‘Even my children’s classmates learn with us’: expat’s Maltese lessons go viral

Expats who are learning Maltese are taking matters a step further by teaching it through short social media videos that are quickly gaining popularity. 

One of them is Kate Browka, 34, from Belarus, who came to Malta over two years ago with her husband and their two young daughters, aged nine and seven. 

“I decided to learn Maltese because I believe language is the key to understanding a country and its people. Since Malta became our new home, I wanted to integrate better, connect with local people on a deeper level, and show respect for the culture,” says Kate. 

She started attending Maltese lessons once a week for three hours through the government’s Lifelong Learning programme. About a month later, she decided to share what she was learning on her social channels. 

“I realised that I could be helpful to others, since not everyone has the opportunity to attend courses, but many people have the desire and need to learn Maltese,” says Kate, who has a massive following of over 95,000 people on Instagram and almost 20,000 on TikTok.

In her simple videos, she teaches basic terms in Maltese that range from numbers to the names of fruit and vegetables, as well as basic phrases. 

Kate, who graduated in international law from the Belarusian State University, has always loved languages. But this is the first time she is teaching - together with her daughters, who are learning Maltese at the state school they attend. 

“At home, we practice together by reading texts, learning daily phrases and creating videos,” she says. 

She explains how she involved her daughters in the videos: “because I saw that there is also a need for Maltese learning among kids, and who better than other children to inspire them to start learning.” 

'Beautiful' but 'challenging' language

How is it to learn Maltese? She says it is a beautiful language, but quite challenging. 

“It is very authentic and unique, so both speaking and writing require careful attention. Compared to languages like English, it feels more complex. If you know the alphabet, reading is quite manageable, and writing is also fine. Speaking fluently, however, is more difficult. The word order is different from English, and the verbs are complex with many rules, which makes speaking more challenging,” she says. 

The public’s reaction has been amazing, with locals appreciating that foreigners are making an effort to learn Maltese and expats saying they find her videos helpful. 

“Even my children’s classmates say that they learn Maltese with us,” she says, adding that she is working on something new and innovative that will help people learn Maltese and integrate into Maltese culture more easily. 

Kate will be one of the guests during a panel discussion organised by MEP Peter Agius on Friday to mark the European Day of Languages. The event will be held at Europe House and aired live on his social media pages at 6 p.m. 

Mela, mela… Filipino Jeffrey Antonio shares his knowledge of the Maltese language with his followers.

“We need to encourage the growth of the Maltese language. It is positive that foreigners value the language and make an effort to learn and teach Maltese - a beautiful way of integration,” said Agius. 

Also on the panel will be Filipino Jeffrey Antonio, who is sharing his Maltese knowledge through short videos on TikTok where he has over 6,000 followers.  

He often films while walking, beginning with his signature “mela mela” (so) before he explains how to say a word or phrase in Maltese, then closes off with a large smile and “narak” (see you).