Maltese verbs can be very tricky. Let’s see the full conjugation of one of the Maltese language’s easier verbs: to get.
The present of to get
The present tense uses the imperative as a building block. There are two imperatives in Maltese: one for the single, and one for the plural. For to get, it’s ikseb for the single and iksbu for the plural.
The single will put NTJT in front of the verb, and the plural NTJ. This can be confusing, because in most European languages the endings change. So here is the conjugation:
Notice ‘you get’ and ‘she gets’ is the same? Good! You’ll need the context to know which form it is.
The future tense
To form the future tense, simply put ‘se’ in front of the present tense. Isn’t that easy?
The present continuous
Just as easy as the future tense: simply put ‘qed’ in front of the present tense.
The past tense
This tense gets a bit more complicated. Maltese uses two basic forms for the past: ksib and kiseb. The last one is used for the third person (he, she, they) and the first one for the rest.
The past changes the endings, unlike the present. So the endings are -t, -t, -, -et, -na, -tu and -u. So here it goes:
One last point: the ‘she’ form and the ‘they’ form eat the e from kiseb.
Most verbs follow this structure, with minor adjustments. Are you interested in more full conjugations? You’ll find over 100 of the most used verbs in Maltese in my book!
