jisimni…
The phrase to say "my name is" in Maltese is jisimni…
This phrase is used to identify yourself to others.
Meaning: a way to identify oneself (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, jisimni translates to "he names me".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase jisimni is a third-person singular verb form.
Did you know?
- The verb root in jisimni is shared with the Arabic word for 'name' ism. This reflects the deep Semitic roots of the Maltese language despite its use of the Latin alphabet.
- The pronoun 'me' is baked into the end of jisimni as a suffix. This 'pro-drop' feature allows the speaker to omit a separate word for 'I' entirely.
- In very formal settings, a speaker might avoid jisimni and instead use Il-isem tiegħi hu…, which translates to 'The name of me is…'. This structure mimics Romance languages like Italian or French.
Examples in context
- Ismi hu Sarah.My name is Sarah.
- Ismi huwa John.My name is John.
- Jisimni Mark.My name is Mark. / They call me Mark.
- Jisimni Maria.My name is Maria. / They call me Maria.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “my name is” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
