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Catalan (Català), spoken in Catalonia, Land of Valencia (where it is called Valencià), Balearic Islands (where it is sometimes called Mallorquí), Andorra (where it is the only official language), the south of France (north Catalonia) and the Sardinian city Alghero, is spoken by about 7 milion people, making it the 8th language in the European Union. It is, like Spanish and French, a Romance language, and people who listen it for first time have the impression that it's a mix between them. It's a separate language however, as old as the other Romance languages, and you will be very welcome if you try to say some words while you are in a Catalan-speaking region.

Unlike English, Catalan nouns (words for things) have genders. Every noun is either masculine, like home ("man") or feminine, like dona ("woman"). The gender of things doesn't always seem to follow logically from the meaning of the word; why a house (casa) is feminine but a car (cotxe) is masculine is just one of the vagaries of the language. Fortunately, the gender of a noun is usually but not always indicated by the last letter of the word; -a indicates feminine nouns, but as a difference from Spanish, masculine words don't have a common ending.

Adjectives also have gender and number. Like nouns, -a usually indicates the feminine form. Adding an -s at the end of an adjective makes it plural. Adjectives need to match the noun they describe in both gender and number. For example, borratxo "drunk", when modifying les dones ("the women"), makes les dones borratxes.

In this guide, where genders of nouns or adjectives comes up, we use the form "/a" to differentiate. It should be clear from context when to use the feminine and when to use the masculine form.

Table of contents

catalan phrasebook Travel Guide :

1 Pronunciation Guide

1.1 Vowels
1.2 Consonants

2 Phrase list

3 External Links

Pronunciation Guide

Written Catalan does not seem as phonetic as Spanish or Italian to an anglophone foreigner, but it is definitely less complicated to pronounce than French or English. It has variations from one region to other; the model presented here is the standard pronunciation, similar to the language of the region near Barcelona. Each of the major dialectal areas has its differences in pronunciation and vocabulary (just like English does in Britain, by the way): Western (Lleida province and Ebre river basin), Balearic (Balearic islands), Valencian, etc...

Vowels

To know how to pronounce vowels in Catalan, is necessary to know the strong syllable of the word. a, i, o change if are in the strong syllable or a weak one.

a: like 'a' in "apple" if in the strong syllable or 'e' in "over" if in a weak syllable
e: like 'e' in "bed" or 'ea' in "bear" if in the strong syllable or 'e' in "over" if in a weak syllable
i: like 'ee' in "bee"
o: like the first component of the diphthong 'ow' in "low" or 'o' in "bond" if in the strong syllable or 'oo' in "hoop" if in a weak syllable
u: like 'oo' in "hoop"

In the case of e and o in a strong syllable, you can only know how it sounds if has the accent sign. è sounds always as 'e' in "bed", é sounds as 'ea' in "bear", ò sounds as 'o' in "bond" and ó sounds as the first component of the diphthong 'ow' in "low".

Consonants

b: like 'b' in "bed"
c: when followed by 'e' or 'i', like 'c' in "cell", otherwise like 'k' in "kid"
ç: like 'c' in "cell"
d: like 'd' in "dog"
f: like 'f' in "fine"
g: when followed by 'e' or 'i', like 'j' in "james", otherwise like "g" in "go" (in the clusters "gue" and "gui", the "u" is silent, unless it bears a diaeresis, as in "güe" and "güi")
gu, gü: like 'Gu' in McGuire or 'w' in "wire"
h: silent
j: like 'j' in "james"
k: like 'c' in "cat"
l: like 'l' in "love"
ll: like 'lli' in "million" (palatized l)
l·l: like 'l' in "love"
m: like 'm' in "mother"
n: like 'n' in "nice", and like 'n' in "anchor"
ny: like 'ny' in "canyon"
p: like 'p' in "pig"
q: like 'q' in "quiche" (always with a silent "u")
r: like 'tt' in "butter"; except at the beginning of a word, or after "l" and "n"
r: like 'r' in "row"; at the beginning of a word, or after "l" and "n"
rr: like 'rr' in "mirror"; identical to the sound above
s: like 'ss' in "hiss" except when is between vowels, when it sounds like 'z' in "zone".
ss: like 'ss' in "hiss". Always goes between vowels.
t: like 't' in "top"
v: like 'b' in "bed"
w: like 'w' in "weight" in English words, like 'b' in "bed" in Germanic words
x: like 'sh' in "short", except if is between two vowels, when sounds like 'cks' in "kicks"
z: like 'z' in "zone"

Phrase list

Some phrases in this phrasebook still need to be translated. If you know anything about this language, you can help by plunging forward and translating a phrase.

Basics

Hello (informal).: Hola. (OH-lah). For the formal equivalent of "hola" see good morning, good afternoon, good evening, below.
How are you?: Com estàs? (KOH-m ehss-TAHSS?) (informal); Com està? (KOH-m ehss-TAH?) (formal)
Fine, thank you.: Molt bé, gracies.
What is your name?: Com et dius? (informal); Com es diu? (formal)
My name is ______ .: Em dic ______ .
Nice to meet you.: Molt de gust.
Please.: Si us plau.
Thank you.: Gràcies. OR Mercès.
You're welcome.: No hi fa res.
Yes.: Sí. (SEE)
No.: No. (NOH)
Excuse me. (getting attention): Dispensi.
Excuse me. (begging pardon): Perdoni.
I'm sorry.: Em sap greu.
Goodbye: Adéu.
I can't speak Catalan well.: No parlo bé el català.
Do you speak English?: Parles anglès? (informal); Que parla anglès?
Is there someone here who speaks English?: Que hi ha algú que parli anglès?
Help!: Ajuda! Auxili!
Good morning.: Bon dia.
Good afternoon.: Bona tarda.
Good evening (when it's dark): Bon vespre.
Good night.: Bona nit.
I don't understand.: No ho entenc..
Where is the toilet?: On és el lavabo?

Problems

Leave me alone.: Deixa'm en pau!
Don't touch me!: No em toquis! (nom-TOH-kees)
I'll call the police.: Trucaré la policia!
Police!: Policia! (poo-lee-SEE-ah)
Stop! Thief!: Al lladre!
I need help.: Necessito la teva ajuda.
It's an emergency.: És una emergència
I'm lost.: M'he perdut.
I lost my bag.: He perdut la meva bossa.
I lost my wallet.: He perdut la meva cartera/bitlletera.
I'm sick.: Estic malalt (woman: Estic malalta)
I've been injured.: Estic ferit/ferida
I need a doctor.: Necessito un metge. (nah-sir-see-toom-MEH-djer)
Can I use your phone?: Puc utilitzar el seu telèfon?

Numbers

1: u/una (Male/Female) (OON/OO-nah)
2: dos/dues (Male/Female) (DOHS/DOO-ges)
3: tres (TRREHS)
4: quatre (KWA-trer)
5: cinc (SEENK)
6: sis(SEES)
7: set (SET)
8: vuit (...)
9: nou (...)
10: deu (DEOO)
11: onze (...)
12: dotze (...)
13: tretze (...)
14: catorze (kaTORzer)
15: quinze (KEENzer)
16: setze (SETzer)
17: disset (deeSSET)
18: divuit (...)
19: dinou (...)
20: vint (...)
21: vint-i-u (...)
22: vint-i-dos (...)
23: vint-i-tres (...)
30: trenta (...)
31: trenta-u (...)
40: quaranta (...)
50: cinquanta (...)
60: seixanta (...)
70: setanta (...)
80: vuitanta (...)
90: noranta (...)
100: cent (SENT)
200: dos-cents (...)
300: tres-cents (...)
1000: mil (MEEL)
2000: dos mil (...)
1,000,000: un milió (...)
1,000,000,000: mil milions
1,000,000,000,000: un bilió
number _____ (train, bus, etc.): número _____ (...)
half: mig (MEECH)
less: menys (...)
more: més (MEHS)

Time

now: ara (AR-ah)
later: després (...)
before: abans (...)
morning: matí (...)
afternoon: tarda (...)
evening: vespre (...)
night: nit (...)

Clock time

Warning: Catalan express time informally using a scheme based on quarters of hour:

un quart de X means (X-1) hour + 15 minutes, or 45 minutes before X hour
dos quarts de X means (X-1) hour + 30 minutes, or 30 minutes before X hour
tres quarts de X means (X-1) hour + 45 minutes, or 15 minutes before X hour

the X hour: les X
the X hour in the early morning/morning/midday/afternoon/evening/night: les X de la matinada /matí/migdia/tarda/vespre/nit
one o'clock AM: la una de la matinada (...), literally the one in the early morning
two o'clock AM: les dues de la matinada (...)
noon: migdia (...) literally half day
one o'clock PM: la una de la tarda (...)
two o'clock PM: les dues de la tarda (...)
midnight: mitjanit (...)

Duration

_____ minute(s): _____ minut(s) (...)
_____ hour(s): _____ hors(hores) (...)
_____ day(s): _____ dia(dies) (...)
_____ week(s): _____ setmana(setmanes) (...)
_____ month(s): _____ mes(mesos) (...)
_____ year(s): _____ any(s) (...)

Days

today: avui (a-BOOY)
yesterday: ahir (...)
tomorrow: demà (...)
this week: aquesta setmana (...)
last week: la setmana passada (...)
next week: la setmana que ve (...)

Sunday: Diumenge (...)
Monday: Dilluns (...)
Tuesday: Dimarts (...)
Wednesday: Dimecres (...)
Thursday: Dijous (...)
Friday: Divendres (...)
Saturday: Dissabte (...)

Months

January: Gener (...)
February: Febrer (...)
March: Març (...)
April: Abril (...)
May: Maig (...)
June: Juny (...)
July: Juliol (...)
August: Agost (...)
September: Setembre (...)
October: Octubre (...)
November: Novembre (...)
December: Desembre (...)

Writing time and date

June 13th of 2004: tretze (13) de juny de 2004

Colors

black: negre (...)
white: blanc (...)
gray: gris (...)
red: vermell (...)
blue: blau (...)
yellow: groc (...)
green: verd (...)
orange: taronja (...)
purple: lila (...)
brown: marró (...)

Transportation

Bus and train

How much is a ticket to _____?: Quant val el bitllet per anar a _____? (...)
A single ticket to _____, please.: Un bitllet senzill a _____, si us plau. (...)
A return ticket to _____, please.: Un bitllet d'anada i tornada a ____, si us plau.
Where does this train/bus go?: A on va, aquest tren/autobus? (...)
Where is the train/bus to _____?: On és el tren/autobus que va a _____? (...)
Does this train/bus stop in _____?: Aquest tren/autobus para a _____? (...)
When does the train/bus for _____ leave?: Quan marxa, el tren/autobus que va a _____? (...)
When will this train/bus arrive in _____?: Quan arribarà aquest tren/autobus a _____? (...)

Directions

How do I get to _____ ?: Com puc arribar _____ ? (...)
...the train station?: ...a l'estació de tren? (...)
...the bus station?: ...a l'estació d'autobusos? (...)
...the airport?: ...a l'aeroport? (...)
...downtown?: ...al centre? (...)
...the youth hostel?: ...a l'alberg de joventut? (...)
...the _____ hotel?: ...a l'hotel _____? (...)
...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate?: ...al consulat d'Estats Units/Canadà/Austràlia/Regne Unit? (...)
Where are there a lot of...: On hi ha molts... (...)
...hotels?: ...hotels? (...)
...restaurants?: ...restaurants? (...)
...bars?: ...bars? (...)
...sites to see?: ...llocs per visitar? (...)
Can you show me on the map?: Pots indicar-me al mapa? (...)
street: carrer (...)
Turn left.: Tomba a l'esquerra. (...)
Turn right.: Tomba a la dreta. (...)
left: esquerra (...)
right: dreta (...)
straight ahead: endavant (...)
towards the _____: cap a _____ (...)
past the _____: després de _____ (...)
before the _____: abans de _____ (...)
Watch for the _____.: Vigila el/la/els/les _____. (...)
intersection: intersecció (...)
north: nord (...)
south: sud (...)
east: est (...)
west: oest (...)
uphill: cap amunt (...)
downhill: cap avall (...)

Taxi

Taxi!: Taxi! (TAHK-see)
Take me to _____, please.: Porta'm a _____, si us plau. (...)
How much does it cost to get to _____?: Quant costa anar a _____? (...)
Take me there, please.: Porta'm allà, si us plau. (...)

Lodging

Do you have any rooms available?: Teniu alguna habitació disponible? (...)
How much is a room for one person/two people?: Quant costa una habitació per una/dues persona/persones? (...)
Does the room come with...: L'habitació té... (...)
...bedsheets?: ...llençols? (...)
...a bathroom?: ...lavabo? (...)
...a telephone?: ...telèfon? (...)
...a TV?: ...televisió? (...)
May I see the room first?: Puc veure l'habitació, abans? (...)
Do you have anything quieter?: No hi ha res més silenciós? (...)
...bigger?: ...més gran? (...)
...cleaner?: ...més net? (...)
...cheaper?: ...més barat? (...)
OK, I'll take it.: D'acord, l'agafo. (...)
I will stay for _____ night(s).: Em quedaré _____ nit(s). (...)
Can you suggest another hotel?: Em podeu suggerir un altre hotel? (...)
Do you have a safe lockers?: Teniu caixa de seguretat? (...)
Is breakfast/supper included?: L'esmorzar/ el sopar estan inclosos? (...)
What time is breakfast/supper?: Quan s'esmorza/se sopa? (...)
Please clean my room.: Si us plau, netegeu la meva habitació. (...)
Can you wake me at _____?: Em podeu llevar a les _____? (...)
I want to check out.: Vull marxar. (...)

Money

Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars?: Accepteu dòlars americans/australians/canadencs? (...)
Do you accept British pounds?: Accepteu lliures esterlines? (...)
Do you accept cr cards?: Accepteu targes de crèdit? (...)
Can you change money for me?: Pot canviar-me diners? (...)
Where can I get money changed?: On puc canviar diners? (...)
Can you change a traveler's check for me?: Pot canviar-me xecs de viatge? (Pot can bee AR ma - sheks de vee AT dje)
Where can I get a traveler's check changed?: On puc canviar xecs de viatge? (...)
What is the exchange rate?: Quin és el canvi? (...)
Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)?: On hi ha un caixer automàtic? (...)

Eating

A table for one person/two people, please.: Una taula per una persona/dues persones, si us plau. (...)
Can I look at the menu, please?: Puc veure el menú, si us plau? (...)
Can I look in the kitchen?: Puc veure la cuina? (...)
Is there a house specialty?: Teniu cap especialitat de la casa? (...)
Is there a local specialty?: Tenui cap plat típic? (...)
I'm a vegetarian.: Sóc vegetarià. (...)
I don't eat pork.: No menjo porc. (...)
I don't eat beef.: No menjo vedella. (...)
I only eat kosher food.: Només menjo menjar kosher. (...)
Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter/lard): Pots fer-m'ho més lleuger, si us plau? (amb menys oli/mantega/llard)
fixed-price meal: menú de la casa (mer-NOO-der-ler-KAH-zer)
à la carte: a la carta (...)
breakfast: esmorzar (...)
lunch: dinar (...)
tea (meal): tè (...)
supper: sopar (...)
I want _____.: Vull _____. (...)
I want a dish containing _____.: Vull un plat que tingui _____. (...)
chicken: pollastre (...)
beef: vedella (...)
fish: peix (...)
ham: pernil (...)
sausage: salsitxes (...)
cheese: formatge (...)
eggs: ous (...)
salad: amanida (...)
(fresh) vegetables: verdura (fresca) (...)
(fresh) fruit: fruita (fresca) (...)
bread: pa (...)
toast: torrades (...)
noodles: fideus (...)
rice: arròs (...)
beans: mongetes (...)
May I have a glass of _____?: Em pots dur un got de _____? (...)
May I have a cup of _____?: Em pots dur una tassa de _____? (...)
May I have a bottle of _____?: Em pots dur una ampolla de _____? (...)
coffee: café (...)
tea (drink): te (...)
juice: suc de fruita (...)
(bubbly) water: aigua amb gas(...)
water: aigua mineral sense gas (...)
beer: cervesa (ser-BEH-zer); (informal) birra
red/white wine: vi negre/blanc (BEE NEH-gra/BLANK)
May I have some _____?: Podries durm-me una mica de _____? (...)
salt: sal (SAHL)
black pepper: pebre (...)
butter: mantega (...)
Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server): Perdoni? (...)
I'm finished.: Ja he acabat. (...)
It was delicious.: Estava deliciós. (...)
Please clear the plates.: Pots endur-te els plats. (...)
The check, please.: El compte, si us plau. (...)

Bars

Do you serve alcohol?: Teniu alcohol? (...)
Is there table service?: Hi ha servei de taules? (...)
A beer/two beers, please.: Una cervesa/dues cerveses, si us plau. (...)
A glass of red/white wine, please.: Un got de vi negre/blanc, si us plau. (...)
A pint, please.: Una pinta de cervesa, si us plau. But in the Catalan speking Spain is better to ask for a quinto (20 cl), a mitjana (33 cl) or a canya (tap beer).
A bottle, please.: Una ampolla, si us plau. (...)
_____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), please.: _____ amb _____, si us plau. (...)
whiskey: whiskey (...)
vodka: vodka (...)
rum: rom (...)
water: aigua (I-gah)
club soda: club soda (...)
tonic water: tònica (...)
orange juice: suc de taronja (...)
Coke (soda): coca-cola (KOH-ka-KOH-la)
Do you have any bar snacks?: Teniu alguna cosa per picar? (...)
One more, please.: Un altre, si us plau. (...)
Another round, please.: Una altra ronda, si us plau. (...)
When is closing time?: A quina hora tanqueu? (...)

Shopping

Do you have this in my size?: Teniu això en la meva talla? (...)
How much is this?: Quant costa això? (...)
That's too expensive.: És massa car. (...)
Would you take _____?: Agafaries _____? (...)
expensive: car (...)
cheap: barat (...)
I can't afford it.: No puc pagar-ho. (...)
I don't want it.: No ho vull. (...)
You're cheating me.: M'estàs timant. (...)
I'm not interested.: No hi estic interessat. (..)
OK, I'll take it.: D'acord, me'l quedo. (...)
Can I have a bag?: Em pots donar una bossa? (...)
Do you ship (overseas)?: Feu enviaments (a l'estranger)? (...)
I need...: Necssito... (...)
...toothpaste.: ...pasta de dents. (...)
...a toothbrush.: ...raspallde dents. (...)
...tampons.: ...tampons. (...)
...soap.: ...sabó. (...)
...shampoo.: ...xampú. (...)
...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen): ...calmant. (...)
...cold medicine.: ...medicina per el refredat. (...)
...stomach medicine.: ...medicina per l'estómac. (...)
...a razor.: ...una fulla d'afeitar. (...)
...an umbrella.: ...un paraigües. (...)
...sunblock lotion.: ...crema protectora pel sol. (...)
...a postcard.: ...una postal. (...)
...postage stamps.: ...segells. (...)
...batteries.: ...piles. (...)
...writing paper.: ...paper per escriure. (...)
...a pen.: ...un bolígraf. (...)
...English-language books.: .. llibres en anglès. (...)
...English-language magazines.: ...revistes en anglès. (...)
...an English-language newspaper.: ...diari en anglès. (...)
...an English-Catalan dictionary.: ...diccionari anglès-català. (...)

Driving

I want to rent a car.: Vull llogar un cotxe. (...)
Can I get insurance?: Puc obtenir una assegurança? (...)
stop (on a street sign): para (...)
one way: un sentit (...)
yield: cedeix el pas (...)
no parking: no aparcar (...)
speed limit: límit de velocitat (...)
gas (petrol) station: benzinera (...)
petrol: benzina (...)
diesel: gas-oil (...)

Authority

I haven't done anything wrong.: No he fet res de dolent. (...)
It was a misunderstanding.: Ha estat un malentès. (...)
Where are you taking me?: On em porteu? (...)
Am I under arrest?: Estic arrestat? (...)
I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen.: Sóc un ciutadà Americà/Australià/Britànic/Canadenc. (...)
I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate.: Vull parlar amb l'ambaixada/el consulat Americà/Australià/Britànic/Canadenc. (...)
I want to talk to a lawyer.: Vull parlar amb un advocat. (...)
Can I just pay a fine now?: Puc simplement pagar una multa ara? (...)

External Links

Omniglot (http://www.omniglot.com/writing/catalan.htm)

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