħa 7

Dimech / Psaila / Bonanno are surnames; the title Is-Sur means Mr.

D. Sums

Aħdem dawn is-somom u ikteb it-tweġiba fi kliem bil-Malti.

Work out these sums and write the answer in words in Maltese.

aħdem do, work out.
dawn these.
is-somom the sums.
u and.
ikteb write.
it-tweġiba the answer.
fi kliem in words.
bil-Malti in Maltese.

Sum	Numeric answer	Answer in words and English
1 + 5	6	sitta six; given in the textbook
7 − 3	4	erbgħa four
2 − 1	1	wieħed one
3 × 3	9	disgħa nine
9 + 1	10	għaxra ten
4 − 2	2	tnejn two
8 × 2	16	sittax sixteen
10 × 2	20	għoxrin twenty
9 + 4	13	tlettax thirteen
10 + 7	17	sbatax seventeen
20 − 1	19	dsatax nineteen
7 × 2	14	erbatax fourteen

The answers are used independently, so erbgħa is written rather than the before-noun form erba’.

12 Compound Number Structure

In-Numri mill-20 sal-100 — Kompli din it-tabella. The numbers from 20 to 100 — complete this table.

in-numri the numbers.
mill-20 from 20.
sal-100 to 100.
kompli complete.
din it-tabella this table.

For non-tens numbers from 21 to 99, this page uses ones + u + tens:

wieħed one.
u and.
għoxrin twenty.
wieħed u għoxrin 21.
sebgħa u sittin 67, i.e. 7 + 60.
tnejn u erbgħin 42, i.e. 2 + 40.

Full Table of Reference Answers

Tens/hundreds	Middle column: answer and breakdown	Right column: answer and breakdown
għoxrin 20	21 = wieħed u għoxrin wieħed 1 u and għoxrin 20	25 = ħamsa u għoxrin ħamsa 5 u and għoxrin 20
tletin 30	38 = tmienja u tletin tmienja 8 u and tletin 30	33 = tlieta u tletin tlieta 3 u and tletin 30
erbgħin 40	42 = tnejn u erbgħin tnejn 2 u and erbgħin 40	46 = sitta u erbgħin sitta 6 u and erbgħin 40
ħamsin 50	53 = tlieta u ħamsin tlieta 3 u and ħamsin 50	59 = disgħa u ħamsin disgħa 9 u and ħamsin 50
sittin 60	64 = erbgħa u sittin erbgħa 4 u and sittin 60	67 = sebgħa u sittin sebgħa 7 u and sittin 60
sebgħin 70	71 = wieħed u sebgħin wieħed 1 u and sebgħin 70	78 = tmienja u sebgħin tmienja 8 u and sebgħin 70
tmenin 80	85 = ħamsa u tmenin ħamsa 5 u and tmenin 80	88 = tmienja u tmenin tmienja 8 u and tmenin 80
disgħin 90	92 = tnejn u disgħin tnejn 2 u and disgħin 90	96 = sitta u disgħin sitta 6 u and disgħin 90
mija 100	101 = mija u wieħed mija 100 u and wieħed 1	105 = mija u ħamsa mija 100 u and ħamsa 5

Note: the number 100 reads mija on its own; before a noun the common form is mitt, as in the next page's mitt ewro; don't carry mija ewro over.

13 B. Listening Options: How to Read Each Number

Agħmel ċirku madwar in-numru li tisma’. Circle the number you hear.

agħmel make, draw.
ċirku circle.
madwar around.
in-numru the number.
li tisma’ that you hear.

No.	Left option	Right option
1	13 — tlettax thirteen	33 — tlieta u tletin thirty-three
2	51 — wieħed u ħamsin fifty-one	59 — disgħa u ħamsin fifty-nine
3	60 — sittin sixty	65 — ħamsa u sittin sixty-five
4	82 — tnejn u tmenin eighty-two	28 — tmienja u għoxrin twenty-eight
5	75 — ħamsa u sebgħin seventy-five	57 — sebgħa u ħamsin fifty-seven
6	49 — disgħa u erbgħin forty-nine	94 — erbgħa u disgħin ninety-four
7	22 — tnejn u għoxrin twenty-two	23 — tlieta u għoxrin twenty-three
8	9 — disgħa nine	99 — disgħa u disgħin ninety-nine
9	67 — sebgħa u sittin sixty-seven	76 — sitta u sebgħin seventy-six
10	88 — tmienja u tmenin eighty-eight	82 — tnejn u tmenin eighty-two

The u inside compound numbers means "and"; the values of the parts come from pages 11 and 13. No recording is available, so all options are kept and no correct option is assumed.

C. Number Fill-in: Full Sentences and Word-by-Word Breakdown

Imla l-vojt billi tikteb in-numri fi kliem — HW. Fill in the blanks by writing the numbers in words — homework.

imla l-vojt fill in the blank.
billi tikteb by writing.
in-numri the numbers.
fi kliem in words.
HW homework.

Completed sentence	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
1. In-nanna għandha tmenin sena u n-nannu għandu ħamsa u tmenin sena.	Grandma is 80 and grandpa is 85. in-nanna the grandmother għandha she has (age structure) tmenin 80 sena years u and n-nannu the grandfather għandu he has ħamsa u tmenin 85 sena years.
2. Xtrajt tnejn u ħamsin ktieb biex naqra wieħed kull ġimgħa.	I bought 52 books so that I could read one every week. xtrajt I bought tnejn u ħamsin 52 ktieb book (singular in this counting structure) biex so that naqra I read wieħed one (referring to masculine ktieb) kull every ġimgħa week.
3. Għandi ħamsa u għoxrin libsa; wieħed u tletin xalla u ħamsa u ħamsin kowt.	I have 25 dresses, 31 shawls and 55 coats. għandi I have ħamsa u għoxrin 25 libsa dress wieħed u tletin 31 xalla shawl u and ħamsa u ħamsin 55 kowt coat.
4. Infaqna sebgħa u sittin ewro biex irranġajna t-televixin.	We spent 67 euros to repair the TV. infaqna we spent sebgħa u sittin 67 ewro euros biex to irranġajna we repaired (kept as the original past tense) t-televixin the TV.
5. Qlajt mitt ewro bħala rigal.	I received 100 euros as a gift. qlajt I got, received mitt one hundred (before a noun) ewro euros bħala as rigal gift.
6a. Ommi żżewġet ta’ tmienja u għoxrin sena.	My mother got married at 28. ommi my mother żżewġet she married ta’ at (age) tmienja u għoxrin 28 sena years.
6b. Meta kellha disgħa u għoxrin sena, welldet lil oħti u meta kellha tnejn u tletin sena welldet lili.	When she was 29 she gave birth to my sister, and when she was 32 she gave birth to me. meta when kellha she had (past, of age) disgħa u għoxrin 29 sena years welldet she gave birth to lil oħti my sister (object) u and tnejn u tletin 32 lili me (object).
7. Morna l-Akkwarju Nazzjonali u rajna tnejn u sebgħin speċi ta’ ħut differenti.	We went to the National Aquarium and saw 72 different species of fish. morna we went l-Akkwarju Nazzjonali the National Aquarium u and rajna we saw tnejn u sebgħin 72 speċi species ta’ ħut of fish differenti different.

The tense combination in item 4 (biex irranġajna) should not be mechanically copied into a new sentence; as a learning rewrite you could say Infaqna sebgħa u sittin ewro fuq it-tiswija tat-televixin. (We spent 67 euros on repairing the TV.)

fuq on, for.
it-tiswija the repair.
tat-televixin of the TV.

14 Grammar Notes, Line by Line

Original	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
In-numri u n-nomi	Numbers and nouns. in-numri the numbers u and n-nomi the nouns.
In-nomi huma kliem li juru oġġetti, persuni, annimali u postijiet.	Nouns are words that show objects, people, animals and places. in-nomi the nouns huma are kliem words li that juru show oġġetti objects persuni people annimali animals u and postijiet places.
Meta n-numri jintużaw flimkien man-nomi, jistgħu jibdlu s-sura tagħhom.	When numbers are used together with nouns, the numbers may change their form. meta when n-numri the numbers jintużaw are used (plural) flimkien together man-nomi with nouns jistgħu they can jibdlu change s-sura the form tagħhom their.

1: Placed After the Noun, Distinguishing Gender

lapes wieħed one pencil.
lapes pencil, masculine.
wieħed one (masculine).
karta waħda one sheet of paper.
karta paper, feminine.
waħda one (feminine).
tifel wieħed one boy.
tifla waħda one girl.
m masculine.
f feminine.

2–10: Numbers Shorten and Take a Plural Noun

Standalone number	Form before a noun	Ordinary plural example and breakdown	Vowel-initial example and breakdown
tnejn two	żewġ / żewġt	żewġ lapsijiet two pencils żewġ two lapsijiet pencils (plural)	żewġt itfal two children żewġt two, before itfal itfal children (plural)
tlieta three	tliet / tlitt	tliet karti three sheets of paper tliet three karti paper (plural)	tlitt itfal three children tlitt three itfal children
erbgħa four	erba’ / erbat	erba’ lapsijiet four pencils erba’ four lapsijiet pencils	erbat itfal four children erbat four itfal children
ħamsa five	ħames / ħamest	ħames karti five sheets of paper ħames five karti paper	ħamest itfal five children ħamest five itfal children
sitta six	sitt	sitt lapsijiet six pencils sitt six lapsijiet pencils	sitt itfal six children sitt six itfal children
sebgħa seven	seba’ / sebat	seba’ karti seven sheets of paper seba’ seven karti paper	sebat itfal seven children sebat seven itfal children
tmienja eight	tmien / tmint	tmien lapsijiet eight pencils tmien eight lapsijiet pencils	tmint itfal eight children tmint eight itfal children
disgħa nine	disa’ / disat	disa’ karti nine sheets of paper disa’ nine karti paper	disat itfal nine children disat nine itfal children
għaxra ten	għaxar / għaxart	għaxar lapsijiet ten pencils għaxar ten lapsijiet pencils	għaxart itfal ten children għaxart ten itfal children

The original table also lists żewġ karti through għaxar karti, and tliet lapsijiet through disa’ lapsijiet. The meanings and changes follow the same table; no different rule is invented.

The -t forms here are used in vowel-initial environments like the itfal shown on this page; don't generalise them to all words just from the alphabet. The next page's ħwienet / iħwienet etc. also involves a preposed vowel on the noun.

11–19: Connecting Form -il, Noun in the Singular

Number	Number + noun	Translation and breakdown
11	ħdax-il lapes	eleven pencils. ħdax-il eleven (before a noun) lapes pencil (singular form)
12	tnax-il karta	twelve sheets of paper. tnax-il twelve karta paper (singular form)
13	tlettax-il lapes	thirteen pencils. tlettax-il thirteen lapes pencil
14	erbatax-il karta	fourteen sheets of paper. erbatax-il fourteen karta paper
15	ħmistax-il lapes	fifteen pencils. ħmistax-il fifteen lapes pencil
16	sittax-il karta	sixteen sheets of paper. sittax-il sixteen karta paper
17	sbatax-il lapes	seventeen pencils. sbatax-il seventeen lapes pencil
18	tmintax-il karta	eighteen sheets of paper. tmintax-il eighteen karta paper
19	dsatax-il lapes	nineteen pencils. dsatax-il nineteen lapes pencil
20	għoxrin karta	twenty sheets of paper; no extra -il. għoxrin twenty karta paper (singular form)

The textbook lists lapes, karta and tifel u tifla in three columns for each row; change the number to the matching row form and the original full forms are in the transcript.

tifel boy (singular).
u and.
tifla girl (singular).
ħdax-il tifel u tifla is used in the textbook to demonstrate counting eleven boys/girls; it cannot be treated as a maths formula for how many of each gender.

Key contrast: `tliet bajdiet` three eggs, but `tnax-il gallettina` twelve biscuits; a number before a noun does not always take a plural.

15 Understanding the Exercise, Word by Word

Imla l-vojt bin-numru t-tajjeb skont dak li hemm fil-parentesi u aqta’ linja taħt in-nom li jixraq.

Fill in the blank with the correct number according to what is in the brackets, and draw a line under the noun that fits.

imla l-vojt fill in the blank.
bin-numru t-tajjeb with the correct number.
skont according to.
dak li hemm what there is.
fil-parentesi in the brackets.
u and.
aqta’ linja draw a line (whole expression).
taħt under.
in-nom the noun.
li jixraq that fits.

Example: Xtrajt tliet lanġasiet. I bought three pears.

xtrajt I bought.
tliet three.
lanġasiet pears (countable plural).

All Reference Answers

The following sentences keep the correct option directly; the forms to be crossed out are omitted.

Completed sentence	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
1. Jien għandi għoxrin sena.	I am twenty years old. jien I għandi I have għoxrin twenty sena years (singular form here; not snin).
2. Fit-tiġrija konna ħdax-il tifel u tifla.	In the race we were eleven boys and girls, as in the textbook. fit-tiġrija in the race konna we were ħdax-il eleven (before a noun) tifel u tifla boy and girl; the original chooses this group, not tfal.
3. Oħti ż-żgħira għandha ħames snin.	My little sister is five years old. oħti my sister ż-żgħira the little one għandha she has ħames five (before a noun) snin years (plural).
4. Kilt tuffieħa waħda u żewġ larinġiet.	I ate one apple and two oranges. kilt I ate tuffieħa an apple (feminine) waħda one (feminine, after the noun) u and żewġ two larinġiet oranges (countable plural), not the collective larinġ.
5. Morna nduru għaxart iħwienet u xtrajna erbat ilbiesi.	We went around ten shops and bought four dresses. morna we went nduru we go around għaxart ten (-t form here) iħwienet shops (plural, with preposed i) u and xtrajna we bought erbat four (before a vowel) ilbiesi dresses (plural; the initial il- is part of the word form, not an article added by the exercise).
6. Id-dar għandna tliet għasafar u tlitt iklieb.	At home we have three birds and three dogs. id-dar at home għandna we have tliet three għasafar birds (plural) u and tlitt three (before a preposed vowel here) iklieb dogs (klieb with the preposed i form).
7. Kien hemm ħmistax-il persuna fil-kju.	There were fifteen people in the queue. kien hemm there were ħmistax-il fifteen persuna person (singular form here) fil-kju in the queue.
8. Ilni noqgħod hawn Malta għal dawn l-aħħar seba’ snin.	I have been living here in Malta for the past seven years. ilni I have been... for noqgħod I live hawn here Malta Malta għal for dawn l-aħħar these last seba’ seven (before a noun) snin years (plural).
9. F’Ġunju rrid nagħmel tmien eżamijiet.	In June I have to take eight exams. f’Ġunju in June rrid I must nagħmel I do, take tmien eight (before a noun) eżamijiet exams (plural).
10. Jien għandi disa’ kuġini. Erbgħa minnhom huma ikbar minni.	I have nine cousins; four of them are older than me. jien I għandi I have disa’ nine (before a noun) kuġini cousins (plural) erbgħa four (standalone, referring to people) minnhom of them huma are ikbar bigger, older minni than me.

Items 5 and 6 test exactly the iħwienet / ilbiesi / iklieb forms when joined to numbers; the i should not be removed to match an isolated dictionary headword.

16 Whether the Number Directly Modifies the Noun

X’inhi d-differenza bejn dawn? What is the difference between these?

x’inhi what is (feminine).
d-differenza the difference.
bejn between.
dawn these.

Standalone form	Before-noun form	Difference
erbgħa four	erba’ four…	standalone reading/referring to four, vs directly modifying a noun
sebgħa seven	seba’ seven…	same
disgħa nine	disa’ nine…	same
ħamsa five	ħames five…	the textbook uses this more obvious pair to help judge

Explanations and Example Sentences, Line by Line

Original	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
Ħares ftit lejn l-aħħar sentenza tal-eżerċizzju li għadda u qabbilha ma’ ta’ taħtha.	Look briefly at the last sentence of the previous exercise and compare it with the one below it. ħares lejn look at ftit briefly l-aħħar sentenza the last sentence tal-eżerċizzju of the exercise li għadda that just passed, previous u and qabbilha compare it (-ha refers to sentenza) ma’ with ta’ taħtha the one below it.
Jien għandi disa’ kuġini. Erbgħa minnhom huma ikbar minni.	I have nine cousins; four of them are older than me. jien għandi I have disa’ nine (directly modifying the noun) kuġini cousins erbgħa four (no counted noun directly after it) minnhom of them huma are ikbar older minni than me.
Jien għandi ħames kuġini. Ħamsa minnhom huma ikbar minni.	I have five cousins; five of them are older than me. jien għandi I have ħames five (before the noun) kuġini cousins ħamsa five (standalone) minnhom of them huma ikbar minni are older than me.
X’qed tinnota? Uża n-numru ħamsa (5) bħala l-mudell ta’ kif trid tikteb in-numri erbgħa (4), sebgħa (7) u disgħa (9).	What do you notice? Use the number five (5) as the model for how you should write the numbers four (4), seven (7) and nine (9). x’qed tinnota what do you notice uża use n-numru the number ħamsa five bħala as l-mudell the model ta’ kif of how trid tikteb you should write in-numri the numbers erbgħa four sebgħa seven u and disgħa nine.

Answer you could give: In-numru jinbidel meta jiġi qabel nom. The number changes when it comes before a noun.

in-numru the number.
jinbidel changes.
meta when.
jiġi it comes, it appears.
qabel before.
nom noun.

B. All Fill-in Reference Answers

Ikteb in-numru t-tajjeb. Write the correct number form.

ikteb write.
in-numru the number.
t-tajjeb the correct.

Completed sentence	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
1. Xtrajt seba’ kotba, erbgħa minnhom huma bil-Malti.	I bought seven books; four of them are in Maltese. xtrajt I bought seba’ seven (before a noun) kotba books (plural) erbgħa four (standalone, referring to the books) minnhom of them huma are bil-Malti in Maltese.
2. Kemm kontu nies ilbieraħ? Ilbieraħ konna disgħa.	How many of you were there yesterday? Yesterday there were nine of us. kemm how many kontu you were nies people ilbieraħ yesterday konna we were disgħa nine (standalone).
3. Martha hi erba’ snin ikbar minni.	Martha is four years older than me. Martha a name hi she is erba’ four (before a noun) snin years ikbar older minni than me.
4. Xtaqt nixtri disa’ pitazzi imma tal-ħanut kellu biss sebgħa.	I wanted to buy nine notebooks, but the shopkeeper only had seven. xtaqt I wanted (past) nixtri I buy disa’ nine (before a noun) pitazzi notebooks (plural) imma but tal-ħanut the shopkeeper kellu he had (past) biss only sebgħa seven (standalone, referring to the notebooks).
5. Is-sena l-oħra żort seba’ pajjiżi, erbgħa minnhom huma fl-Ewropa.	Last year I visited seven countries; four of them are in Europe. is-sena l-oħra last year żort I visited seba’ seven (before a noun) pajjiżi countries (plural) erbgħa four (standalone) minnhom of them huma are, lie fl-Ewropa in Europe.

17 The Dual, Line by Line

Original	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
Iktar numri... L-Għadd Imtenni	More numbers... the dual. iktar more numri numbers l-għadd the count, grammatical number imtenni dual, doubled.
Dan jintuża meta jkollna tnejn (2) minn xi nom.	This is used when we have two (2) of some noun. dan this jintuża is used meta when jkollna we have tnejn two minn of xi nom some noun.
Dan jispiċċa bl-ittri -ejn jew -ajn.	This form ends with the letters -ejn or -ajn. dan this form jispiċċa ends bl-ittri with the letters -ejn one dual ending jew or -ajn one dual ending.
Agħti l-għadd imtenni ta’ dawn in-nomi.	Give the dual of these nouns. agħti give l-għadd imtenni the dual ta’ of dawn in-nomi these nouns.

The dual cannot be formed mechanically by adding -ejn to every noun; there are stem changes and fixed forms. For example sena → sentejn, not adding to sena as it is.

A. Reference Answers for the 16 Items

No.	Singular → Dual	English and form notes
1	jum → jumejn	one day → two days; already given in the original.
2	id → idejn	one hand → two hands.
3	ħadd → ħaddejn	one cheek → two cheeks; distinguish from Ħadd "Sunday" and the pronoun ħadd "anyone/nobody".
4	elf → elfejn	one thousand → two thousand.
5	għajn → għajnejn	one eye → two eyes.
6	sieq → saqajn	one foot/leg → two feet/legs.
7	driegħ → dirgħajn	one arm → two arms.
8	pass → passejn	one step → two steps.
9	spalla → spallejn	one shoulder → two shoulders.
10	rkoppa → rkopptejn	one knee → two knees.
11	siegħa → sagħtejn	one hour → two hours.
12	darba → darbtejn	once → twice.
13	ġimgħa → ġimagħtejn	one week → two weeks.
14	wiżna → wiżintejn	one old weight unit wiżna → two units; the stem inserts i, not wiżntejn.
15	sena → sentejn	one year → two years.
16	kelma → kelmtejn	one word → two words; also used in idioms like "a few words", by context.

B. Completed Sentences and Word-by-Word Breakdown

Poġġi l-kliem li jinsab fil-parentesi, fl-għadd imtenni. Put the words in the brackets into the dual.

poġġi put, write.
l-kliem the words.
li jinsab that there are.
fil-parentesi in the brackets.
fl-għadd imtenni into the dual.

Completed sentence	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
1. Kellu ħsieb li joqgħod ġimagħtejn Londra u minflok qagħad xahrejn.	He planned to stay in London for two weeks, but instead he stayed two months. kellu ħsieb he planned li that joqgħod he stays, lives ġimagħtejn two weeks Londra London u but minflok instead qagħad he stayed xahrejn two months (dual of xahar).
2. Ix-xofftejn, il-widnejn u l-għajnejn huma partijiet sensittivi tal-wiċċ.	The lips, ears and eyes are sensitive parts of the face. ix-xofftejn the two lips (xoffa → xofftejn) il-widnejn the two ears (widna → widnejn) u and l-għajnejn the two eyes huma are partijiet parts sensittivi sensitive (plural) tal-wiċċ of the face.
3. Kien hemm mal-mitejn ruħ fil-gallariji u mal-elfejn ruħ fit-toroq jistennew il-wasla tal-President.	There were about two hundred people on the balconies and about two thousand people in the streets waiting for the President's arrival. kien hemm there were mal-mitejn about two hundred (mitt → mitejn; with the article rewritten as a whole word) ruħ people (head-count unit) fil-gallariji on the balconies (plural) u and mal-elfejn about two thousand fit-toroq in the streets jistennew they wait il-wasla the arrival tal-President of the President.
4. Ommi xtrat ratlejn basal u wiżintejn patata.	My mother bought two ratal of onions and two wiżna of potatoes. ommi my mother xtrat she bought ratlejn the dual of ratal (two old weight units) basal onions u and wiżintejn the dual of wiżna patata potatoes.
5. Sentejn ilu sifirna darbtejn.	Two years ago we travelled abroad twice. sentejn two years ilu ago sifirna we went abroad darbtejn twice.
6. Il-ħajjata ħaditlu l-qies tal-ispallejn u t-tul tal-idejn biex tħitlu ġakketta.	The seamstress took his shoulder measurements and arm lengths in order to sew him a jacket. il-ħajjata the seamstress ħaditlu she took from him l-qies the measurements tal-ispallejn of the two shoulders (per the original ispalla form) u and t-tul the length tal-idejn of the hands/arms; here per the original id in the dual biex to tħitlu she sews for him ġakketta jacket.

Item 6 answers with id as in the textbook; for a precise "arm length" one could describe it with dirgħajn, but that would be a wording change, not the dual of the bracketed word.

Form cross-check sources: ħadd, ratal, wiżna. Only the word meaning and inflected forms are checked against the entries; dictionary examples are not treated as textbook text.

18 Quantity Expressions and Original Examples

L-Avverbji tal-Kwantità – Kemm? Quantity adverbs — how much?

l-avverbji the adverbs.
tal-kwantità of quantity.
kemm how much, how.

The textbook groups these words under "quantity adverbs"; in practice some also act as pronouns or quantity determiners, so judge by their role in the sentence.

Word and original example	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
Bilkemm — Bilkemm ilħaqt poġġejt bilqiegħda llum!	Hardly — I hardly managed to sit down today! bilkemm hardly, barely ilħaqt I managed poġġejt I sat bilqiegħda seated llum today.
Biss — Agħtini erbgħa biss, mhux iktar.	Only — Give me just four, no more. biss only agħtini give me erbgħa four (standalone) mhux not iktar more.
Biżżejjed — Daqshekk biżżejjed!	Enough — That's enough! biżżejjed enough daqshekk this much, to this extent.
Ftit / naqra — Jien niekol ftit.	A little — I eat little. ftit a little, a small amount naqra a bit (a quantity expression on this page, not the verb "I read") jien I niekol I eat.
Ftit li xejn — Lil Toni rajtu ftit li xejn.	Very little, hardly at all — I hardly saw Toni at all. ftit li xejn very little, hardly (fixed phrase) lil Toni Toni (preposed object) rajtu I saw him (rajt + object -u).
Ħafna — Tina tħobb tgħum ħafna!	A lot/very — Tina loves swimming a lot! Also understandable as "swims often" by context. ħafna a lot, very Tina a name tħobb she likes tgħum she swims.
Iktar / iżjed — It-tarbija riedet iktar ħalib.	More — The baby wanted more milk. iktar / iżjed more it-tarbija the baby riedet she/it wanted (feminine) ħalib milk.
Inqas — Għandi inqas flus minnek.	Less — I have less money than you. inqas less għandi I have flus money minnek than you.
Kollox — Għidli kollox!	Everything — Tell me everything! kollox everything għidli tell me.
Żejjed — Baqa’ ż-żejjed u rfajtu għal għada.	Left over — There was some left over and I put it away for tomorrow. żejjed extra, left over baqa’ there remained ż-żejjed the remainder (nominalised) u and rfajtu I put it away (rfajt + -u) għal għada for tomorrow.

Fill-in Reference Answers for the Eight Items

Imla l-vojt bl-avverbji tal-kwantità. Fill in the blanks with the quantity adverbs.

imla l-vojt fill in the blank.
bl-avverbji with the adverbs.
tal-kwantità of quantity.

The following are grammatically and contextually smooth reference answers; words may be repeated, as the original does not state "use each word once".

Completed sentence	Translation and word-by-word breakdown
1. Il-lejl li għadda, bilkemm irqadt.	Last night I hardly slept. il-lejl the night li għadda that passed bilkemm hardly irqadt I slept.
2. Illum inħossni ħafna aħjar.	Today I feel much better. illum today inħossni I feel myself ħafna a lot (intensifying the comparison) aħjar better.
3. Jien għandi ftit ħbieb.	I have a few friends / not many friends. jien I għandi I have ftit a few ħbieb friends (plural).
4. Nixtieq li niltaqgħu iżjed drabi.	I'd like us to meet more often. nixtieq I'd like li that niltaqgħu we meet iżjed more drabi times.
5. Ilbieraħ ħadna ħafna gost!	Yesterday we had a lot of fun! ilbieraħ yesterday ħadna we had ħafna a lot gost fun; ħadna gost is "we had fun".
6. Kollox kien tajjeb u tgħidx kemm kilna!	Everything was fine, and we ate an awful lot! kollox everything kien was tajjeb good u and tgħidx don't say (negative imperative) kemm how much kilna we ate; tgħidx kemm is exclamatory, "you wouldn't believe how much".
7. Ma kien fadal xejn iżjed.	There was nothing left any more. ma negative marker kien fadal there was still left xejn nothing; echoes ma iżjed any more.
8. Xrobna ftit inbid aħmar.	We drank a little red wine. xrobna we drank ftit a little inbid wine aħmar red.

Item 7 could also be Ma kien fadal xejn żejjed. (Nothing extra was left.)

żejjed extra.

Key Review Points

Shopping politeness phrases: agħtini (give me), jekk jogħġbok (please), x’għandi nagħtik? (how much should I pay you?), bqija (change).
Ingredient expressions: gramma (gram), millilitru (millilitre), kuċċarina (teaspoon), nofs (half), ftit (a little).
Common recipe imperatives: itfa’ (put in), ħawwad (stir), żid (add), farrak (crush), ifrex (spread), aħmi (bake).
Dressing agreement: liebes (m), liebsa (f), libsin / lebsin (plural); colours agree with the noun they modify, not mechanically with the wearer's gender.
Number structure: erbgħa standalone "four", erba’ snin "four years"; tliet kotba three books, ħdax-il ktieb eleven books, għoxrin ktieb twenty books.
Learn the dual as whole words: jumejn two days, sagħtejn two hours, ġimagħtejn two weeks, xahrejn two months, sentejn two years, darbtejn twice.

Module 4: Shopping and Food ​

Overall Outline ​

Cover Page Breakdown ​

1 Shopping Dialogue, Line by Line ​

Comprehension Questions and Reference Answers ​

2 Exercise 4: Fruit and Vegetable List ​

Exercise 5: The Butcher's and the Fishmonger's ​

3 Exercise 6: Clothing List ​

Speaking Task One: What to Wear ​

Speaking Task Two: What to Buy ​

4 Fruit and Vegetable Table: Completion and Word Notes ​

5 Ingredient Notes, Line by Line ​

Each Ingredient: Word and Quantity ​

6 Exercise Analysis ​

Completed Steps and Sentence-by-Sentence Analysis ​

7 Imperative Instructions, Line by Line ​

Reference Sentences for All of 1–21 ​

8 Answers for Sentences 22–30 ​

Understanding the Etymology Notes, Line by Line ​

The Woman's Photo: Reference Paragraph ​

9 The Man's Photo: Reference Paragraph ​

The Eight-Person Illustration: Exercise and Answers ​

10 A. Reading 1–20 ​

B. Number Bingo Listening ​

C. Phone Numbers ​

11 C. Phone Numbers (Continued) ​

D. Sums ​

12 Compound Number Structure ​

Full Table of Reference Answers ​

13 B. Listening Options: How to Read Each Number ​

C. Number Fill-in: Full Sentences and Word-by-Word Breakdown ​

14 Grammar Notes, Line by Line ​

1: Placed After the Noun, Distinguishing Gender ​

2–10: Numbers Shorten and Take a Plural Noun ​

11–19: Connecting Form -il, Noun in the Singular ​

Key contrast: tliet bajdiet three eggs, but tnax-il gallettina twelve biscuits; a number before a noun does not always take a plural. ​

15 Understanding the Exercise, Word by Word ​

All Reference Answers ​

16 Whether the Number Directly Modifies the Noun ​

Explanations and Example Sentences, Line by Line ​

B. All Fill-in Reference Answers ​

17 The Dual, Line by Line ​

A. Reference Answers for the 16 Items ​

B. Completed Sentences and Word-by-Word Breakdown ​

18 Quantity Expressions and Original Examples ​

Fill-in Reference Answers for the Eight Items ​

Key Review Points ​