Maltese prepositions often combine with small pronoun suffixes to create single words.

This grammar feature is very similar to how Arabic and Hebrew handle prepositions.

Instead of saying “with me” as two separate words, you attach a pronoun directly to the end of the preposition.

Learning these combinations is essential for speaking natural Maltese.

I’ll show you exactly how to attach these pronouns to the most common Maltese prepositions.

Understanding attached pronouns in Maltese

In English, we use independent words like “me”, “you”, “him”, or “us” after a preposition.

Maltese uses pronominal suffixes for this exact purpose.

Pronominal suffixes are just short word endings that represent different people.

When a preposition ends in an apostrophe or a vowel, it merges completely with these suffixes.

Here are the basic pronoun suffixes you’ll need to know:

The exact suffix used depends on the preposition it attaches to.

Some prepositions change their spelling slightly to make the new word easier to pronounce.

Conjugating ta’ (of / belonging to)

The preposition ta’ translates to “of” or “belonging to”.

This is the most common way to show possession in Maltese.

Notice how the root changes to tiegħ- for the singular pronouns and tagħ- for the plural and feminine pronouns.

Here’s an example of how you’d use this in a sentence.

Conjugating għal (for)

The preposition għal translates to “for” in English.

When you add a suffix to għal, the letter i is inserted before most of the endings to bridge the sounds together.

You’ll use this structure frequently when buying gifts or doing favors.

Conjugating ma’ (with people)

The preposition ma’ means “with”, but it’s strictly used when talking about being with a person or an animal.

It follows the exact same spelling pattern as ta’, shifting between miegħ- and magħ-.

Use this when you’re inviting someone to come along with you.

Conjugating bi (with objects)

Unlike ma’, the preposition bi means “with” in the sense of using a tool or an object.

It can also translate to “by means of”.

Because bi ends in a vowel, the suffixes attach very smoothly without major stem changes.

Here’s an example demonstrating the use of an instrument.

Conjugating fi (in)

The preposition fi simply translates to “in”.

It conjugates following the exact same pattern as bi.

You’ll see this combination used often in everyday expressions.