Learning a few basic words in Maltese makes your trip to Malta much more enjoyable.

Locals always appreciate it when tourists make an effort to speak their native language.

While almost everyone in Malta speaks English fluently, knowing some essential Maltese travel phrases will help you connect with the culture.

I’ll show you exactly how to say the most important phrases you need for your upcoming holiday.

Learning to pronounce these words is very straightforward once you understand the basics.

If you’re serious about learning the language before your trip, your first step should be signing up for Talk In Maltese.

Our platform is the absolute best way to practice pronunciation and build your conversational skills quickly.

Greetings and polite expressions

The most common way to start a conversation with a local is by using a simple greeting.

Maltese people are very polite, so using words like “please” and “thank you” goes a long way.

Here are the most essential greetings you’ll use every day on your trip.

You’ll likely hear these phrases the moment you step into a shop or a local café.

Here’s how a basic morning greeting might look in practice.

Getting around and asking for directions

Malta has an excellent public transport system, but you still might need to ask for directions.

Knowing how to ask where a specific location is will save you a lot of time.

Use the phrase fejn hu (for masculine words) or fejn hi (for feminine words) to ask “where is”.

Here’s a practical example of how to ask for the bathroom.

Ordering food and drinks

Eating out is one of the best parts of visiting the Maltese islands.

Whether you’re buying a quick pastizz from a bakery or dining at a nice restaurant in Valletta, these phrases are very useful.

You’ll constantly use the phrase kemm jiswa dan when shopping in local markets.

When ordering a drink at a bar, you can simply state what you want and add “please”.

Emergencies and helpful phrases

Sometimes things don’t go according to plan when traveling.

If you ever feel lost or overwhelmed, it’s completely acceptable to ask someone to switch to English.

These phrases will help you navigate confusing or urgent situations safely.

It’s very common for tourists to use the following phrase if they can’t keep up with fast native speech.

A quick note on regional variations

If you take a ferry over to Malta’s sister island, Gozo, you’ll notice a difference in the language.

Gozitans speak a specific regional dialect called Għawdxi.

This dialect has a very distinct accent, longer vowel sounds, and some unique vocabulary words.

However, you don’t need to worry about learning a completely different set of phrases.

Standard Maltese is fully understood by everyone in Gozo, so all the travel phrases in this guide will work perfectly there as well.

To hear real native speakers pronouncing these exact phrases and more, be sure to start your learning journey with Talk In Maltese today.