merħba
/ˈmɛr.ħba/
The Maltese word for welcome is merħba.
merħba is used as a greeting to welcome someone upon their arrival. It can also function as an adjective to describe someone whose arrival is a cause of joy. When you want to say "Welcome to [place]", you use the construction Merħba f… followed by the name of the place.
Meaning: greeting given upon someone's arrival (intj)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As an interjection used when greeting someone, merħba is unchanging.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables, with the stress on the first syllable: /ˈmɛr.ħba/.
Did you know?
- While merħba is a greeting, it is not used as a response to 'thank you' like the English 'welcome'. Instead, Maltese speakers use the phrase m'għandek xejn, which literally means 'you have nothing'.
- Although it is used to welcome people, the word merħba is actually a noun that implies the person is entering a 'spacious' or 'wide' place. It metaphorically suggests that the host is offering the guest plenty of room and comfort.
- The word merħba is a linguistic fossil from the Arabic language, specifically derived from the word marḥaban.
Examples in context
- Merħba!Welcome.This example shows how to use merħba as a standalone greeting.Tatoeba #3231557 by biber, translation #138919 by CM
- Merħba fil-Wikipedija.Welcome to Wikipedia.This example demonstrates the phrase "Welcome to [place]" using merħba.Tatoeba #4256156 by DetErMinNavn, translation #4256130 by DetErMinNavn
- Merħba! Kif int?Welcome! How are you?
- Merħba f'din il-kamra!Welcome to this room!
Example conversation
Andre welcomes Myriam to his new house.
- AndreMerħba f'id-dar tiegħi, Myriam!Welcome to my house, Myriam!
- MyriamGrazzi ħafna, Andre.Thank you very much, Andre.
- AndreTrid tidħol issa?Do you want to come in now?
- MyriamIva, jekk jogħġbok.Yes, please.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “welcome” translations and entries merħba, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries merħba, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
