MATSEC SEC Maltese flashcards
MATSEC SEC Maltese · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Maltese alphabet size
- Maltese uses 30 letters: a b ċ d e f ġ g għ h ħ i ie j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x z ż. The letters c and y are not used.
- Article assimilation rule
- The definite article il- assimilates to the following consonant: iċ- before ċ, id- before d, in- before n, ir- before r, is- before s, it- before t, ix- before x, iż- before ż, and l- before vowels and h.
- Negation with -x
- Verbal negation uses the circumfix ma ... -x around the imperfect verb: ma kitbix means 'he did not write'. Nominal negation uses mhux instead.
- Perfect versus imperfect
- The perfect stem expresses completed past action (kiteb, 'he wrote'); the imperfect stem expresses present, habitual, or future action (jikteb, 'he writes' or 'he will write').
- Dun Karm Psaila
- Maltese national poet (1871–1961) who wrote the lyrics of the national anthem and is associated with romantic and religious verse in early 20th-century Maltese literature.
- Leli ta' Ħaż-Żgħir
- A canonical Maltese novel by Ġużè Ellul Mercer, published in 1938, tracing a young man's social and moral formation in Maltese village society.
- Cantilena
- A 15th-century text by Pietru Caxaro, regarded as the earliest known poem in Maltese and frequently cited in literary history questions.
- Rużar Briffa
- A 20th-century Maltese poet (1906–1963) whose verse blends romanticism with personal and social themes; he was also a dermatologist.
- Sonnet form
- A 14-line poem; Maltese poets have used both the Petrarchan pattern (octave plus sestet) and the English pattern of three quatrains plus a couplet.
- Tixbiha (simile)
- A figure of speech comparing two things using bħal or qisu, for example 'bħal qamar' (like a moon), as distinct from a direct metaphor.
- Metafora (metaphor)
- A figure of speech that asserts identity between two things without using bħal, for example calling a person 'qamar' to mean radiant or beautiful.
- għ pronunciation
- The digraph għ is silent in most positions but lengthens or pharyngealises the adjacent vowel; in final position it is silent, as in qagħaq and xebgħa.
- q as glottal stop
- The letter q in Maltese represents a glottal stop /ʔ/, as in qalb and qatra, not the /k/ sound of English q.
- ħ pharyngeal fricative
- The letter ħ represents a voiceless pharyngeal fricative /ħ/, produced deep in the throat, as in ħobż and ħamsa.
- x and ż
- The letter x represents /ʃ/ as in xemx (sun), while ż represents /z/ as in żejt (oil); plain z represents the affricate /ts/.
- ie digraph
- The digraph ie is a single letter of the Maltese alphabet and represents a long vowel or diphthong depending on context, as in ktieb and siegħa.
- Verb imperfect prefixes
- The imperfect takes prefixes n- (1sg), t- (2sg, 3sg fem, 2pl), and j- (3sg masc, 3pl), with plural suffixes -u: nikteb, tikteb, jikteb, niktbu.
- Perfect suffixes
- The perfect takes suffixes -t (1sg, 2sg), - (3sg masc), -t (3sg fem), -na (1pl), -tu (2pl), and -u (3pl): kitbt, kiteb, kitbet, kitbna, kitbtu, kitbu.
- Imperative formation
- The imperative is formed from the imperfect stem by dropping the person prefix: ikteb ('write!'), isma' ('listen!'), itla' ('go up!').
- Construct state
- Possession is expressed either with the genitive particle ta' (ktieb ta' Ġwanni) or with a possessive suffix attached to the noun (ktiebu, 'his book').
- Dual forms
- A few Maltese nouns retain a dual: sentejn (two years), jumejn (two days), xahrejn (two months); otherwise numbers 3–10 take a singular noun.
- Comparative adjectives
- Comparison is formed with the pattern -aħ/-eħ (kbir → akbar) or with aktar; the superlative uses l-aktar (l-akbar, 'the biggest').
- Reading comprehension strategy
- Read the questions before the passage, then scan for the key terms; answers must be grounded in the text rather than in outside knowledge.
- Composition structure
- A five-paragraph structure works for most SEC compositions: introduction stating the topic, three body paragraphs each developing one idea, and a conclusion returning to the prompt.
- Cohesive devices
- Maltese linking expressions include għalhekk (therefore), barra minn hekk (moreover), madankollu (however), filwaqt li (while), and fl-aħħar nett (finally).
- Formal letter conventions
- Formal Maltese letters open with Għażiż Sinjur or Għażiża Sinjura, state the purpose in the first paragraph, and close with Dejjem tiegħek plus the signature.
- Listening discourse markers
- Markers such as mela, allura, għalhekk, fil-fatt, and jiġifieri signal structure and argument in spoken Maltese, helping listeners follow the main points.
- Speaking assessment criteria
- SEC Maltese speaking is assessed on fluency, pronunciation of għ, ħ, and q, grammatical accuracy, vocabulary range, and the ability to sustain interaction on familiar topics.
- Telling time in Maltese
- Time uses is-siegħa u ... for minutes past, nieqes ... for minutes to the hour, and u nofs for half past; for example is-siegħa u nofs.
- Numbers 11–19
- The teens are formed with the ending -ax: ħdax, tnax, tlettax, erbatax, ħmistax, sittax, sbatax, tmintax, dsatax.
- Idiom: bla dubju
- Bla dubju means 'without doubt' or 'undoubtedly'; it is a fixed expression used in formal Maltese writing to signal certainty.
- Literary analysis framework
- When analysing a Maltese poem, identify speaker, addressee, theme, form, rhyme scheme, and dominant figurative language before offering an interpretation.