BARCELONA / TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
Basic Catalan: A Traveller's Cheat Sheet
A Note Before You Begin
Catalan is not a dialect of Spanish. It is a fully independent Romance language, more closely related to Occitan and Provençal than to Castilian, with around ten million speakers across Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, and parts of southern France. In Barcelona, nearly everyone speaks Spanish fluently — but making the effort to use even a few words of Catalan is noticed, appreciated, and will earn you an immediate warmth that Spanish alone cannot always unlock. The Catalan phrase gràcies spoken to a shopkeeper in the Gràcia neighbourhood carries more goodwill than a perfect sentence in Castilian. Consider it your most useful travel hack.
Pronunciation Quick Guide
| Letter/Combo | Sound | Example |
|---|
| l·l | a longer l sound | col·legi (school) |
| ny | like ñ in Spanish, or ni in onion | Catalunya |
| ig | like tch | mig (half) |
| x | like sh | eixen (they exit) |
| j / g (before e,i) | soft zh like French j | Josep, gent |
| r (final) | often silent | carrer (street) = cah-REH |
| à / è | open ah / eh | gràcies |
| é / í / ó / ú | closed vowels, like in Spanish | |
| ç | soft s | plaça = PLAH-sah |
The Fundamentals
| English | Catalan | Say It Like |
|---|
| Hello | Hola | OH-lah |
| Good morning | Bon dia | bon DEE-ah |
| Good afternoon | Bona tarda | BOH-nah TAR-dah |
| Good evening/night | Bona nit | BOH-nah neet |
| Please | Si us plau | see oos plow |
| Thank you | Gràcies | GRAH-see-es |
| Thank you very much | Moltes gràcies | MOL-tes GRAH-see-es |
| You're welcome | De res | deh res |
| Yes / No | Sí / No | see / no |
| Excuse me (passing) | Perdona | pehr-DOH-nah |
| Excuse me (attention) | Disculpi | dis-KOOL-pee |
| I'm sorry | Ho sento | oh SEN-toh |
| Goodbye | Adéu | ah-DEH-oo |
| See you later | Fins aviat | feens ah-vee-AT |
| See you tomorrow | Fins demà | feens deh-MAH |
Meeting People
| English | Catalan | Say It Like |
|---|
| What's your name? | Com et dius? | kom et dee-OOS |
| My name is... | Em dic... | em deek |
| Nice to meet you | Molt de gust | molt deh goost |
| How are you? | Com estàs? | kom es-TAS |
| Very well, thanks | Molt bé, gràcies | molt beh, GRAH-see-es |
| And you? | I tu? | ee too |
| Do you speak English? | Parles anglès? | PAR-les an-GLES |
| I don't speak Catalan | No parlo català | no PAR-lo kah-tah-LAH |
| I don't understand | No entenc | no en-TENK |
| Could you repeat that? | Pot repetir? | pot reh-peh-TEER |
| More slowly, please | Més a poc a poc, si us plau | mes ah pok ah pok, see oos plow |
| Where are you from? | D'on ets? | don ets |
| I'm from... | Soc de... | sok deh |
Getting Around
| English | Catalan | Say It Like |
|---|
| Where is...? | On és...? | on es |
| How do I get to...? | Com arribo a...? | kom ah-REE-boh ah |
| The metro / bus stop | El metro / la parada | el MEH-troh / lah pah-RAH-dah |
| Left / Right / Straight | Esquerra / Dreta / Tot recte | es-KEH-rah / DREH-tah / tot REK-teh |
| Near / Far | A prop / Lluny | ah prop / lyoony |
| How far is it? | A quina distància és? | ah KEE-nah dis-TAN-see-ah es |
| I'm lost | Estic perdut/da | es-TEEK pehr-DOOT/dah |
| Street / Square / Avenue | Carrer / Plaça / Avinguda | kah-REH / PLAH-sah / ah-veen-GOO-dah |
| Can you call me a taxi? | Em pot demanar un taxi? | em pot deh-mah-NAR oon TAK-see |
| Stop here, please | Pari aquí, si us plau | PAH-ree ah-KEE, see oos plow |
At the Restaurant (the most important section)
| English | Catalan | Say It Like |
|---|
| A table for two, please | Una taula per a dos, si us plau | OO-nah TOW-lah pehr ah dos |
| The menu, please | La carta, si us plau | lah KAR-tah, see oos plow |
| The set lunch menu | El menú del dia | el meh-NOO del DEE-ah |
| What do you recommend? | Què recomana? | keh reh-koh-MAH-nah |
| I'll have... | Prendré... | pren-DREH |
| For me... | Per a mi... | pehr ah mee |
| A glass of red/white wine | Un vi negre/blanc | oon vee NEH-greh / blank |
| A small beer | Una canya | OO-nah KAN-yah |
| Sparkling / still water | Aigua amb gas / sense gas | AH-ee-gwah am gas / SEN-seh gas |
| Bread rubbed with tomato | Pa amb tomàquet | pah am toh-MAH-ket |
| Without meat/fish | Sense carn/peix | SEN-seh karn / pesh |
| I'm allergic to... | Sóc al·lèrgic/a a... | sok ah-LEHR-zhik/ah ah |
| Delicious! | Boníssim! | boh-NEE-seem |
| Very good! | Molt bo! | molt boh |
| The bill, please | El compte, si us plau | el KOM-teh, see oos plow |
| Is service included? | Està inclòs el servei? | es-TAH een-KLOS el sehr-VAY |
| Can I pay by card? | Puc pagar amb targeta? | pook pah-GAR am tar-ZHE-tah |
Essential Catalan Food Words
| Catalan | English | Notes |
|---|
| pa amb tomàquet | bread with tomato | the foundational Catalan dish |
| embotits | cured meats | charcuterie board |
| botifarra | pork sausage | grilled, often with white beans |
| mongetes | white beans | classic partner to botifarra |
| calçots | spring onions | grilled, with romesco, spring only |
| romesco | red pepper & nut sauce | from Tarragona, served with calçots |
| esqueixada | salt cod salad | with tomato, olive, onion |
| bacallà | salt cod | cornerstone of Catalan cooking |
| suquet de peix | fish stew | slow-cooked, deeply flavoured |
| arròs caldós | soupy seafood rice | looser than paella |
| fideuà | noodle paella | made with short noodles, not rice |
| cargols | snails | often cooked with tomato sauce |
| cava | sparkling wine | made in Penedès by traditional method |
| crema catalana | custard with burnt sugar | the original, predates crème brûlée |
| mel i mató | fresh cheese with honey | simple, ancient dessert |
| xocolata | chocolate | Barcelona takes this seriously |
| peix | fish | |
| marisc | seafood | |
| carn | meat | |
| verdures | vegetables | |
| vi de la casa | house wine | always ask for this |
| English | Catalan | Say It Like |
|---|
| How much does it cost? | Quant costa? | kwan KOS-tah |
| That's expensive | És car | es kar |
| Do you have anything cheaper? | Té alguna cosa més barata? | teh al-GOO-nah KOH-sah mes bah-RAH-tah |
| I'll take it | Me'l quedo | mel KEH-doh |
| Do you accept cards? | Accepten targeta? | ak-SEP-ten tar-ZHE-tah |
| A receipt, please | Un rebut, si us plau | oon reh-BOOT, see oos plow |
| Open / Closed | Obert / Tancat | oh-BEHRT / tan-KAT |
Emergencies
| English | Catalan | Say It Like |
|---|
| Help! | Socors! | soh-KORS |
| Call the police | Truqui a la policia | TROO-kee ah lah poh-lee-SEE-ah |
| Call an ambulance | Truqui a una ambulància | TROO-kee ah OO-nah am-boo-LAN-see-ah |
| I need a doctor | Necessito un metge | neh-seh-SEE-toh oon MEH-zheh |
| I've been robbed | M'han robat | man roh-BAT |
| Where is the hospital? | On és l'hospital? | on es los-pee-TAL |
| I don't feel well | No em trobo bé | no em TROH-boh beh |
Numbers
| | | |
|---|
| 1 — un/una | 6 — sis | 20 — vint | 100 — cent |
| 2 — dos/dues | 7 — set | 30 — trenta | 200 — dos-cents |
| 3 — tres | 8 — vuit | 40 — quaranta | 500 — cinc-cents |
| 4 — quatre | 9 — nou | 50 — cinquanta | 1,000 — mil |
| 5 — cinc | 10 — deu | 60 — seixanta | |
Days & Time
| English | Catalan | | English | Catalan |
|---|
| Monday | dilluns | | Today | avui |
| Tuesday | dimarts | | Tomorrow | demà |
| Wednesday | dimecres | | Yesterday | ahir |
| Thursday | dijous | | Morning | el matí |
| Friday | divendres | | Afternoon | la tarda |
| Saturday | dissabte | | Evening/Night | la nit |
| Sunday | diumenge | | Now | ara |
A Few Cultural Notes Worth Knowing
Say it, even badly. Barcelonins are accustomed to visitors who speak only Spanish or English. A genuine attempt at Catalan — even halting, even mispronounced — is almost always met with a smile and encouragement rather than impatience. Bon dia to open any interaction costs nothing and signals respect.
Català, not Español. In formal or bureaucratic contexts, Catalan is the co-official language of Catalonia alongside Spanish. Many official signs, menus, and public announcements appear in Catalan first. Do not assume Catalan is a mistake or a regional curiosity — it is the primary language of daily life for millions of people.
Si us plau sounds improbable until it doesn't. The literal meaning is "if it pleases you" — a remnant of medieval courtly speech that survived into the modern language. Give it a week and it will feel completely natural.
Bon profit. Said to someone who is about to eat — the Catalan equivalent of buen provecho or bon appétit. If a local says it to you as you sit down to your meal, the correct response is gràcies, igualment — thank you, likewise. It is a small exchange and one of the warmest.
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