A little audio lexicon of Catalan for basic communication
Reading Time: 5 minutes 
As you know, Barcelona is the capital of the Catalan region, where there have been 2 official languages since 1978: Catalan and Spanish.
If you can get by in Spanish, you have no need to worry! You can communicate fine with people from Barcelona (contrary to popular opinion absolutely none of them refuse to speak Spanish). But if you are a curious linguist, you may be interested in Catalan too.
Catalan is a rich language spoken by most people from Barcelona.
Catalan is the language of schools, universities and work. You will find writing in Catalan everywhere in Barcelona: in the markets, shopping, newspapers, streets, on public notices. A smattering of the language will therefore be very useful during your stay in the Catalan capital.
For many years under Franco’s dictatorship, the use of Catalan was forbidden. It is therefore completely understandable that Catalan people would defend their language with such pride. During a stay in Barcelona you will regularly be led to read and hear this romance language with its very particular spelling and sounds that are very different to Spanish.
- A tip: do not forget this difference! Catalan is a rich and exciting language to study, knowing it and becoming interested in it will open many doors to you and surely allow you to get to know the people of Barcelona better.
Learning a few words of Catalan for basic communication
We have prepared a little survival guide for your trip to Barcelona.
- Warning! Catalan is not pronounced as it is written. To help you, click on the little triangles after the written words in Catalan to hear how to pronounce them.
Hello, hello!
- Bon dia!
Audio Player
Hello - Bona tarda Audio Player
Good afternoon - Bona nit Audio Player
Goodnight - Adéu Audio Player
Goodbye - Fins aviat Audio Player
See you soon
Fine, fine…
- Com estàs?Audio Player
How are you? (informal) - Com està?Audio Player
How are you? (formal) - Com esteu?Audio Player
How are you? (speaking to more than one person) - Molt bé, gràcies Audio Player
Very well, thank you! - Com es diu? Audio Player
What is your name? (formal) - Com et dius? Audio Player
What is your name? - Em dic Toni. Audio Player
My name is Toni.
Don’t forget to be polite…
- Si us plau Audio Player
Please - Gràcies Audio Player ou Merci Audio Player
Thank you - De res Audio Player
You’re welcome - Perdona Audio Player
Excuse me - Perdoni Audio Player
Excuse me (formal) - Perdoneu Audio Player
Excuse me (speaking to more than one person)
Now, it starts to get complicated, I don’t understand…
- Perdona, m’ho pots repetir? Audio Player
Sorry, could you repeat that? - No parlo bé el català. Audio Player
I don’t speak Catalan well. - Parla francès? Audio Player
Do you speak French? - Parla anglès? Audio Player
Do you speak English? - Parla castellà? Audio Player
Do you speak Spanish?
Catalan vocabulary for finding your way in the street
The streets of Barcelona are all named in Catalan, so it will be useful for you to know certain terms.
- El carrer:Audio Player
the street - L’avinguda Audio Player
the avenue - La plaça Audio Player
the square - El passeig Audio Player
the alley - La rambla Audio Player
The promenade - a la dreta Audio Player
right - a l’esquerra Audio Player
left - tot recte Audio Player
straight ahead
I’m lost!
- Per anar a la Sagrada Família, si us plau? Audio Player
To go to the Sagrada Familia, please… - Ón sóc, al mapa? Audio Player
Where am I on the map?
The numbers:
-
- uAudio Player
one
- uAudio Player
-
- dosAudio Player
two
- dosAudio Player
-
- tresAudio Player
three
- tresAudio Player
-
- quatreAudio Player
four
- quatreAudio Player
-
- cincAudio Player
five
- cincAudio Player
-
- sisAudio Player
six
- sisAudio Player
-
- setAudio Player
seven
- setAudio Player
-
- vuitAudio Player
eight
- vuitAudio Player
-
- nouAudio Player
nine
- nouAudio Player
-
- deuAudio Player
ten
- deuAudio Player
Bonus: Barça! Barça! Baaaaarça!
What better way to learn a language than by singing!
If you are a football fan and you want to amaze the Catalan fans at a match at Camp Nou (you might make a few connections!), learn the Barça anthem in a fun and interactive way with a little animation we’ve prepared for you.
Once you have learned the words, don’t forget to practice with our karaoke version, to learn to sing the Barça anthem like a real local!
Visca Barça!
A super site for learning Catalan online:
If you’re very motivated, you can throw yourself into learning Catalan thanks to Parla.cat,a great website developed by the cultural department of the Catalan government.
Take a look, it’s audiovisual and it’s very well done!
And finally, to complement this article, don’t forget to check out Learning a few words of Catalan to get by in a restaurant or a hotel.
A big thank you to Louis who gave us the idea for this article and to Goretti and Toni who lent us their voices!
