Appendix:Maltese verbs

Maltese verb morphology has two layers:

1. Semitic: Maltese verbs, like their Arabic ancestors, are built through a system of derivation: from a single consonantal root a set of distinct verb stems can be generated. Modern grammars normally label these stems “form I”, “form II”, and so on. The productive inventory today covers ten triliteral patterns (forms I – X). The old Arabic form IV survives only in a handful of common verbs now treated as form I. For roots of four consonants there are two regular patterns, conventionally called “form Iq” and “form IIq”. These quadriliteral stems behave in parallel to the triliteral series: form Iq is the basic stem, while form IIq adds a prefixed t- and usually carries reflexive or passive meaning. Each stem has its own set of participles and verbal nouns, and together they supply much of the native Maltese vocabulary.

1. Non-Semitic: Large numbers of verbs borrowed from Sicilian, Italian and, more recently, English dispense with the root-and-pattern system altogether. They use a fixed concatenative stem plus regular inflectional endings (e.g. rrisponda, ddependa). While they conjugate with native suffixes, their internal morphology remains as transparent as in the donor languages and they do not participate in the Semitic derivational series.

Examples and dictionary head-words are cited in the classical Semitic fashion—the third-person masculine singular perfect (e.g. qatel “he killed”, kiteb “he wrote”), which serves as the standard lemma form.

The active participle is C₁v̄C₂vC₃ and the past participle is mvC₁C₂v̄C₃ for sound/geminate/hollow roots or mvC₁C₂i for final-weak ones.

This is the simplest basic form of a verb; it gives the general idea of its root. Most verbs are triliteral, but there are a few quadriliteral ones.

• qatel (“to kill”, literally “he killed”)
• ħabb (“to love”, literally “he loved”)
• weħel (“to be stuck”, literally “he was stuck”)
• bies (“to kiss”, literally “he kissed”)
• mexa (“to walk”, literally “he walked”)

See also: Category:Maltese form-I verbs

The past participle is mC₁vC₂C₂vC₃ for sound/geminate/hollow roots or mC₁vC₂C₂i for final-weak ones.

This stem is formed by doubling the second radical. The meaning this form imparts is intensive or causative.

• waħħal (“to make sb. write”, literally “he made sb. write”)
• ħabbeb (“to make sb. love”, literally “he made sb. love”)
• waħħal (“to stick”, literally “he sticked”)
• għajjat (“to scream”, literally “he screamed”)
• mexxa (“to lead”, literally “he led”)

See also: Category:Maltese form-II verbs

Perfective 1v̄2v3, imperfective j1v̄2v3, passive participle m1v̄2v3, imperative (sg) 1v̄2v3.

This stem is formed by lengthening the vowel after the first radical. The meaning of this form is intensive or associative

• bierek (“to make sb. write”, literally “he made sb. write”)
• miera (“to contradict”, literally “he contracted”)

See also: Category:Maltese form-III verbs

Some verbs originally of Form IV are:

• wera (“to show”, literally “he showed”)
• ta (“to give”, literally “he gave”)
• għama (“to blind”, literally “he blinded”)
• għoġob (“to like”, literally “he liked”)

However, one should note how many of these start with an 'għ' (as this verb form was uncommon to begin with), hence orthographically it wouldn't make a difference if one where to write għama or agħma. Do to this fact and for simplicity, all Form IV verbs are now classified under Form 1 as they share the exact same morphology (sometimes with the exception of 'wera' being the most known verb to have been of Form IV)

Perfective t1v22v3, imperfective jit1v22v3, passive participle mit1v22v3, imperative (sg) t1v22v3.

This stem is formed by prefixing assimilative t- to Form II. The meaning this form imparts is the mediopassive of form II.

• tkisser (“to be broken”, literally “he became broken”)
• thedded (“to threaten”, literally “he was threatened”)
• twaħħal (“to be stuck”, literally “he became stuck”)
• tbajjad (“to be painted”, literally “he bacame painted”)
• tmexxa (“to be led”, literally “he was led”)

See also: Category:Maltese form-V verbs

Perfective t1v̄2v3, imperfective jit1v̄2v3, active participle 1v̄2v3, passive participle mit1v̄2v3, imperative (sg) t1v̄2v3.

This stem is formed by lengthening the vowel after the first radical.

• tbierek (“to be blessed”, literally “he made was blessed”)
• ttajar (“to fly over”, literally “he flyed over”)
• tħama (“to defend one another”, literally “he defended an other”)

See also: Category:Maltese form-VI verbs

One should note there are a further three types of Form VII verbs, all involving prefixing n- to Form I, however differ slightly based on the nature of the first radical:

A: In the case 1 is an s or x, a n- is added before it and a -t- is added after it; Perfective n1tv2v3 or n1tv23 or n1tv̄3, imperfective jin1t2v3 or jin1tv23 or jin1tv̄3, imperative (sg) vn1t2v3 or n1tv23 or n1tv̄3.

B: In the case 1 is an għ or a sonorant consonant such as l, m, n or r (sometimes even b or q), a n- following a -t- is added before it; Perfective nt1v2v3 or nt1v23 or nt1v̄3, imperfective jint12v3 or jint1v23 or jint1v̄3, imperative (sg) vnt12v3 or nt1v23 or nt1v̄3.

C: For almost all other cases just n- is added before the first radical; Perfective n1v2v3 or n1v23 or n1v̄3, imperfective jin12v3 or jin1v23 or jin1v̄3, imperative (sg) n12v3 or n1v23 or n1v̄3.

• nsteraq (“to be stolen”, literally “he was stolen”)
• nstab (“to be found”, literally “he was found”)
• ntiret (“to be inherited”, literally “he was inherited”)
• ntlemaħ (“to be seen”, literally “he was seen”)
• nkiser (“to be broken”, literally “he became broken”)
• nħabb (“to be loved”, literally “he was loved”)

See also: Category:Maltese form-VII verbs

Perfective 1tv2v3, 1tv23 or 1tv̄3, imperfective jv1t2v3 or j1tv23 or j1tv̄3 , active participle 1v̄2v3, passive participle mi1tv2v3, imperative (sg) 1tv2v3 or 1tv23.

This stem is formed by infixing -t- after the first radical. The meaning this form imparts is the reflexive or sometimes passive, of the first form.

• ftakar (“to be remembered”, literally “he remembered”)
• mtedd (“to lie down”, literally “he lied down”)
• xtaq (“to wish”, literally “he wished”)

See also: Category:Maltese form-VIII verbs

Perfective 12v̄3, imperfective jv12v̄3, active participle 1v̄2v3, imperative (sg) 12v̄3.

This stem is formed by dropping the first vowel and lengthening the second vowel of Form I. The meaning this form imparts is the stative or inchoative, of the first form.

One may notice this seems closer to Arabic's Form XI

• twal (“to grow tall”, literally “he grew tall”)
• krieh (“to grow ugly”, literally “he grew ugly”)

See also: Category:Maltese form-IX verbs

A: Formed by prefixing st- to the Form I; Perfective stv12v3, stv2v3, st1v23 or st1v̄3, imperfective jist12v3, jistv2v3,jist1v23 or jist1v̄3, passive participle mistv12v3, mistv2v3 or mist1v23 or mist1v̄3, imperative (sg) stv12v3, stv2v3, st1v23 or st1v̄3.

B: Formed by prefixing st- to the Form II; Perfective st1v22v3, imperfective jist1v22v3, passive participle mist1v22v3, imperative (sg) st1v22v3.

The meaning this form imparts is the stative or experiential.

• stagħġeb (“to be amazed”, literally “he was amazed”)
• stħajjel (“to imagine”, literally “he imagined”)
• staħba (“to hide”, literally “he hid”)
• stħaqq (“to deserve”, literally “he deserved”)

See also: Category:Maltese form-X verbs