If you’re just starting to learn Maltese, one of the very first things you’ll notice is that the definite article seems to change its shape constantly.

Sometimes it is il-. Sometimes it is id-. Other times it is ix-.

Why does this happen?

In English, the word “the” stays the same whether you say “the cat” or “the dog”.

But Maltese is a Semitic language (like Arabic), and it likes words to flow smoothly together. Because of this, the “l” in the article often changes to match the sound of the letter that follows it.

These special letters that cause the change are called Sun Letters (or Il-Konsonanti Xemxin).

Don’t worry - it sounds much more complicated than it actually is! Your ears will actually pick this up faster than your eyes will.

Keep reading and I’ll explain exactly how this works.

What is the definite article in Maltese?

The “definite article” is just the fancy grammar term for the word the.

In standard Maltese, the basic word for “the” is il-.

It is almost always attached to the noun with a hyphen.

• Il-ktieb (The book)
• Il-baħar (The sea)
• Il-missier (The father)

In the examples above, the article stays as il-. This is because the letters K, B, and M are what we call Moon Letters (Il-Konsonanti Qamrin). With Moon Letters, the “L” is strong and does not change.

However, there is a specific group of letters where this rule breaks, and the “L” transforms.

What are Sun Letters? (Il-Konsonanti Xemxin)

Sun Letters are consonants that represent sounds made near the front of the mouth (using the teeth or tongue).

Because of where these sounds are made, the letter “L” (which is also made with the tongue near the teeth) is considered “weak” when placed next to them.

Instead of pronouncing the “L”, the sound gets absorbed by the Sun Letter.

Why are they called Sun Letters?

This is a really helpful trick to remember them. The Maltese word for “sun” is xemx.

If we try to say “the sun” using the standard il-, it would be il-xemx. Try saying that out loud. It feels clunky, right? Your tongue trips over the ‘l’ and the ‘x’.

So, Maltese speakers change the ‘l’ to match the ‘x’.

• Wrong: Il-xemx
• Right: Ix-xemx

Because the word for sun (xemx) follows this rule, this group of letters is named after it.

The Rule: How assimilation works

The rule is very simple.

If a word starts with a Sun Letter, the il- changes. The i stays the same, but the l turns into the first letter of the word.

The formula looks like this:

i + (first letter of word) - (word)

Let’s look at the letter D (which is a Sun Letter). Word: Dar (House).

1. Start with il-.
2. See that Dar starts with D.
3. Change the L to a D.
4. Result: Id-dar (The house).

You create a double consonant sound. This makes the language flow much faster and sound more musical.

List of Sun Letters and examples

There are 9 specific consonants in Maltese that act as Sun Letters.

If you memorize these, you will know exactly when to change the article.

Here is the complete list of Sun Letters:

Seeing them in sentences

To help you get used to this, read these sentences out loud. Pay attention to how the double letter is pronounced. It should be held slightly longer than a single letter.

(Note: In the sentence above, ‘Raġel’ takes ‘Ir-’, but ‘Ħobż’ keeps ‘Il-’ because Ħ is not a sun letter!)

Summary

Learning the Sun Letters is a huge step in sounding like a local. If you use il- for everything, people will understand you, but it will sound very foreign.

Here are the key takeaways:

• Standard “The” is il-.
• If the word starts with Ċ, D, N, R, S, T, X, Ż, or Z, the l changes to match that letter.
• We call these Sun Letters because of the word Ix-Xemx (The Sun).
• This rule exists to make speaking easier and smoother.