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Maltese · Malti

Directory 11 resource listings . A short orientation and a solid starting list.

Honest start for Maltese: pick one beginner course or community program from the list, add 10–15 minutes of listening most days, and bookmark one reference. Ignore the rest of the directory until those three habits are alive. Use the First 500 trainer for high-frequency words. Last reviewed 2026-08-01

About Maltese

Language family
Afro-Asiatic, Semitic (with heavy Romance influence)
Source: Glottolog
Where it's spoken
Malta
Speakers
roughly 500 thousand speakers
Estimate source: Ethnologue (SIL International)
Writing
Latin

Maltese is a Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet, with deep Italian and English influence in everyday vocabulary. That mix makes cognates helpful and pronunciation approachable. Use Duolingo for a gentle start, then TVM and Maltese newspapers for real input.

Speaker counts are approximate orders of magnitude for learners, not census figures. Family labels follow Glottolog-style classification; vitality notes (when shown) follow UNESCO WAL / Ethnologue-style framing and should be re-checked for program planning.

Related languages: Arabic Italian

How to start

  1. Pick one free course (or free-with-upgrades) below and finish a short beginner unit before hopping apps.
  2. Bookmark one dictionary or grammar reference and look up every unknown word for a week.
  3. Add 10–15 minutes of listening most days — news, radio, or a teaching channel.
  4. Drill vocabulary with First 500 words.
  5. When ready, use a tutor marketplace listing below for short speaking sessions.

Practice on this site

Deep links into trainers and drills that already cover Maltese.

First 500 words Listening picker

All course free course paid reference reading listening

Some outbound links may earn us a commission. Commission never affects inclusion or ranking. Full disclosure.

Resource Type Levels Cost Verified
Anki Shared Maltese decks course free A1-B1 free —
University of Malta language resources course free A1-B2 free —

Know a better classroom-friendly resource for Maltese? Suggest it with attribution.