hu / hi
He and She
hu means “he”; hi means “she”. They are short alternatives to huwa and hija.
How It Works
With finite verbs, compare Hu jaħseb dwar il-prezz. “He thinks about the price” and Hi taħseb dwar il-vjaġġ. “She thinks about the journey”. Third-person singular agreement distinguishes masculine and feminine. The independent pronoun can be omitted when agreement and context identify the subject.
With adjective predicates, Hu marid. “He is ill” and Hi marida. “She is ill” contain no overt finite present verb. The adjective agrees with the referent.
Compare Hi s-segretarja. “She is the secretary” with Lara hi s-segretarja. “Lara is the secretary”. In the first, hi supplies the subject; in the second, it links the named subject and predicate. Short and long forms have copular uses. Both short and long forms occur in spoken and written Maltese; choose a form that fits the sentence and style.
Examples (6)
- Hu jaħseb dwar il-prezz.
He thinks about the price.
Masculine singular subject and verb.
- Hi taħseb dwar il-vjaġġ.
She thinks about the journey.
Feminine singular subject and verb.
- Hu marid.
He is ill.
Subject pronoun with a masculine adjective.
- Hi marida.
She is ill.
Subject pronoun with a feminine adjective.
- Hi s-segretarja.
She is the secretary.
Hi supplies the subject.
- Lara hi s-segretarja.
Lara is the secretary.
Hi serves as the linking pronoun.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- jien / intiI and You
Introduces first- and second-person singular subjects.
Level 1 - huwa / hijaAn Overt Linking Pronoun
Develops long forms and linking use.
Level 1 - j- / t-He and She in an Imperfect Verb
Explains imperfect verb gender marking.
Level 2 - Saying What Someone Is
Develops nonverbal descriptions.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice hu / hi in Bubblegum
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