ZQ-XUAsking the Time
Scenario: Two friends meet at an agreed place. One asks the time and checks whether there is still time before an appointment.
Complete Dialogue
Mark: Skużani, x'ħin hu issa?
Lina: Huma t-tmienja u kwart.
Mark: Grazzi. Għandi appuntament fit-tmienja u nofs.
Lina: Għad għandek ħmistax-il minuta.
Mark: Tajjeb. Il-post jinsab ħdejn il-pjazza, hux?
Lina: Iva, eżattament. Jien qiegħda quddiem il-bieb.
Mark: Qed nitlaq issa. Nasal f'għaxar minuti.
Lina: Sewwa, narak dalwaqt.
Sentence-by-Sentence Translation and Word Notes
1. Mark
Malti: Skużani, x'ħin hu issa?
Translation: Excuse me, what time is it now?
| Maltese | English meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Skużani | excuse me; forgive me | Polite expression |
| x'ħin | what time | x' “what” + ħin “time” |
| hu | is | Third-person masculine pronoun, used here in the time expression |
| issa | now | Time adverb |
2. Lina
Malti: Huma t-tmienja u kwart.
Translation: It is quarter past eight.
| Maltese | English meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Huma | they are; it is | Copula-like form introducing the time |
| it-tmienja | eight o'clock | Clock-hour form with the definite article |
| u | and; past | Connects the hour and minutes |
| kwart | quarter | A quarter of an hour; fifteen minutes |
3. Mark
Malti: Grazzi. Għandi appuntament fit-tmienja u nofs.
Translation: Thanks. I have an appointment at half past eight.
| Maltese | English meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grazzi | thank you; thanks | Polite expression |
| Għandi | I have | First-person singular form of għand |
| appuntament | appointment | Masculine noun |
| fit-tmienja | at eight | Contracted f' “at” + clock-hour form |
| u | and; past | Connects parts of the time expression |
| nofs | half | u nofs means “half past” |
4. Lina
Malti: Għad għandek ħmistax-il minuta.
Translation: You still have fifteen minutes.
| Maltese | English meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Għad | still; yet | Indicates continuation |
| għandek | you have | Second-person singular form of għand |
| ħmistax-il | fifteen | Numeral form linking to the following noun |
| minuta | minute | Feminine noun |
5. Mark
Malti: Tajjeb. Il-post jinsab ħdejn il-pjazza, hux?
Translation: All right. The place is next to the square, isn't it?
| Maltese | English meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tajjeb | good; all right | Masculine form, also used as a response |
| il-post | the place | Definite article + post |
| jinsab | is located; is | Third-person masculine singular form |
| ħdejn | beside; next to | Preposition of location |
| il-pjazza | the square | Feminine noun with the definite article |
| hux | isn't it?; right? | Tag question used for confirmation |
6. Lina
Malti: Iva, eżattament. Jien qiegħda quddiem il-bieb.
Translation: Yes, exactly. I'm in front of the door.
| Maltese | English meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Iva | yes | Affirmative response |
| eżattament | exactly | Adverb |
| Jien | I | Emphatic pronoun |
| qiegħda | located; situated | Feminine speaker form; a male speaker uses qiegħed |
| quddiem | in front of | Preposition of location |
| il-bieb | the door | Masculine noun with the definite article |
7. Mark
Malti: Qed nitlaq issa. Nasal f'għaxar minuti.
Translation: I'm leaving now. I'll arrive in ten minutes.
| Maltese | English meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Qed | currently; in the process of | Used with a verb to express an ongoing action |
| nitlaq | I leave; I set off | First-person singular form |
| issa | now | Time adverb |
| Nasal | I arrive | First-person singular form |
| f'għaxar | in ten | f' + għaxar “ten” |
| minuti | minutes | Plural of minuta |
8. Lina
Malti: Sewwa, narak dalwaqt.
Translation: All right, see you soon.
| Maltese | English meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sewwa | all right; okay | Common response |
| narak | I see you; see you | nara “I see” + -k “you” |
| dalwaqt | soon; shortly | Time adverb |
Time Expressions
u kwart: quarter past;u nofs: half past.neqsin kwart: quarter to the next hour, for exampleid-disgħa neqsin kwart(quarter to nine, 8:45).- Use 24-hour numeric time when you need to avoid ambiguity.