Learning how to count and tell the time is an essential step when starting your Maltese language journey.

Numbers come up constantly in daily conversations, from shopping at the local market to catching the correct bus.

Telling time is just as important for scheduling meetups with friends or making appointments.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the basics of Maltese numbers and show you exactly how to read the clock.

Counting from 0 to 10 in Maltese

The best place to start is with the basic numbers from zero to ten.

These core numbers are heavily rooted in Arabic, which is why they sound so distinct compared to European languages.

One important detail to remember is that the number one has both a masculine and a feminine form.

You use wieħed for masculine words and waħda for feminine words.

The rest of the numbers from two to ten stay exactly the same regardless of gender.

Numbers from 11 to 20

Once you know the first ten numbers, moving on to the teens is quite simple.

Almost all of the teen numbers in Maltese end with the letters “-ax”.

This ending actually comes from the word għaxra (ten).

If you want to hear native audio recordings of these numbers to perfect your pronunciation, I highly recommend practicing on Talk In Maltese.

Counting by tens up to 100

Counting by tens in Maltese is very straightforward once you notice the pattern.

All of the tens from thirty to ninety end with the suffix “-in”.

If you want to say a number like 21 or 35, the format is slightly different than in English.

In Maltese, you say the single digit first, followed by the word u (and), and then the tens digit.

So, 21 is wieħed u għoxrin (literally “one and twenty”).

Similarly, 35 translates to ħamsa u tletin (literally “five and thirty”).

How to tell the time in Maltese

Now that you know your numbers, telling the time will be incredibly easy.

To ask someone for the time, you simply say x’ħin hu?

When replying with the exact hour, you use the definite article (il-, is-, it-, etc.) right before the number.

To add minutes, Maltese uses u kwart (and a quarter) for 15 minutes past the hour.

For half past the hour, you use u nofs (and a half).

When you reach 45 minutes past the hour, Maltese shifts to subtraction just like in English.

You use the phrase neqsin kwart (minus a quarter) along with the upcoming hour.

Useful time phrases

Sometimes you need to specify exactly what part of the day you’re talking about.

Adding time-of-day markers ensures there’s absolutely no confusion about your plans.

You just add these phrases directly after stating the time.