Learning Catalan: a practical guide
This is a written companion to the free Catalan course on LanguagePath: what the language is like, how it sounds, the phrases you will use first, how the course is structured, and what to watch out for. Everything here comes from the same lessons you can practise interactively above.
What Catalan is like
Catalan uses the Latin alphabet with a few extra characters. ç always sounds like an 's' (never 'k'), l·l is a doubled 'l', and ny works like the 'ny' in canyon. Most nouns are masculine (el) or feminine (la), and adjectives usually come after the noun. Written accents (à, è, ò) show where the stress falls when it isn't where you'd expect.
Words you may already know
Pronunciation notes
Catalan is very regular to read — once you know its special letters (ç, l·l, ny), you can sound out almost any word.
- ll — like "ly" in million — a palatal l, as in vull = VUY · ella = EH-ya.
- ny — like "ny" in canyon, as in Catalunya = kah-tuh-LOO-nyah.
- ç — always an "s" sound (never "k"), as in plaça = PLAH-sah · començar = koo-men-SAH.
- l·l — a doubled "l" held a little longer, as in col·legi = kool-LEH-jee.
- x — often "sh" at the start of a word, as in xocolata = shoo-koh-LAH-tah.
- j — like "zh" in measure, as in jove = ZHOH-vuh · ajuda = ah-ZHOO-dah.
- r — a tapped or rolled r, as in però = peh-ROH · rosa = ROH-zuh.
- h — silent at the start of a word, as in Hola = OH-lah.
First phrases
The pocket phrases below are the ones learners reach for most often. Say each one out loud a few times before moving on.
| Catalan | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Hola | OH-lah | Hello |
| Bon dia | bohn DEE-uh | Good morning |
| Bon vespre | bon VES-pruh | Good evening |
| Bona nit | BOH-nah NEET | Good night |
| Adéu | ah-DEH-oo | Goodbye |
| Com estàs? | kom es-TAHS | How are you? |
| Em dic Alex | em DEEK | My name is... |
| Si us plau | see oos PLOW | Please |
| Gràcies | GRAH-syuhs | Thank you |
| Moltes gràcies | MOL-tuhs GRAH-syuhs | Thanks a lot |
| De res | duh REHS | You're welcome |
| Perdoni | pehr-DOH-nee | Excuse me |
| Ho sent | oo SENT | I'm sorry |
| Sí | SEE | Yes |
| No | NOH | No |
| Un | oon | 1 |
| Dos | dohs | 2 |
| Tres | trehs | 3 |
| Quatre | KWAH-truh | 4 |
| Cinc | SEENK | 5 |
| Deu | DEH-oo | 10 |
| Aigua | EYE-gwah | water |
| Pa | pah | bread |
| Cafè | kah-FEH | coffee |
| Te | TEH | tea |
| El compte | el KOM-tuh | the bill |
| Un cafè, si us plau | oon kah-FEH, see oos PLOW | A coffee, please |
| On és...? | on EHS | Where is...? |
| A la dreta | ah lah DREH-tah | to the right |
| A l'esquerra | ah les-KEH-rrah | to the left |
How the Catalan course is structured
The course has 12 short lessons that build on each other. Each one introduces a few new pieces and then asks you to construct sentences you have never seen, before revealing the answer:
- Greetings — hola · bon dia · adéu · com estàs?
- Being polite — gràcies · si us plau · de res · ho sent
- Numbers 1–10 — un · dos · tres · deu
- I want" — vull & voldria — vull · voldria · un/una · el/la
- Food & drink — aigua · pa · cafè · te
- Getting around — on és? · a la dreta · a l'esquerra · l'estació
- Questions — tens? · hi ha? · puc? · per què?
- Family & people — família · mare · pare · amic
- Time, days & weather — avui · demà · quin temps fa?
- Introducing yourself — em dic · com et dius? · molt de gust
- Health & emergency — ajuda! · metge · farmàcia · no ho entenc
- Tying it together — vull · on és? · quant costa? · a capstone scene
Inside the lessons
Here is how a few of the lessons explain the language, with worked examples and the word-by-word breakdown the course uses.
Greetings
Key pieces: hola · bon dia · adéu · com estàs?
Let's start with the very first word you'll use: hola — hello (and often goodbye too). Say it out loud.
- hola (OH-lah) — hello
- bon dia (bohn DEE-uh) — good morning Memory hook: ≈ French bonjour / Italian buongiorno.
- bon vespre (bon VES-pruh) — good evening
- bona nit (BOH-nah NEET) — good night
- adéu (ah-DEH-oo) — goodbye
To say “Good morning!” in Catalan: Bon dia! (bohn DEE-uh). Built from bon dia = good morning.
To ask how someone is: Com estàs? (informal). The reply is Molt bé, gràcies — very well, thanks.
- Com estàs? (kom es-TAHS) — How are you?
- Molt bé, gràcies (mohl BEH, GRAH-syuhs) — Very well, thanks
- I tu? (ee TOO) — And you?
To say “Hello, how are you?” in Catalan: Hola, com estàs? (OH-lah, kom es-TAHS). Built from hola = hi; com estàs? = how are you?.
To say “Very well, thanks” in Catalan: Molt bé, gràcies (mohl BEH, GRAH-syuhs). Built from molt bé = very well; gràcies = thanks.
Being polite
Key pieces: gràcies · si us plau · de res · ho sent
The two magic words: gràcies (thank you) and si us plau (please). Use them everywhere.
- gràcies (GRAH-syuhs) — thank you Memory hook: ≈ Spanish gracias.
- si us plau (see oos PLOW) — please
- moltes gràcies (MOL-tuhs GRAH-syuhs) — thanks a lot
- de res (duh REHS) — you're welcome
- ho sent (oo SENT) — I'm sorry
To say “Thank you very much” in Catalan: Moltes gràcies (MOL-tuhs GRAH-syuhs). Built from moltes = many; gràcies = thanks.
To say “A coffee, please” in Catalan: Un cafè, si us plau (oon kah-FEH, see oos PLOW). Built from un cafè = a coffee; si us plau = please.
To get someone's attention politely, say perdoni — excuse me (formal).
To say “Excuse me” in Catalan: Perdoni (pehr-DOH-nee). Built from perdoni = excuse me.
To say “You're welcome” in Catalan: De res (duh REHS). Built from de res = it's nothing.
Numbers 1–10
Key pieces: un · dos · tres · deu
Numbers are the fastest win. Listen and repeat: un, dos, tres .
- un (oon) — 1
- dos (dohs) — 2
- tres (trehs) — 3
- quatre (KWAH-truh) — 4
- cinc (SEENK) — 5
- sis (SEES) — 6
- set (SET) — 7
- vuit (BWEET) — 8
- nou (NOH-oo) — 9
- deu (DEH-oo) — 10
To say “Two coffees, please” in Catalan: Dos cafès, si us plau (dohs kah-FEHS, see oos PLOW). Built from dos = two; cafès = coffees; si us plau = please.
To ask the price: Quant costa? — how much is it? A key phrase for shopping.
To say “How much is it?” in Catalan: Quant costa? (kwahn KOS-tah). Built from quant = how much; costa = does it cost.
To say “It's five euros” in Catalan: Són cinc euros (SOHN SEENK EH-oo-roos). Built from són = they are; cinc = five; euros = euros.
I want" — vull & voldria
Key pieces: vull · voldria · un/una · el/la
The keyword to order anything: vull — I want. But voldria — I would like — is more polite.
un is 'a' for masculine nouns, una for feminine. cafè is masculine → un cafè.
To say “I'd like a coffee” in Catalan: Voldria un cafè (vool-DREE-uh oon kah-FEH). Built from voldria = I'd like; un cafè = a coffee.
To say “I want a water” in Catalan: Vull una aigua (VUY OO-nah EYE-gwah). Built from vull = I want; una aigua = a water.
el = the (masculine), la = the (feminine). el compte = the bill.
To say “I'd like the bill” in Catalan: Voldria el compte (vool-DREE-uh el KOM-tuh). Built from voldria = I'd like; el compte = the bill.
Food & drink
Key pieces: aigua · pa · cafè · te
Eating and drinking: aigua (water), pa (bread), cafè (coffee), te (tea).
- aigua (EYE-gwah) — water Memory hook: ≈ Spanish agua / Italian acqua.
- pa (pah) — bread Memory hook: ≈ Spanish pan / French pain / Italian pane.
- cafè (kah-FEH) — coffee Memory hook: ≈ French café / Italian caffè.
- te (TEH) — tea Memory hook: ≈ Spanish té / Italian tè.
- cervesa (ser-VEH-zah) — beer
- el compte (el KOM-tuh) — the bill
To say “Water and bread, please” in Catalan: Aigua i pa, si us plau (EYE-gwah ee pah, see oos PLOW). Built from aigua = water; i = and; pa = bread.
To say “I'd like a coffee, please” in Catalan: Voldria un cafè, si us plau (vool-DREE-uh oon kah-FEH, see oos PLOW). Built from voldria = I'd like; un cafè = a coffee; si us plau = please.
Pa amb tomàquet — bread with tomato — is a Catalan classic. And boníssim means 'delicious'.
To say “It's delicious!” in Catalan: És boníssim! (EHS boh-NEE-seem). Built from és = it's; boníssim = delicious.
Getting around
Key pieces: on és? · a la dreta · a l'esquerra · l'estació
The most useful question in any city: On és…? — where is…?
- On és...? (on EHS) — Where is...?
- a la dreta (ah lah DREH-tah) — to the right
- a l'esquerra (ah les-KEH-rrah) — to the left
- l'estació (les-tah-see-OH) — the station Memory hook: ≈ English station.
- el bany (el BAHN) — the bathroom
- tot recte (tot REK-tuh) — straight ahead
To say “Where is the station?” in Catalan: On és l'estació? (on EHS les-tah-see-OH). Built from on és = where is; l'estació = the station.
To say “Where is the bathroom?” in Catalan: On és el bany? (on EHS el BAHN). Built from on és = where is; el bany = the bathroom.
A la dreta and a l'esquerra tell you which way to turn. 'Straight ahead' is tot recte .
To say “Straight ahead” in Catalan: Tot recte (tot REK-tuh). Built from tot = all; recte = straight.
Questions
Key pieces: tens? · hi ha? · puc? · per què?
To ask if someone has something: Tens…? (informal) or Té…? (formal).
To say “Do you have a table?” in Catalan: Té una taula? (TEH OO-nah TOW-lah). Built from té = do you have; una taula = a table.
Hi ha…? = is there…? Very useful.
To say “Is there wifi?” in Catalan: Hi ha wifi? (ee AH WEE-fee). Built from hi ha = is there; wifi = the wifi.
Puc…? = may I…? For polite requests.
To say “May I pay?” in Catalan: Puc pagar? (PUK pah-GAR). Built from puc = may I; pagar = to pay.
Family & people
Key pieces: família · mare · pare · amic
Family words: família (family), mare (mother), pare (father).
- família (fah-MEE-lee-ah) — family Memory hook: ≈ English family / Italian famiglia.
- mare (MAH-ruh) — mother
- pare (PAH-ruh) — father
- amic (ah-MEEK) — friend
- germà (zher-MAH) — brother
- germana (zher-MAH-nuh) — sister
Tinc = I have. It's the key verb to say what you've got.
To say “I have a friend” in Catalan: Tinc un amic (TEENK oon ah-MEEK). Built from tinc = I have; un amic = a friend.
To say “I have a family” in Catalan: Tinc una família (TEENK OO-nah fah-MEE-lee-ah). Built from tinc = I have; una família = a family.
To say “This is my mother” in Catalan: Aquesta és la meva mare (ah-KES-tah EHS lah MEH-vah MAH-ruh). Built from aquesta = this; és = is; la meva mare = my mother.
Time, days & weather
Key pieces: avui · demà · quin temps fa?
Today is avui , tomorrow is demà — and yesterday is ahir .
- avui (ah-BWEE) — today
- demà (duh-MAH) — tomorrow
- ahir (ah-EE) — yesterday
- dilluns (dee-LOONS) — Monday
- quin temps fa? (KEEN tems FAH) — what's the weather?
To say “See you tomorrow” in Catalan: Fins demà (FEENS duh-MAH). Built from fins = until; demà = tomorrow.
Ask about the weather: Quin temps fa?
To say “It's cold” in Catalan: Fa fred (FAH FRED). Built from fa = it does; fred = cold.
To say “It's raining” in Catalan: Plou (PLOH-oo). Built from plou = it rains.
Introducing yourself
Key pieces: em dic · com et dius? · molt de gust
Introduce yourself: Em dic… = my name is…, and Molt de gust = pleased to meet you.
To say “My name is Alex” in Catalan: Em dic Alex (em DEEK Alex). Built from em dic = my name is; Alex = your name.
To ask someone's name: Com et dius?
To say “What's your name?” in Catalan: Com et dius? (kom et DEE-oos). Built from com = how; et dius? = do you call yourself?.
To say “Pleased to meet you” in Catalan: Molt de gust (mohl duh GOOST). Built from molt de gust = much pleasure.
Health & emergency
Key pieces: ajuda! · metge · farmàcia · no ho entenc
The most important words if you need help: Ajuda! (help!), un metge (a doctor), una farmàcia (a pharmacy).
- Ajuda! (ah-ZHOO-dah) — help!
- un metge (oon MEJ-uh) — a doctor Memory hook: ≈ English medic.
- la farmàcia (lah far-MAH-see-ah) — the pharmacy
- No ho entenc (noh oo en-TENGK) — I don't understand
- Necessito ajuda (nuh-suh-see-TOO ah-ZHOO-dah) — I need help
To say “Help!” in Catalan: Ajuda! (ah-ZHOO-dah). Built from ajuda = help.
To say “I don't understand” in Catalan: No ho entenc (noh oo en-TENGK). Built from no = not; ho entenc = I understand it.
To say you need help: Necessito ajuda .
To say “I need help” in Catalan: Necessito ajuda (nuh-suh-see-TOO ah-ZHOO-dah). Built from necessito = I need; ajuda = help.
Tying it together
Key pieces: vull · on és? · quant costa? · a capstone scene
Great — you've built a real toolbox. This capstone uses only words you've met. Build each line yourself before revealing.
To say “Hello, how are you?” in Catalan: Hola, com estàs? (OH-lah, kom es-TAHS). Built from hola = hi; com estàs? = how are you?.
To say “I'd like a coffee, please” in Catalan: Voldria un cafè, si us plau (vool-DREE-uh oon kah-FEH, see oos PLOW). Built from voldria = I'd like; un cafè = a coffee; si us plau = please.
To say “Where is the station?” in Catalan: On és l'estació? (on EHS les-tah-see-OH). Built from on és = where is; l'estació = the station.
To say “How much is it?” in Catalan: Quant costa? (kwahn KOS-tah). Built from quant costa? = how much is it?.
Culture and etiquette
Castells — human towers
At Catalan festivals, groups called castellers build castells — human towers up to ten storeys tall — by standing on each other's shoulders. The smallest child, the anxaneta, climbs to the very top. It's all about teamwork and trust.
Barcelona
Barcelona is Catalonia's capital and the heart of modernisme, from Gaudí's Sagrada Família to the Rambla and the huge La Boqueria food market. Catalan is co-official with Spanish here, and you'll hear it on the streets every day.
La sardana
The sardana is Catalonia's national dance, danced in a circle holding hands to the music of a cobla band. It's very welcoming — anyone can join the circle, visitors included.
Pa amb tomàquet
Pa amb tomàquet is bread rubbed with ripe tomato, then drizzled with olive oil and a little salt. It's the Catalan way to eat bread with almost any meal — simple but iconic.
Sant Jordi
On 23 April — Sant Jordi (St George) — people exchange a rose and a book. Bookstalls line the streets of Barcelona, and the whole city feels like one big open-air bookshop.
Cava & the market
Catalonia makes cava, Spain's famous sparkling wine. A lovely way to practise is strolling through a local mercat (market) — shoppers and vendors are famously friendly and happy to chat.
Example dialogues
At a café
You: Bon dia! Un cafè, si us plau. (bohn DEE-uh, oon kah-FEH, see oos PLOW) — Good morning! A coffee, please.
Server: De seguida. Per beure aquí o per emportar? (duh suh-GEE-dah, pehr BEH-oo-ruh ah-KEE oh pehr em-por-TAR) — Right away. For here or to go?
You: Per emportar, gràcies. (pehr em-por-TAR, GRAH-syuhs) — To go, thanks.
Server: Aquí tens. Són dos euros. (ah-KEE tens, SOHN dohs EH-oo-roos) — Here you are. That's two euros.
You: Moltes gràcies! (MOL-tuhs GRAH-syuhs) — Thanks a lot!
At the station
You: Perdoni, on és l'estació? (pehr-DOH-nee, on EHS les-tah-see-OH) — Excuse me, where is the station?
Local: És allà, a la dreta. (EHS ah-LYAH, ah lah DREH-tah) — It's over there, on the right.
You: Gràcies. Un bitllet per a Barcelona, si us plau. (GRAH-syuhs, oon bee-LLET pehr ah bahr-suh-LOH-nuh, see oos PLOW) — Thanks. A ticket to Barcelona, please.
Ticket: Quinze euros. El tren surt a les nou. (KEEN-zuh EH-oo-roos, el TREN soort ah lehs NOH-oo) — Fifteen euros. The train leaves at nine.
At a restaurant
Waiter: Bona nit! Té una reserva? (BOH-nah NEET, TEH OO-nah reh-SER-vah) — Good evening! Do you have a reservation?
You: Sí, per a dues persones. (SEE, pehr ah DOO-uhs pehr-SOH-nuhs) — Yes, for two people.
You: El menú, si us plau. (el meh-NOO, see oos PLOW) — The menu, please.
You: Voldria el pa amb tomàquet i una aigua. (vool-DREE-uh el pah am too-MAH-ket ee OO-nah EYE-gwah) — I'd like bread with tomato and a water.
Waiter: Molt bona tria! Bon profit. (mohl BOH-nuh TREE-uh, bohn proh-FEET) — Excellent choice! Enjoy your meal.
Written by the LanguagePath editorial team from our own course material. Pronunciation guides are approximate English respellings; tap any phrase in the app above to hear it. Native-speaker review of every course is ongoing — tell us if you spot an error.