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 isC₁v̄C₂vC₃ and the past participle ismvC₁C₂v̄C₃ for sound/geminate/hollow roots ormvC₁C₂i for final-weak ones.

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

• qatel(“tokill”, literally“he killed”)
• ħabb(“tolove”, literally“he loved”)
• weħel(“to bestuck”, literally“he was stuck”)
• bies(“tokiss”, literally“he kissed”)
• mexa(“towalk”, literally“he walked”)

See also:Category:Maltese form-I verbs

The past participle ismC₁vC₂C₂vC₃ for sound/geminate/hollow roots ormC₁vC₂C₂i for final-weak ones.

This stem is formed by doubling the secondradical. The meaning this form imparts isintensive orcausative.

• waħħal(“to make sb.write”, literally“he made sb. write”)
• ħabbeb(“to make sb.love”, literally“he made sb. love”)
• waħħal(“tostick”, literally“he stuck”)
• għajjat(“toscream”, literally“he screamed”)
• mexxa(“tolead”, literally“he led”)

See also:Category:Maltese form-II verbs

Perfective1v̄2v3, imperfectivej1v̄2v3, passive participlem1v̄2v3, imperative (sg)1v̄2v3.

This stem is formed by lengthening the vowel after the firstradical. The meaning of this form isintensive orassociative.

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

See also:Category:Maltese form-III verbs

Some verbs originally of Form IV are:

• wera(“toshow”, literally“he showed”)
• ta(“togive”, literally“he gave”)
• għama(“toblind”, literally“he blinded”)
• għoġob(“tolike”, literally“he liked”)

Hence generally showing a causative meaning

Perfectivet1v22v3, imperfectivejit1v22v3, passive participlemit1v22v3, imperative (sg)t1v22v3.

This stem is formed by prefixingassimilativet- to Form II. The meaning this form imparts is themediopassive of form II.

• tkisser(“to bebroken”, literally“he became broken”)
• thedded(“tothreaten”, literally“he was threatened”)
• twaħħal(“to bestuck”, literally“he became stuck”)
• tbajjad(“to bepainted”, literally“he bacame painted”)
• tmexxa(“to beled”, literally“he was led”)

See also:Category:Maltese form-V verbs

Perfectivet1v̄2v3, imperfectivejit1v̄2v3, active participle1v̄2v3, passive participlemit1v̄2v3, imperative (sg)t1v̄2v3.

This stem is formed by lengthening the vowel after the firstradical.

• tbierek(“to beblessed”, literally“he was blessed”)
• ttajar(“toflyover”, literally“he flew over”)
• tħama(“todefend one another”, literally“he defended another”)

See also:Category:Maltese form-VI verbs

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

A: In the case 1 is ans orx, an- is added before it and a-t- is added after it; Perfectiven1tv2v3 orn1tv23 orn1tv̄3, imperfectivejin1t2v3 orjin1tv23 orjin1tv̄3, imperative (sg)vn1t2v3 orn1tv23 orn1tv̄3.

B: In the case 1 is angħ or a sonorant consonant such asl,m,n orr (sometimes evenb orq), an- following a-t- is added before it; Perfectivent1v2v3 ornt1v23 ornt1v̄3, imperfectivejint12v3 orjint1v23 orjint1v̄3, imperative (sg)vnt12v3 ornt1v23 ornt1v̄3.

C: For almost all other cases justn- is added before the first radical; Perfectiven1v2v3 orn1v23 orn1v̄3, imperfectivejin12v3 orjin1v23 orjin1v̄3, imperative (sg)n12v3 orn1v23 orn1v̄3.

• nsteraq(“to bestolen”, literally“he was stolen”)
• nstab(“to befound”, literally“he was found”)
• ntiret(“to beinherited”, literally“he was inherited”)
• ntlemaħ(“to beseen”, literally“he was seen”)
• nkiser(“to bebroken”, literally“he became broken”)
• nħabb(“to beloved”, literally“he was loved”)

See also:Category:Maltese form-VII verbs

Perfective1tv2v3,1tv23 or1tv̄3, imperfectivejv1t2v3 orj1tv23 orj1tv̄3 , active participle1v̄2v3, passive participlemi1tv2v3, imperative (sg)1tv2v3 or1tv23.

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

• ftakar(“to beremembered”, literally“he remembered”)
• mtedd(“tolie down”, literally“he lay down”)
• xtaq(“towish”, literally“he wished”)

See also:Category:Maltese form-VIII verbs

Perfective12v̄3, imperfectivejv12v̄3, active participle1v̄2v3, 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 thestative orinchoative, of the first form.

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

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

See also:Category:Maltese form-IX verbs

A: Formed by prefixingst- to the Form I; Perfectivestv12v3,stv2v3,st1v23 orst1v̄3, imperfectivejist12v3,jistv2v3,jist1v23 orjist1v̄3, passive participlemistv12v3,mistv2v3 ormist1v23 ormist1v̄3, imperative (sg)stv12v3,stv2v3,st1v23 orst1v̄3.

B: Formed by prefixingst- to the Form II; Perfectivest1v22v3, imperfectivejist1v22v3, passive participlemist1v22v3, imperative (sg)st1v22v3.

The meaning this form imparts is thestative orexperiential.

• stagħġeb(“to beamazed”, literally“he was amazed”)
• stħajjel(“toimagine”, literally“he imagined”)
• staħba(“tohide”, literally“he hid”)
• stħaqq(“todeserve”, literally“he deserved”)

See also:Category:Maltese form-X verbs

• Maltese verbs
• Maltese appendices
• Verb appendices