Does Duolingo Have Maltese? No, and Where to Learn It

Does Duolingo offer anything close to Maltese?

Two Duolingo courses come near it, and neither one teaches it.

Arabic is the closer relative. Maltese is a Semitic language, descended from the Arabic of medieval Sicily and Malta, and its core grammar and most basic words are Arabic: count wieħed, tnejn, tlieta in Maltese and واحد (wāḥid), اثنان (ithnān), ثلاثة (thalātha) in Arabic. But the two have grown apart over centuries: an Arabic course won't get you through a conversation in Valletta, or teach you to read Maltese, which uses the Latin alphabet.

Italian covers the other side. Sicilian and Italian gave Maltese much of its vocabulary, such as grazzi (thank you), skola (school) and karozza (car), and English has added plenty more. An Italian course makes those words look familiar, but not the numbers, the verbs or the grammar. Babbel and Busuu don't offer Maltese either (checked November 2026).

How to learn Maltese with Qlango

Qlango teaches Maltese at A1 and A2, the first two levels of the CEFR scale. At these levels you introduce yourself, talk about daily life in simple sentences and get through everyday exchanges.

In a lesson you get a set of short example sentences in Maltese with the translation in the language you learn from, and you answer them in different ways, such as flashcards, picking one of two answers, matching pairs, putting scrambled words in order, writing what you hear and writing the translation yourself. Writing is where ħ and għ start landing in the right places. An AI voice reads each example aloud, and you can slow it down. When you finish a lesson, it comes back after one, two, four and eight days and then once more, and any example you needed a hint for returns in harder questions later.

You also choose the language you learn from, so it can be English or your own native language.

Thirty letters and a changing "the"

Maltese is the only Semitic language whose standard form is written in the Latin alphabet. Its 30 letters include ħ (a breathy h from the throat), għ (usually silent) and q (a glottal stop, the catch in "uh-oh").

"The" is il-, joined to the noun with a hyphen, but before the nine "sun letters" (ċ, d, n, r, s, t, x, ż and z) the l turns into the noun's first letter, in speech and in writing:

Before a vowel it's just l-. Arabic makes the same change in speech but keeps its spelling; Maltese writes it down.

Your first Maltese words

English is an official language in Malta too, and many people switch to it as soon as they hear a foreign accent. Ask them to stay in Maltese. Our full guide to learning Maltese covers the alphabet, roots and broken plurals, and a plan for your first month.

FAQ

Is Maltese on Duolingo?

No. As of November 2026, Duolingo has no Maltese course from English or from any other language.

Can you learn Maltese with Duolingo's Arabic course?

Only a little. Arabic shares Maltese's core grammar and basic words, but it's written in Arabic script and has grown apart from Maltese, so you'd be learning a different language.

What is the best app to learn Maltese?

It depends on what you need. If you want a course organised by CEFR level with a fixed review schedule, Qlango teaches Maltese at A1 and A2. Duolingo, Babbel and Busuu don't offer Maltese (checked November 2026).

Is there a free app to learn Maltese?

Qlango is free to download on iPhone and Android, and you can start your first Maltese lesson without creating an account. It also works in your browser.

How do you learn Maltese?

Start with the alphabet and the sounds of ħ, għ, q and x, then numbers and everyday nouns with il-. The Italian and English loanwords come easily; put your effort into the Semitic core.

Will Duolingo add Maltese?

We can't say. Duolingo adds and removes courses over time, so check its catalogue if you're reading this much later.

Maltese isn't the only gap. See every language Duolingo doesn't teach, or compare Qlango and Duolingo side by side. Your first Maltese lesson takes about five minutes.