tal- + noun

Belonging to Someone or Something

Level 1

A related item precedes ta' combined with the following noun’s article.

How It Works

Ta' combines with the definite article of a following noun phrase. The result includes tal- and assimilated forms such as tat- before t and tas- before s. The apostrophe disappears in these contractions; retain the hyphen attaching them to the following word.

In il-ġakketta tat-tifel, ‘the boy’s jacket’, the t of tifel selects tat-. The possessed item’s gender or number does not select the contraction. Ownership is one possible relation; association is also possible, as with a key and its door.

Compare kamra ta' lussu, ‘a luxury room’, with il-kamra tas-segretarja, ‘the secretary’s room’. The first has an articleless quality expression; the second identifies an associated person with a definite noun phrase.

Examples (3)

  1. iċ-ċavetta tal-bieb

    the key to the door

    Noun-phrase fragment expressing association through tal-.

  2. il-ġakketta tat-tifel

    the boy's jacket

    Possessive noun-phrase fragment with assimilation before t.

  3. il-kotba tas-segretarja

    the secretary's books

    Possessive noun-phrase fragment with assimilation before s.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

tal- + nounLevel 1Belonging to Someone or Something

Learn This First

Introduce ta' and its article contractions together through a key's association with a door and ownership of jackets or books. The following complement determines the contraction.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.