Language/Maltese/Grammar/Negation

Maltese Grammar - Negation

Hi Maltese learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on the negation in Maltese. Concepts of negation are used to express the opposite of affirmative. In a negative statement, a sentence expresses that something doesn't exist or that something didn't happen. Negation can be expressed with a negating word, a negating phrase, or a grammatical form.

Negating words and phrases

In Maltese, negating words and phrases are used to construct negative sentences. Here are some of the most commonly used negating words and phrases:

Maltese	Pronunciation	English
Le	lɛ	No
M'	mɑ	Not (shortened form of "Ma")
Xejn	ʃɛjn	Nothing
L-ebda	lɛbda	Nothing/none
Lanqas	lɐŋkas	Not even

Here is an example dialogue to see how to use negating words and phrases:

• Person 1: Qed thobbni? (Do you love me?)
• Person 2: Le, mhuwiex qed thobbni. (No, I am not loving you.)

Negating Verbs

In addition to using negating words and phrases, verbs can be negated. In Maltese, the present perfect tense is used to express negative words. Here’s how you can negate the verb “to speak” in the present tense:

Positive form	Negative form
Jien nitkellmu	M’ jienux nitkellmu

This changes the meaning from "I am speaking," to "I am not speaking."

Negating "Kien"

The helping verb “kien” (to be) is negated by using "ma" before the verb. Here is an example:

Positive form	Negative form
Kien għandi madwar nofs zmien	Ma kienx għandi madwar nofs zmien

This changes the meaning from "I had about half an hour" to "I had not about half an hour."

Double Negation

Maltese grammar rules permit the use of double negations for emphasis, similarly to English. Double negation is constructed by using two negating words in the sentence. Here is an example:

Positive form	Negative form	Double negation
M'hemmx kliem	Hemm kliem	Ma hemmx xejn

This translates to "There is no word" (positive) to "There is a word" (negative) or "There is no word" (double negation)

Conclusion

In conclusion, Maltese uses negating words, negating phrases, negating verbs and negating constructions to convey the concept of negation. We have learned that Maltese is similar to English in allowing for double negation for emphasis. If you want to improve your skills, visit the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Maltese language
• Maltese grammar
• Negation
• Double negative

Related Lessons

• Definite Articles in Maltese
• Adjectives
• Past Participle in Maltese
• Pronouns
• Present Tense
• Indefinite Articles in Maltese
• Prepositions
• Conditional Mood
• How to Use Have
• Imperative Mood