Verbi Sħaħ fil-Praterit
Learn to conjugate regular three-letter and four-letter sound roots in the past tense.
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I wrote / you (sg.) wrote
The first-person singular and second-person singular past tense form of the regular sound verb 'kiteb' (to write), derived from the trilateral root k-t-b. The context of the sentence clarifies whether 'I' or 'you' is the subject.
Ktibt l-email li rrakmandajtli imma għadha ma rċevietx tweġiba.
I wrote the email you recommended, but it hasn't received a reply yet.
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he wrote
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the root k-t-b. In Maltese linguistics, this exact form serves as the base dictionary entry for the verb 'to write'.
Ġorġ kiteb artiklu sabiħ ħafna dwar l-istorja tal-pjazza tagħna.
George wrote a very nice article about the history of our square.
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she wrote
The third-person feminine singular past tense form of the regular verb 'kiteb'. It is formed by adding the suffix '-et' to the base masculine root form.
Oħti kitbet it-tessera tal-istedina kollha f'lejla waħda.
My sister wrote all the invitation cards in a single evening.
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we wrote
The first-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'kiteb'. It is constructed by appending the plural marker suffix '-na' to the stem.
Ktibna ittra sħiħa lill-kunsill biex nilmentaw dwar il-bankini.
We wrote a whole letter to the council to complain about the pavements.
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you (pl.) wrote
The second-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'kiteb'. It uses the suffix '-tu' to denote that a group of people performed the action of writing.
Mela ktibtu l-messaġġ fuq il-kartolina jew għadkom mazzati?
So did you all write the message on the postcard, or are you still stuck?
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they wrote
The third-person plural past tense form of the regular verb 'kiteb'. It drops the internal short vowel and takes the suffix '-u' to represent a plural 'they' subject.
It-tfal kitbu l-isbaħ xewqat tagħhom fuq il-bord qabel ma telqu.
The children wrote their best wishes on the board before they left.
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I understood / you wrote
The first-person and second-person singular past tense conjugation of the regular sound verb 'fehem' (to understand), stemming from the root f-h-m.
Fhimt eżatt x'ridt tfisser bl-aħħar kelma li għedtli.
I understood exactly what you meant by the last word you told me.
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he understood
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the root f-h-m. It represents the dictionary citation form for the concept of understanding in past tense.
Ir-raġel mill-ewwel fehem li kien hema żball kbir fil-kalkoli.
The man immediately understood that there was a huge mistake in the calculations.
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she understood
The third-person feminine singular past tense conjugation of the sound root f-h-m, indicating a female subject who comprehended something in the past.
Id-direttriċi fehmet is-sitwazzjoni tiegħi u tatni ġurnata frank.
The director understood my situation and gave me a day off.
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we understood
The first-person plural past tense form of the verb 'fehem'. The internal vowel shifts to accommodate the vocalic weight of the plural past tense suffix '-na'.
Fhimna d-direzzjonijiet mill-ewwel u ma ntilfniex fit-triq.
We understood the directions right away and didn't get lost on the way.
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you (pl.) understood
The second-person plural past tense form of the regular sound verb 'fehem' (to understand). It uses the plural suffix '-tu' attached to the modified consonantal root stem.
Mela fhimtu x'għandkom tagħmlu għada jew triduni nispjega mill-ġdid?
So did you all understand what you have to do tomorrow or do you want me to explain again?
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they understood
The third-person plural past tense form of the regular verb 'fehem'. It features a vowel drop in the second syllable of the root as it takes the plural inflectional suffix '-u'.
Huma fehmu d-diffikultajiet tagħna u mill-ewwel bidlu l-ħinijiet tal-laqgħat.
They understood our difficulties and immediately changed the meeting times.
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I went out / you (sg.) went out
The first-person and second-person singular past tense form of the regular sound verb 'ħareġ' (to go out / exit), coming from the root ħ-r-ġ. The exact subject pronoun is inferred through sentence context.
Biss ħriġt mill-uffiċċju, indunajt li kont insejt il-mowbajl fuq l-iskrivanija.
As soon as I left the office, I realized I had left my phone on the desk.
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he went out / he published
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the root ħ-r-ġ. This base form functions as the foundational citation structure in Maltese dictionaries.
Pawlu ħareġ il-klieb dawra mar-raħal qabel ma beda d-diska tal-festa.
Paul took the dogs out for a walk around the village before the feast music started.
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she went out / she exited
The third-person feminine singular past tense form of the regular verb 'ħareġ'. It appends the feminine past ending '-et' to the root, shifting the internal stress.
Marija ħarġet tiġri biex tilħaq tal-linja li kienet waslet fuq il-gallerija.
Maria ran out to catch the bus that had just arrived at the stage.
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we went out / we exited
The first-person plural past tense conjugation of the sound verb 'ħareġ'. It combines the contracted root structure with the plural ending '-na'.
Ħriġna dawra biex nibdlu l-arja u l-aħħar spiċċajna kkiljajna xi ħaġa żgħira.
We went out for a drive to get a breath of fresh air and ended up grabbing a bite to eat.
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you (pl.) went out
The second-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'ħareġ'. The suffix '-tu' indicates that multiple listeners performed the action of exiting or leaving.
Għalfejn ħriġtu dawk il-kaxxi kollha barra jekk se terġa' tibda x-xita?
Why did you all bring those boxes outside if it is about to start raining again?
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they went out / they exited
The third-person plural past tense configuration of the sound root ħ-r-ġ. It features syncopation of the base vowel when the plural suffix '-u' is added.
Sħabi ħarġu kmieni mis-sinema biex jevitaw it-traffiku tal-pjazza.
My friends left the cinema early to avoid the traffic in the square.
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I entered / you (sg.) entered
The first-person and second-person singular past tense entry for the regular sound verb 'daħal' (to enter), stemming from the root d-ħ-l. Context determines the subject.
Dħalt fil-kamra bil-kwiet għax rajt li t-tarbija kienet rieqda ġmielha.
I entered the room quietly because I saw that the baby was fast asleep.
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he entered
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the regular root d-ħ-l. It acts as the lexical paradigm point for the meaning of entering in Maltese grammar.
Il-pustier daħal mill-kanċell biex iħalli l-pakkett kbir fuq l-għatba.
The postman entered through the gate to leave the large package on the doorstep.
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she entered
The third-person feminine singular past tense form of the regular sound verb 'daħal' (to enter), stemming from the root d-ħ-l. It attaches the suffix '-et' to indicate a female subject performing the action.
Kważi ma smajnihiex meta daħlet fil-kċina għax kienet miexja ħafif.
We almost didn't hear her when she entered the kitchen because she was walking so softly.
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we entered
The first-person plural past tense conjugation of the verb 'daħal'. The base vowel drops out to accommodate the plural suffix '-na'.
Kif dħalna fis-sala, indunajna li kulħadd kien qed jistenna lilna.
As soon as we entered the hall, we realized everyone was waiting for us.
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you (pl.) entered
The second-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'daħal'. It utilizes the inflectional suffix '-tu' to show that multiple listeners completed the action.
Minn fejn dħaltu fil-ġnien jekk il-bieb tal-faċċata kien imsakkar?
Where did you all enter the garden from if the front door was locked?
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they entered
The third-person plural past tense form of 'daħal'. It syncopates the second radical's vowel and adds the plural suffix '-u' to represent a plural 'they'.
Il-mistednin kollha daħlu fil-knisja eżatt qabel ma waslet l-għarusa.
All the guests entered the church exactly before the bride arrived.
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I broke / you (sg.) broke
The first-person and second-person singular past tense conjugation of the regular sound verb 'kiser' (to break), derived from the root k-s-r. Context indicates whether it means 'I' or 'you'.
Aħfirli, ksirt it-tazza tal-kristall waqt li kont qed innaddaf l-ixkaffa.
Forgive me, I broke the crystal glass while I was cleaning the shelf.
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he broke / he turned
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the root k-s-r, functioning as the standard dictionary entry. Besides physically breaking something, it can colloquially mean turning a corner while driving.
Ir-raġel kiser il-ftehim li kellna u ma ġabx il-merkanzija fil-ħin.
The man broke the agreement we had and did not bring the goods on time.
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she broke
The third-person feminine singular past tense form of the verb 'kiser'. It shows a female subject broke an object, a law, or a promise in the past.
It-tifla ddispjaċiha ħafna meta kisret il-logħba l-ġdida ta' ħuha.
The girl was very sorry when she broke her brother's new toy.
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we broke / we turned
The first-person plural past tense form of 'kiser'. It combines the contracted consonantal root structure with the plural ending '-na'.
Ksirna fuq il-lemin malli rajna s-sinjal tal-pompa tal-petrol.
We turned right as soon as we saw the sign for the petrol station.
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you (pl.) broke
The second-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'kiser'. The suffix '-tu' indicates that a group of people performed the action of breaking or turning.
Għalfejn ksirtu r-regoli tal-logħba jekk kontu tafu li se tiġu skwalifikati?
Why did you all break the rules of the game if you knew you would be disqualified?
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they broke
The third-person plural past tense configuration of the root k-s-r. It drops the internal vowel of the second syllable when matching the plural suffix '-u'.
Huma kisru r-rekord nazzjonali tat-tbaħħir b'aktar minn żewġ minuti.
They broke the national sailing record by more than two minutes.
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I heard / you (sg.) heard
The first-person and second-person singular past tense form of the verb 'sama'' (to listen / hear), from the root s-m-għ. Because the third radical is an 'għ' (which disappears phonetically here but hardens into a 't' sound structurally), the ending becomes '-it'.
Smit l-aħbar fuq ir-radju waqt li kont qed insuq lejn il-pjazza.
I heard the news on the radio while I was driving to the square.
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he heard / he listened
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the root s-m-għ. It serves as the standard lexical lemma for 'to hear' or 'to listen' in Maltese dictionaries.
In-nannu ma sama' xejn mill-ħoss tal-bomba għax truxija sew.
The grandfather didn't hear any of the bomb's noise because he is quite deaf.
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she heard / she listened
The third-person feminine singular past tense form of 'sama''. Here, the underlying pharyngeal radical 'għ' forces the feminine past suffix to resolve as '-għet', which is pronounced like a long 'met' or 'at' vowel transition depending on dialect.
Oħti samgħet il-mowbajl idoqq minn taħt il-kuxxin tas-sodda.
My sister heard the mobile phone ringing from underneath the bed cushion.
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we heard / we listened
The first-person plural past tense form of the root s-m-għ. The silent 'għ' dropping out causes the syllable structure to shorten when combined with the plural ending '-na'.
Smina d-daqq tal-festa mill-bogħod u mill-ewwel bdejna nersqu.
We heard the feast music from afar and immediately started heading closer.
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you (pl.) heard
The second-person plural past tense form of 'sama''. Similar to the singular forms, the interaction with the 'għ' root radical shapes the stem before attaching the plural marker '-tu'.
Mela smitu x'qal id-direttur fuq it-televixin jew kontu rieqda?
So did you all hear what the director said on television, or were you asleep?
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they heard / they listened
The third-person plural past tense form of the root s-m-għ. It takes the plural suffix '-u', which blends with the guttural/silent properties of the 'għ' environment.
Huma samgħu l-għajta tiegħi u rsaqu biex jagħtuni l-id tagħhom.
They heard my shout and stepped over to give me a hand.
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I searched / you (sg.) searched
An alternative, highly colloquial phonetic variant or stem reduction encountered in speech for the first- and second-person past tense of Form II intensive verbs like 'fittex' (root f-t-x). It means 'I searched' or 'you searched'.
Fsaqt kull rokna tad-dar biex insib iċ-ċavetta tal-karozza.
I searched every corner of the house to find the car key.
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he searched / he looked for
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the regular Form II sound verb derived from the root f-t-x. This functions as the dictionary citation form for 'to search' or 'to seek'.
Il-pulizija fittex fil-basket kollu tiegħu biex jara jekk għandux il-karti.
The policeman searched through his entire bag to see if he had the paperwork.
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she searched / she looked for
The third-person feminine singular past tense conjugation of the Form II sound verb 'fittex'. The double middle radical undergoes structural vowel syncopation when the feminine suffix '-et' is appended.
L-omm fittxet it-tifel tagħha fil-pjazza kollha sakemm sabitu wara l-knisja.
The mother searched for her boy across the whole square until she found him behind the church.
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we searched / we looked for
The first-person plural past tense form of the intensive verb root f-t-x (fittex), showcasing the colloquial vowel contraction typical of certain fast-spoken or regional Maltese past tense paradigms.
Fsaqna l-internet kollu imma l-prezzijiet tal-lukandi baqgħu għaljin.
We searched the entire internet but the hotel prices remained expensive.
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you (pl.) searched
The second-person plural past tense form of the intensive Form II verb 'fittex' (to search), utilizing a colloquial or dialectal vowel-shaved stem common in spoken Maltese. It is used when addressing a group of people about a search they conducted.
Mela fsaqtu sew fil-karozza kollha qabel ma ddeċidejtu li tliftu l-mowbajl?
So did you all search thoroughly throughout the car before deciding you lost the mobile?
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they searched / looked for
The third-person plural past tense form of the regular Form II verb 'fittex'. The second vowel drops out (syncopation) when the plural past tense suffix '-u' is added to the root.
It-tfal fittxu l-ballun fil-ħaxix għal siegħa sħiħa sakemm sabuh.
The children searched for the ball in the grass for a whole hour until they found it.
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I worked / you (sg.) worked
The first-person and second-person singular past tense conjugation of the regular sound verb 'ħadem' (to work), derived from the trilateral root ħ-d-m. Grammatical context dictates whether the subject is 'I' or 'you'.
Il-bieraħ ħdimt sa tard bil-lejl biex lesta r-rapport li qalli d-direttur.
Yesterday I worked until late at night to finish the report the director told me about.
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he worked / it functioned
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the sound root ħ-d-m. It represents the citation lemma in Maltese dictionaries, used for a male subject working or a machine functioning.
Ir-raġel ħadem għal snin twal fil-fabbrika qabel ma ħa l-pensjoni.
The man worked for many long years in the factory before taking his pension.
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she worked / it functioned
The third-person feminine singular past tense conjugation of the regular verb 'ħadem'. It appends the suffix '-et' to indicate a female subject or a feminine noun (like a machine/vessel) that functioned.
Il-magna tal-ħasil ħadmet tajjeb ħafna wara li biddilnielha l-parti.
The washing machine worked very well after we changed its part.
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we worked
The first-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'ħadem'. It is formed by joining the plural past tense suffix '-na' to the modified root stem.
Ħdimna flimkien bħala tim u rnexxielna nispiċċaw il-proġett qabel il-ħin.
We worked together as a team and managed to finish the project ahead of time.
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you (pl.) worked
The second-person plural past tense form of the regular verb 'ħadem'. The suffix '-tu' indicates that the action of working was performed by the group of people being addressed.
Mela ħdimtu l-Ħadd ukoll biex laħaqtu d-deadline tal-kumpanija?
So did you all work on Sunday too in order to meet the company's deadline?
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they worked
The third-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'ħadem'. The core vowel of the second syllable drops out when the plural inflectional suffix '-u' is added.
Huma ħadmu bla waqfien biex inaddfu t-triq mill-friegħi li qata' r-riħ.
They worked nonstop to clear the street of branches that the wind had snapped.
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I kept silent / you (sg.) kept silent
The first-person and second-person singular past tense conjugation of the sound verb 'skot' (to keep silent), based on the root s-k-t. The internal vowel switches to 'a' before adding the past tense 't' sound.
Għalkemm ma qbiltx miegħu, skatt għax ma ridtx naqla' battibekk fil-pjazza.
Although I didn't agree with him, I kept silent because I didn't want to start an argument in the square.
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he kept silent / fell quiet
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the trilateral sound root s-k-t. It is the basic dictionary paradigm entry for the action of falling silent or remaining quiet.
Malli daħal id-direttur fil-kamra, kulħadd skot u qagħad jisma'.
As soon as the director entered the room, everyone fell silent and stood listening.
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she kept silent
The third-person feminine singular past tense form of the regular sound verb 'skot' (to keep silent / fall quiet), coming from the root s-k-t. It appends the suffix '-et' to indicate a female subject who stopped speaking.
It-tifla skotet malli rat l-omm tħares lejha b'għajnejn ħorox.
The girl fell silent as soon as she saw her mother looking at her with stern eyes.
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we kept silent
The first-person plural past tense conjugation of the sound verb 'skot'. The internal root vowel shifts to 'a' when combining with the plural past tense marker suffix '-na'.
Aħna skatna u ma ridniex inkomplu l-argument biex ma nkabbrux il-kwistjoni.
We kept silent and did not want to continue the argument so as not to escalate the issue.
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you (pl.) kept silent
The second-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'skot'. It uses the suffix '-tu' attached to the modified root stem to denote that the group being addressed fell quiet.
Għalfejn skattu f'daqqa waħda meta dħalt jien fil-kamra tal-laqgħat?
Why did you all suddenly fall silent when I entered the meeting room?
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they kept silent
The third-person plural past tense form of the regular verb 'skot'. It is used for a plural 'they' subject, dropping the second syllable vowel before taking the plural suffix '-u'.
Huma skotu mill-ewwel meta l-għalliem beda jikteb fuq il-bord.
They fell silent immediately when the teacher started writing on the board.
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I wore / you (sg.) wore
The first-person and second-person singular past tense configuration of the regular sound verb 'libes' (to wear / put on clothes), derived from the root l-b-s. The internal vowel transitions to an 'a' in these subject forms.
Labast il-ġakketta s-sewda għax barra sibt riħ iqatta' u bard kbir.
I wore the black jacket because outside I found a biting wind and great cold.
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he wore / he put on
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the root l-b-s. This unaltered root form serves as the standard citation lemma in all Maltese dictionaries.
Ir-raġel libes l-isbaħ qmis li kellu għax kien mistieden għal tieġ.
The man wore the best shirt he had because he was invited to a wedding.
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she wore / she put on
The third-person feminine singular past tense conjugation of the regular verb 'libes'. It adds the standard feminine past suffix '-et' to indicate a female subject.
Oħti libset il-libsa l-ġdida li xtrat il-ġimgħa l-oħra mill-pjazza.
My sister wore the new dress she bought last week from the square.
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we wore / we put on
The first-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'libes'. It shifts the inner stem vowels to 'a' before appending the plural marker suffix '-na'.
Labasna l-isports għax konna nafu li se jkollna mixja twila fil-wied.
We wore sportswear because we knew we were going to have a long walk in the valley.
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you (pl.) wore
The second-person plural past tense form of 'libes'. The suffix '-tu' indicates that a group of people being addressed performed the action of putting on or wearing clothing.
Mela labastu l-istess megħreq għall-festa tar-raħal biex tiftakru bħala tim?
So did you all wear the same T-shirt for the village feast to be recognized as a team?
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they wore / they put on
The third-person plural past tense configuration of the sound root l-b-s. It drops the internal short vowel of the second syllable when matching the plural past tense suffix '-u'.
It-tfal libsu l-kowtijiet malajr u ħarġu jiġru fil-bitħa.
The children put on their coats quickly and ran out into the yard.
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I drank / you (sg.) drank
The first-person and second-person singular past tense form of the regular sound verb 'xorob' (to drink), derived from the root x-r-b. The context of the sentence distinguishes between 'I' or 'you'.
Xrobt tazza ilma kiesħa biex naqta' l-għatx malli prattikament dħalt mid-dar.
I drank a glass of cold water to quench my thirst as soon as I practically walked into the house.
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he drank
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the sound root x-r-b. This functions as the base lemma for the verb 'to drink' in Maltese dictionaries.
Ir-raġel xorob il-kafè tiegħu sħun qabel ma ħareġ għax-xogħol.
The man drank his coffee hot before leaving for work.
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she drank
The third-person feminine singular past tense conjugation of the regular verb 'xorob'. The internal vowels shift dynamically as it takes the feminine suffix '-ot'.
It-tifla xorbot il-meraq tal-larinġ kollu f'daqqa.
The girl drank all the orange juice at once.
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we drank
The first-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'xorob'. It is formed by appending the plural inflectional suffix '-na' to the modified root stem.
Xrobna flixkun inbid tajjeb waqt li konna qed nieklu r-ross il-forn.
We drank a good bottle of wine while we were eating baked rice.
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you (pl.) drank
The second-person plural past tense form of 'xorob'. The suffix '-tu' indicates that a group of people being addressed performed the action of drinking.
Mela xrobtu l-luminata kollha li ħallejt fil-friġġ għal wara nofsinhar?
So did you all drink all the lemonade I left in the fridge for the afternoon?
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they drank
The third-person plural past tense configuration of the sound root x-r-b. The second syllable vowel syncopates when the plural past tense suffix '-u' is added.
Il-mistednin xorbu għas-saħħa tal-għarajjes il-ġodda fl-aħħar tar-riċeviment.
The guests drank to the health of the newlyweds at the end of the reception.
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I shared / I crossed
The first-person and second-person singular past tense conjugation of the regular sound verb 'qasam' (to divide, share, or cross), from the root q-s-m. Grammatical context determines the exact pronoun subject.
Qsamt il-ftira tiegħi ma' sħabi tax-xogħol għax kienet kbira wisq.
I shared my ftira with my workmates because it was too large.
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he shared / he crossed
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the regular root q-s-m. This acts as the citation lemma in Maltese dictionaries, commonly used for crossing a street or dividing an object.
Ir-raġel qasam it-triq minn fuq il-linji bojod biex imur lejn is-suq.
The man crossed the street at the zebra crossing to go towards the market.
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she shared / she crossed
The third-person feminine singular past tense conjugation of the regular verb 'qasam'. It appends the standard suffix '-et' to show that a female subject shared or crossed something.
Il-qattusa qasmet il-bitħa b'salt wieħed malli rat il-kelb dieħel.
The cat crossed the yard in a single leap as soon as she saw the dog entering.
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we shared / we crossed
The first-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'qasam'. It is constructed by connecting the plural suffix '-na' to the compressed root structure.
Qsamna l-wied bil-mixi biex igawdu l-freskur ta' filgħodu kmieni.
We crossed the valley on foot to enjoy the crisp freshness of the early morning.
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you (pl.) shared / crossed
The second-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'qasam' (to share / cross). The suffix '-tu' indicates that the action was completed by the group of people being addressed.
Mela qsamtu l-larinġa bejnietkom jew kiltuha kollha intom waħedkom?
So did you all share the orange among yourselves or did you eat it all on your own?
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they shared / crossed
The third-person plural past tense form of the regular sound verb 'qasam'. The second vowel undergoes syncopation (drops out) when the plural past tense suffix '-u' is added.
In-nies qasmu l-pjazza kollha f'daqqa meta nstama' l-ewwel murtal tal-festa.
The people crossed the entire square all at once when the first feast firework was heard.
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we lost / we missed
The first-person plural past tense conjugation of the sound verb 'tilef' (to lose / miss), from the root t-l-f. It drops the internal stem vowel to attach the plural suffix '-na'.
Tlifna l-vapur t'Għawdex għax sibna xogħol fuq it-triq u weħilna fit-traffiku.
We missed the Gozo ferry because we encountered roadworks and got stuck in traffic.
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you (pl.) lost / missed
The second-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'tilef'. It features the inflectional suffix '-tu' joined to the contracted consonantal root stem.
Fejn tliftu l-ballun tal-futbol il-ġdid, fil-wied jew wara ċ-ċint tal-pustier?
Where did you all lose the new football, in the valley or behind the postman's wall?
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they lost / they missed
The third-person plural past tense configuration of the root t-l-f. It indicates that a plural 'they' subject lost a game, object, or missed an appointment in the past.
Sħabi tilfu t-tieni taqsima tal-logħba għax baqgħu jixtru l-pastizzi mill-ħanut.
My friends missed the second half of the game because they stayed buying pastizzi from the shop.
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I asked / I prayed
The first-person and second-person singular past tense form of the sound verb 'talab' (to ask / pray / request), from the root t-l-b. Sentence context reveals whether it means 'I' or 'you'.
Tlabt kont tal-elettriku ġdid għax il-qadim qatt ma wasal megħreq fil-kaxxa.
I requested a new electricity bill because the old one never arrived in the mailbox.
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he asked / he prayed
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the regular root t-l-b. This serves as the citation lemma in all standard Maltese dictionary entries for requesting or praying.
Ir-raġel talab lill-pustier biex iħallilu l-pakkett mal-ġirien jekk ma jsibux.
The man asked the postman to leave the package with the neighbors if he didn't find him.
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she asked / she prayed
The third-person feminine singular past tense conjugation of the sound verb 'talab'. It appends the standard feminine past suffix '-et' to show that a female subject made a request or prayed.
In-nanna talbet għas-saħħa tal-familja kollha waqt li kienet fil-knisja.
The grandmother prayed for the health of the whole family while she was in church.
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we asked / we prayed
The first-person plural past tense form of the verb 'talab'. The root undergoes a vowel shift to merge efficiently with the plural suffix '-na'.
Tlabna permess mill-kunsill lokali biex nagħlqu t-triq għall-festa tal-pjazza.
We requested permission from the local council to close the street for the square's feast.
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you (pl.) asked / prayed
The second-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'talab'. It uses the past suffix '-tu' to demonstrate that the group being addressed performed the action of asking or praying.
Għalfejn tlabtu għajnuna mingħand id-direttur jekk ix-xogħol kontu tafu tagħmluh waħedkom?
Why did you all ask for help from the director if you knew how to do the work on your own?
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they asked / they prayed
The third-person plural past tense form of the regular sound verb 'talab' (to ask / pray), derived from the root t-l-b. It drops the internal stem vowel as it appends the plural past tense suffix '-u'.
In-nies talbu lill-kunsill biex ipoġġi bank ġdid taħt id-dell tas-siġra.
The people asked the council to place a new bench under the shade of the tree.
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I hit / you (sg.) hit
The first-person and second-person singular past tense form of the regular sound verb 'laqat' (to hit / strike), from the root l-q-t. Grammatical context reveals whether it means 'I' or 'you'.
Aħfirli, lbaqt il-mera tal-karozza tiegħek waqt li kont qed noħroġ mill-garax.
Forgive me, I hit your car mirror while I was backing out of the garage.
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he hit / he struck
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the root l-q-t. This functions as the base paradigm entry or lemma for 'to hit' or 'to affect' in Maltese dictionaries.
Il-ballun tar-ragbi laqat il-gallerija u qaleb żewġ qsari fl-art.
The rugby ball hit the balcony and knocked two flower pots to the ground.
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she hit / she struck
The third-person feminine singular past tense conjugation of the regular verb 'laqat'. It appends the standard suffix '-et' to indicate a female subject or a feminine noun that hit something.
Il-mewġa l-kbira laqtet ix-xatt u mliet il-promenade bl-ilma.
The large wave struck the coast and filled the promenade with water.
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we hit / we struck
The first-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'laqat'. The root undergoes a vowel shift to merge cleanly with the plural suffix '-na'.
Lbaqna mal-blat minħabba l-kurrent qawwi li daħħalna fil-wied.
We hit against the rocks because of the strong current that dragged us into the valley.
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you (pl.) hit / struck
The second-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'laqat'. The suffix '-tu' indicates that a group of people being addressed performed the action of striking or hitting.
Mela lbaqtu l-lasta tal-lastra darbtejn u xorta tliftu l-logħba?
So you all hit the goalpost twice and still lost the game?
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they hit / they struck
The third-person plural past tense configuration of the root l-q-t. The second syllable vowel drops out when matching the plural past tense suffix '-u'.
Il-ġebel li rema l-mutur laqtu l-vetrina tal-ħanut imma ma ksirhiex.
The stones kicked up by the motorcycle hit the shop window but didn't break it.
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I lost / you (sg.) lost
The first-person and second-person singular past tense conjugation of the regular sound verb 'tilef' (to lose / miss), derived from the root t-l-f. Sentence context determines the exact pronoun subject.
Tlift iċ-ċavetta tal-uffiċċju u kelli nċempel lis-segretarja biex tinfetaħli.
I lost the office key and had to call the secretary to open up for me.
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he lost / he missed
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the regular root t-l-f. This acts as the citation lemma in Maltese dictionaries, used for a male subject losing an object, a match, or an appointment.
Ġorġ tilef il-kartiera fil-pjazza u sfortunatament kellu jikkanċella l-karti kollha.
George lost his wallet in the square and unfortunately had to cancel all his cards.
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she lost / she missed
The third-person feminine singular past tense form of the regular verb 'tilef'. It adds the standard feminine past suffix '-et' to show that a female subject lost or missed something.
Hija tilfet it-titjira t'Għawdex għax ma nnotatx il-ħin li kien inbidel fuq il-biljett.
She missed the Gozo flight because she didn't notice the time that had changed on the ticket.
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I recovered / you (sg.) recovered
The first-person and second-person singular past tense form of the sound verb 'fejaq' (to heal / cure / recover), derived from the trilateral root f-j-q. It describes recovering from an illness or injury, with the exact subject inferred from context.
Fl-aħħar fjaqt mill-influwenza kiefra li kelli l-ġimgħa l-oħra u nista' noħroġ.
I finally recovered from the severe flu I had last week and I can go out.
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we recovered
The first-person plural past tense conjugation of the sound verb 'fejaq'. The root vowels shift to form a compressed stem when the plural past tense marker suffix '-na' is appended.
Malli ħadna d-duwa li tana t-tabib, fjaqna f'lejla waħda.
As soon as we took the medicine the doctor gave us, we recovered in a single night.
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he cured / he healed
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the root f-j-q. This exact structural form serves as the standard citation lemma or entry for the verb in Maltese dictionaries.
Dan il-ġulepp tal-ħxejjex fejaq lil ħafna nies mis-sogħla kiefra tagħhom.
This herbal syrup cured many people of their severe cough.
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I cured / you (sg.) cured
The transitive first-person and second-person singular past tense conjugation of 'fejaq' when meaning 'to cure someone else'. It takes a shortened internal stem structure before appending the past ending '-t'.
Inti fejqt il-marda tiegħi bl-esperjenza kbira u l-pariri li tajtni.
You cured my illness with your great experience and the advice you gave me.
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she cured / she healed
The third-person feminine singular past tense conjugation of the regular verb 'fejaq'. It appends the standard feminine past suffix '-et' to indicate that a female subject or feminine noun (like a cream) cured an ailment.
Il-krema li rrakmandatli l-ispiżjara fejqet il-ħruq li kelli fuq idi f'ġimagħtejn.
The cream the pharmacist recommended cured the burn I had on my hand in two weeks.
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I thought / you (sg.) thought
The first-person and second-person singular past tense form of the regular sound verb 'ħaseb' (to think / assume), coming from the root ħ-s-b. Grammatical context reveals whether 'I' or 'you' is the intended subject.
Ħsibt li kont se tiftakar iċ-ċavetta tal-uffiċċju, imma jidher li t-tnejn nesejnieha.
I thought you were going to remember the office key, but it looks like we both forgot it.
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he thought / he planned
The third-person masculine singular past tense form of the sound root ħ-s-b. It functions as the basic paradigm paradigm entry or citation lemma in Maltese lexicography.
Ir-raġel ħaseb f'kollox minn qabel u xtara l-biljetti tal-vapur kmieni.
The man thought of everything in advance and bought the ferry tickets early.
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she thought / she assumed
The third-person feminine singular past tense conjugation of the regular verb 'ħaseb'. It adds the standard feminine past suffix '-et' to show that a female subject formed an opinion or thought about something.
Oħti ħasbet li s-suq kien magħluq illum minħabba l-festa tar-raħal.
My sister thought that the market was closed today due to the village feast.
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we thought / we assumed
The first-person plural past tense form of the sound verb 'ħaseb'. It is constructed by connecting the plural past suffix '-na' to the modified root stem.
Aħna ħsibna li se nersqu tard għal-laqgħa għax sibna ħafna traffiku fil-wied.
We thought we were going to arrive late for the meeting because we encountered a lot of traffic in the valley.
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they thought / they assumed
The third-person plural past tense configuration of the sound root ħ-s-b. The second vowel undergoes syncopation (vowel drop) when the plural past tense suffix '-u' is added to the verb.
Huma ħasbu li l-logħba tal-futbol kienet se tiġi kkanċellata minħabba l-ix-xita.
They thought that the football match was going to be canceled because of the rain.