qata'

Maltese

Root
q-t-għ
7 terms

Etymology

From Arabic قَطَعَ (qaṭaʕa).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʔa.ta/
• IPA^(key): /ˈʔa.taˤ/ (archaic)
• Homophone: qatgħa

Verb

qata’ (imperfect jaqta’, past participle maqtugħ, verbal noun qtigħ)

1. to cut

   Qtajt subgħi. ― I cut my finger.

2. to guess, to conjecture

   Qtajna n-numri tal-lotterija u rbaħna. ― We guessed the lottery numbers and won.

3. to frighten

   Qatgħuna dawk iż-żewġ wirdiniet. ― Those two cockroaches frightened us.

4. to surprise
   • 2023, Nathan Anthony Pace, dbilt qabel kbirt, →ISBN, page 2:

     Qatgħek minn ġewwa dak il-leħen baxx li deher ġej mill-ispazji rqaq bejn il-petali bojod tal-kamumilla.

     That low voice that seemed to come from the thin spaces between the white camomile petals surprised you.

5. to go bad (of foods)

   Il-ħalib ilu xahrejn fil-friġġ. Naħseb li qata’.

   The milk has been left in the fridge for two months. I think it went bad.

6. to decide (usually with a pronominal suffix)

   Qtajtuha li tmorru kunċert ta’ Joker Out. ― You decided to go to a Joker Out concert.

7. to shut up

   Aqtagħha! ― Shut up!

8. to buy (a ticket)

   Ħa naqtgħu biljett għall-kunċert ta’ Joker Out.

   We will buy a ticket for the Joker Out concert.

9. to hang up the telephone

   Qata’ dal-bhima. ― This brute hung up the telephone.

Conjugation

Conjugation of qata’

		singular				plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
perfect	m	qtajt	qtajt	qata’		qtajna	qtajtu	qatgħu
	f			qatgħet
imperfect	m	naqta’	taqta’	jaqta’		naqtgħu	taqtgħu	jaqtgħu
	f			taqta’
imperative			aqta’				aqtgħu