dan / din / dawn

This and These

Level 1

dan = this, masculine; din = this, feminine; dawn = these.

How It Works

Use dan for masculine singular reference, din for feminine singular reference, and dawn for plural reference. Each can stand independently when the referent is understood. Before an ordinary common noun, the demonstrative precedes the noun's definite article.

Compare Din sabiħa., “This one is beautiful,” with din il-pittura, “this painting.” The first makes a complete present description; the second names a referent without making a statement. English supplies “is” in the description although Maltese has no overt verb there.

Choose agreement from the Maltese noun or understood referent. Collective nouns can denote multiple items while controlling masculine singular agreement, so English plural meaning alone does not require dawn. With ordinary plural nouns, use the plural demonstrative. Invariant adjectives such as interessanti retain the same form with singular and plural reference.

Examples (3)

  1. Dan kiesaħ.

    This one is cold.

    Complete description of an understood masculine singular referent.

  2. Din ħamra.

    This one is red.

    Complete description of an understood feminine singular referent.

  3. Dawn interessanti.

    These are interesting.

    Plural reference with an invariant adjective.

How It Connects

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

dan / din / dawnLevel 1This and These

Learn This First

Introduce demonstratives through understood masculine singular, feminine singular and plural referents. Contrast an independent descriptive statement with an explicit noun phrase, and explain locally why collective meaning need not select plural dawn.

Words in This Pattern

dan