A Yes or No Question
Ask whether a proposition holds without adding English-style do or did.
How It Works
A clause can become a yes/no question through spoken intonation. In writing, a question mark signals the question. Compare Anna waslet., “Anna arrived,” with Anna waslet?, “Did Anna arrive?” Feminine singular perfect agreement remains unchanged; English “did” has no added counterpart.
Keep the predicate appropriate to the situation. An ongoing activity retains qed and an imperfect verb. A present description can be questioned without inserting a linking verb. An expressed subject need not change position, and an understood subject can remain omitted.
Question melodies interact with focus and conversational purpose, so a final rise is not a complete account of every question. A confirmation tag checks a statement differently. Embedded whether questions require their own grammatical marking; a question mark alone does not supply their structure.
Examples (3)
- Anna waslet?
Did Anna arrive?
The question retains feminine singular perfect agreement.
- Intom qed tistennew il-karozza tal-linja?
Are you waiting for the bus?
Intom addresses several people; progressive marking remains.
- Il-ħanut magħluq?
Is the shop closed?
The present description has no overt copular verb.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- Saying What Someone Is
A description without a linking verb can receive question intonation.
Level 1 - qed + imperfectAn Action in Progress
Progressive marking remains in questions about ongoing activity.
Level 2 - hux / hix / hux?Checking a Statement
Compare a direct yes/no question with a confirmation tag.
Level 4 - A Question Inside a Statement
Indirect whether questions have construction-specific marking.
Level 5
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice A Yes or No Question in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Maltese lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
