Choose Bubblegum for Maltese lessons about your own life, Duostories for short free stories, uTalk for recorded phrases, Kuċċarina for exercises, or Tandem for language exchange. A class at Malta University Language School adds a teacher and a set course when its schedule fits your week.
The choice depends on what you want to do next: talk with family, handle an errand in Malta, or read a short story. The Maltese comprehensible-input guide focuses on reading, listening, and watching you can follow.
Custom Lessons Made for You
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Maltese. You learn from Maltese you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, what you want to talk about. She writes a lesson around it. For a family visit, ask for greetings and a conversation about the week. Read the exchange, hear it, and ask her about the part you want to understand.
Maltese dictionary coverage is still limited. Ask a teacher to check a word when accuracy matters. Bubblegum is not a person to speak with or a fixed course; use Tandem for exchange or a class for a taught sequence.
- Lessons fit your level, interests, and goals.
- Read and listen to Maltese lessons, stories, and news.
- Ask Poppy about a sentence while you read.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You cannot import your own books, articles, or videos.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
Read Short Stories
Duostories
Duostories suits a learner who wants a small, ready-made scene. Start with a story from the first set, check whether you understood the exchange, and then listen again. It is an unofficial community project rather than a Maltese course from Duolingo.
- Read short Maltese scenes with questions about what happened.
- Use listening mode to replay the story without questions.
MobileWeb
Practice Words and Sentence Patterns
Kuċċarina
Kuċċarina has Translate, Match, and Spell tasks for Maltese words, plus sentence-building practice. Try Spell with a word you just read, then use that word in a shopping exchange. Choose a task that connects with what you are reading, then try the pattern in a sentence of your own. Add longer reading and a conversation alongside the exercises.
- Practice Maltese through short exercises.
- Use its Learn section for more study material.
Mobile
Listen With Bilingual Lesson Text
Bluebird
Bluebird suits learners who want an audio lesson with text to follow. Choose a beginner lesson on a familiar topic, read its bilingual text while listening, and replay a short part. Once the meaning is clear, listen again with less help from the translation.
Its listening format gives you practice with phrases and sentences. Add a teacher or partner when you want someone to hear and correct a reply of your own.
- Hear lessons recorded by Maltese speakers.
- Follow bilingual lesson text and change the playback speed.
MobileWeb
Hear Useful Phrases
uTalk
uTalk fits preparation for a visit or a conversation you expect to have soon. Choose one topic, listen to the question and likely replies, and try saying them before you need them. Its recordings give you a speech model alongside the written phrase.
- Hear Maltese phrases recorded by speakers of the language.
- Record yourself and compare with the phrase recording.
- Choose practical topics such as food, family, or shopping.
- Its focus is words and phrases; add a story or class for longer exchanges.
MobileWeb
Practice With People
Tandem
Tandem lists Maltese among its supported languages. Offer help with a language you know and agree on a small task for your Maltese time. For example, each person can describe a meal and ask one question. The language listing does not guarantee an active partner who matches your schedule.
- Select Maltese as a language for exchange.
- Practice through messages, voice notes, or calls.
- You need to find a partner and agree how to share practice time.
MobileWeb
Add a Class and Maltese Media
Malta University Language School offers scheduled beginner classes online. Check its next dates, group-size rules, and module level before booking. This is the clearest option here when you want a teacher and lessons in a set order.
For more reading, start with a short TVM News report about an event you already know. Tokis has Maltese programmes, including the sitcom Alla Mgħana. Try a brief scene once you can follow some ordinary speech. Tokis needs a GO TV subscription. Check location eligibility outside Malta and each video's subtitle options. These are programmes for ordinary viewers rather than a beginner course.
The University of Malta's Campus 103.7 archive has programmes about Maltese language, history, and culture. Choose a topic you know and try a short part. Check each programme's language and playback before adding it to your study plan.
These counts cover menu choices rather than the languages taught. Bubblegum lists its 74 menu languages. The other app counts use declared entries, including Chinese script variants, in their Maltese iPhone listings, except uTalk's published 100+ application-language choices. Lesson explanations and other platforms can differ.
| App | Supported Display Languages | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 74 | Full list
|
| Bluebird: Learn Maltese | 1 | Full list |
| Duostories | 1 | Full list |
| Kuċċarina | 1 | Full list |
| uTalk | 100+ | Application language choices |
| Tandem | 14 | Full list |
Other Apps We Looked At (4)
- Malti On The GoA new and growing beginner app with nine lessons, including greetings, family, food, and transport, with Maltese audio.
- MelaA new and growing phrase-review app with a free greeting pack and offline cards.
- MemriseUser-created Maltese wordlists for vocabulary practice.
- VerbivoreFree Maltese Tombla and hangman games for short word practice.
Verbivore’s full Maltese course currently has a waiting list; use the school’s published class dates if you want a taught course.
Common Questions
Which Maltese app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Maltese, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or choose Duostories for a short free scene, or uTalk for phrases you want to use on a visit. A scheduled class fits learners who want a teacher and a set course. Our best-way guide shows how to combine them.
Can I Learn Maltese on Duolingo?
Duostories uses community-translated stories owned by Duolingo, but it is not an official Maltese Duolingo course. Use its Maltese collection directly, or choose one of the other tools above.
What Should I Add for Speaking Practice?
Bring one short exchange to a teacher, friend, or Tandem partner. Practice both sides, then ask them to change a detail so you need to listen and reply. The easiest-way guide gives a first-session plan.
Is Bubblegum Free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Bluebird: Maltese audio lessons
- Bluebird: Lesson text, speed controls, and free/premium access
- Duostories: Maltese story collection
- Duostories: Volunteer translations and text-to-speech audio
- Malta University Language School: Maltese for Beginners
- uTalk: Maltese course and recorded phrase samples
- uTalk: Application language choices
- TVM News: Maltese news from Malta's public broadcaster
- Tokis: Maltese television and on-demand programmes
- Campus 103.7: Maltese language, history and culture archive
- Kuċċarina: Maltese lessons and exercises
- Kuċċarina: Current Android description and paid sections
- Kuċċarina: Maltese iPhone listing
- Duostories: Maltese iPhone listing
- Tandem: Supported languages, including Maltese
- Tandem: Maltese iPhone listing
- Verbivore: Maltese course waiting list
- Verbivore: Free Maltese word games
- Bubblegum
Checked on October 11, 2026 against each app's own pages.
