Catalan phrases | Most common phrases for everyday life

Catalan phrases – Here you will find the most common phrases in Catalan with translation. | Free & useful

Catalan phrases are short expressions or idioms often used in speech to be polite, express gratitude, greet or say goodbye or simply to have a pleasant conversation.

They are an important part of Catalan culture and can be useful in different situations, both in private and business life.

Catalan phrases you should know

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Greet someone in Catalan

If you want to greet someone in Catalan, it’s actually quite easy:

English	Catalan	IPA
Welcome! in Catalan	Benvingut!	[bəm.biŋˈɡut]
Good day to you! in Catalan	Bon dia!	[ˈbɔn ˈdi.ə]
Good morning to you! in Catalan	Bon dia!	[ˈbɔn ˈdi.ə]
Good evening! in Catalan	Bona tarda!	[ˈbɔ.nə ˈtar.ðə]
Good to see you. in Catalan	M’alegro de veure’t.	[məˈle.ɣɾu ðə ˈβew.ɾət]
I’m glad to see you. in Catalan	Estic content de veure’t.	[əsˈtik kunˈten ðə ˈβew.ɾət]

If you are greeted in Catalan, the best way to respond is as follows:

English	Catalan	IPA
Have a nice day too! in Catalan	Que tinguis un bon dia també!	[kə ˈtiŋ.ɡis um ˈbɔn ˈdi.ə təmˈbe]
Thanks, it’s nice to see you too. in Catalan	Gràcies, també és un plaer veure’t.	[ˈɡɾa.si.əs təmˈbe ˈɛz um pləˈɛɾ ˈβew.ɾət]

How is my dialogue partner?

As in any other country, it is polite to start by asking where the person you are talking to is located. Here’s how you do it:

English	Catalan	IPA
How are you doing? in Catalan	Com et va?	[ˈkom ət ˈβa]
Are you doing well? in Catalan	Et va bé?	[ət ˈβa ˈβe]

If you are asked how you feel, you can answer with the following phrases:

English	Catalan	IPA
Thank you for asking, I am fine.	Gràcies per preguntar, estic bé.	[ˈɡɾa.si.əs pər pɾuŋ.ɡunˈtaɾ əsˈtik ˈbe]
Thank you, I am fine.	Gràcies, estic bé.	[ˈɡɾa.si.əs əsˈtik ˈbe]
Thank you, I am not doing so well.	Gràcies, no em va gaire bé.	[ˈɡɾa.si.əs ˈnɔ əm ˈβa ˈɡaj.ɾə ˈbe]
Thanks, I’m fine. How are you doing?	Gràcies, estic bé. Com et va?	[ˈɡɾa.si.əs əsˈtik ˈbe ˈkom ət ˈβa]

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More information about the Catalan Language Course.

How do I say goodbye to someone in Catalan?

Saying goodbye to a friend or stranger in Catalan is not that difficult. Just use the following phrases:

English	Catalan	IPA
Goodbye! in Catalan	Adéu!	[əˈðew]
Take care of yourself! in Catalan	Cuida’t!	[ˈkuj.dət]
Goodbye in Catalan	Adéu	[əˈðew]
See you tomorrow in Catalan	Fins demà	[ˈfins dəˈma]
See you soon in Catalan	Fins aviat	[ˈfins əβiˈat]
See you later in Catalan	Fins després	[ˈfins dəsˈpɾes]
Good night in Catalan	Bona nit	[ˈbɔ.nə ˈnit]
Sleep well in Catalan	Dorm bé	[ˈdɔɾm ˈbe]
Talk to you later. in Catalan	Parlem més tard.	[pərˈlɛm ˈmes ˈtaɾt]
Nice to have met you! in Catalan	Encantat de conèixer-te!	[əŋ.kənˈtat də kuˈnɛʃ.əɾ.tə]

How do I introduce myself in Catalan?

When travelling in Catalonia, sooner or later you will come into contact with local people. Naturally, you’ll want to introduce yourself in Catalan and know who you’re talking to.

English	Catalan	IPA
My name is Jonas.	Em dic Jonas.	[əm ˈdik ʒuˈnas]
What is your name?	Com et dius?	[ˈkom ət ˈdiws]
What is your surname?	Quin és el teu cognom?	[ˈkin ˈes əl ˈtɛw kuɡˈnɔm]
What is your first name?	Quin és el teu nom?	[ˈkin ˈes əl ˈtɛw ˈnɔm]
What is your surname?	Quin és el teu cognom?	[ˈkin ˈes əl ˈtɛw kuɡˈnɔm]

If you want to tell people where you come from, the following sentences are useful:

English	Catalan	IPA
Where do you come from?	D’on véns?	[don ˈbens]
I am from London.	Soc de Londres.	[ˈsɔk də ˈlun.dɾəs]
Are you from Birmingham?	Ets de Birmingham?	[ˈets də ˈbɪɾ.mɪŋ.əm]
No, I’m from Madrid.	No, soc de Madrid.	[ˈnɔ ˈsɔk də məˈðɾið]
Great, I’m from Madrid too.	Genial, jo també soc de Madrid.	[ʒəˈnjal ʒu təmˈbe ˈsɔk də məˈðɾið]
Where do you live?	On vius?	[ˈon ˈbiws]
I live in Berlin.	Visc a Berlín.	[ˈbisk ə bəɾˈlin]

If you have problems with your Catalan, it is good to know which languages are still spoken:

English	Catalan	IPA
Do you speak English?	Parles anglès?	[ˈpaɾ.ləs əŋˈɡlɛs]
Yes, I speak English.	Sí, parlo anglès.	[ˈsi ˈpaɾ.lu əŋˈɡlɛs]
Yes, I speak some English.	Sí, parlo una mica d’anglès.	[ˈsi ˈpaɾ.lu ˈu.nə ˈmi.kə dəŋˈɡlɛs]
No, I do not speak any English.	No, no parlo gens d’anglès.	[ˈnɔ nu ˈpaɾ.lu ˈʒens dəŋˈɡlɛs]
I only speak English.	Només parlo anglès.	[nuˈmes ˈpaɾ.lu əŋˈɡlɛs]
I understand some Catalan.	Entenc una mica de català.	[ənˈteŋ ˈu.nə ˈmi.kə də kə.təˈla]

Useful sentences with ‘I am…’

The following sentences will help you orientate yourself in Catalan and express your wishes and concerns:

English	Catalan	IPA
I am English. in Catalan	Soc anglès / sóc anglesa.	[sok əŋˈɡlɛs] / [sok əŋˈɡlɛ.zə]
I am injured. in Catalan	Estic ferit / ferida.	[əsˈtik fəˈɾit] / [əsˈtik fəˈɾi.ðə]
I am here. in Catalan	Soc aquí.	[sok əˈki]
I am hungry. in Catalan	Tinc gana.	[tiŋ ˈɡa.nə]
I am thirsty. in Catalan	Tinc set.	[tiŋ ˈsɛt]
I am a single person. in Catalan	Soc solter / soltera.	[sok sulˈte] / [sok sulˈte.ɾə]
I need help! in Catalan	Necessito ajuda!	[nə.səˈsi.tu əˈʒu.ðə]
I am tired. in Catalan	Estic cansat / cansada.	[əsˈtik kənˈsat] / [əsˈtik kənˈsa.ðə]
I am happy. in Catalan	Estic content / contenta.	[əsˈtik kunˈten] / [əsˈtik kunˈten.tə]
I am sad. in Catalan	Estic trist / trista.	[əsˈtik ˈtɾist] / [əsˈtik ˈtɾis.tə]
I am in love. in Catalan	Estic enamorat / enamorada.	[əsˈtik ə.nə.muˈɾat] / [əsˈtik ə.nə.muˈɾa.ðə]
I am ill. in Catalan	Estic malalt / malalta.	[əsˈtik məˈlalt] / [əsˈtik məˈlal.tə]
I am ready. in Catalan	Estic preparat / preparada.	[əsˈtik pɾə.pəˈɾat] / [əsˈtik pɾə.pəˈɾa.ðə]
I am busy. in Catalan	Estic ocupat / ocupada.	[əsˈtik u.kuˈpat] / [əsˈtik u.kuˈpa.ðə]
I am lost. in Catalan	Estic perdut / perduda.	[əsˈtik pəɾˈdut] / [əsˈtik pəɾˈdu.ðə]
I am a tourist. in Catalan	Soc turista.	[sok tuˈɾis.tə]
I am new here. in Catalan	Soc nou / nova aquí.	[sok ˈnɔw əˈki] / [sok ˈnɔ.βə əˈki]
I am confident. in Catalan	Tinc confiança.	[tiŋ kum.fiˈan.sə]
I am proud. in Catalan	Estic orgullós / orgullosa.	[əsˈtik uɾ.ɡuˈʎos] / [əsˈtik uɾ.ɡuˈʎo.zə]
I am a teacher. in Catalan	Soc professor / professora.	[sok pɾu.fəˈso] / [sok pɾu.fəˈso.ɾə]
I am late. in Catalan	Arribo tard.	[əˈri.βu ˈtaɾt]
I am 30 years old. in Catalan	Tinc trenta anys.	[tiŋ ˈtɾen.tə ˈaɲs]
I am in a hurry. in Catalan	Tinc pressa.	[tiŋ ˈpɾe.sə]
I am happy. in Catalan	Estic feliç.	[əsˈtik fəˈlis]
I am surprised. in Catalan	Estic sorprès / sorpresa.	[əsˈtik suɾˈpɾɛs] / [əsˈtik suɾˈpɾɛ.zə]
I am angry. in Catalan	Estic enfadat / enfadada.	[əsˈtik əɱ.fəˈðat] / [əsˈtik əɱ.fəˈða.ðə]

Apologising in Catalan

Here’s how to apologise to a Catalan speaker:

English	Catalan	IPA
I apologise.	Demano perdó.	[dəˈma.nu pəɾˈðo]
Sorry, that was not the intention.	Perdó, no era la meva intenció.	[pəɾˈðo ˈnɔ ˈe.ɾə lə ˈmɛ.βə in.tən.siˈo]
Sorry, I did not do it on purpose.	Perdó, no ho vaig fer expressament.	[pəɾˈðo ˈnɔ u ˈβaʒ fe əks.pɾə.səˈmɛn]
Sorry, that was very clumsy of me.	Perdó, ha estat molt maldestre per part meva.	[pəɾˈðo ə əsˈtat ˈmolt məlˈdɛs.tɾə pər ˈpaɾt ˈmɛ.βə]

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More information about the Catalan Intermediate Course.

Useful signs and notices in Catalan

Useful signs and messages in Catalan that you will often see.

English	Catalan	IPA
Entrance in Catalan	Entrada	[ənˈtɾa.ðə]
Toilet in Catalan	Lavabo	[ləˈβa.βu]
Exit in Catalan	Sortida	[suɾˈti.ðə]
Attention! in Catalan	Atenció!	[ə.tənˈsi.u]
Police in Catalan	Policia	[pu.liˈsi.ə]
Emergency services in Catalan	Serveis d’emergència	[səɾˈβɛjz də.məɾˈʒɛn.si.ə]
Fire brigade in Catalan	Bombers	[bumˈβes]
Passage forbidden. in Catalan	Pas prohibit.	[ˈpas pɾu.iˈβit]
Caution! in Catalan	Compte!	[ˈkum.tə]
This building is under video surveillance. in Catalan	Aquest edifici està sota videovigilància.	[əˈkɛst ə.ðiˈfi.si əsˈta ˈsɔ.tə ˌbi.ðe.u.βi.ʒiˈlan.si.ə]

Numbers to 25 in Catalan

Counting in Catalan is not that difficult. Here are the numbers in Catalan from 1 to 25.

English	Catalan	IPA
One in Catalan	U	[ˈun]
Two in Catalan	Dos	[ˈdos]
Three in Catalan	Tres	[ˈtɾɛs]
Four in Catalan	Quatre	[ˈkwa.tɾə]
Five in Catalan	Cinc	[ˈsiŋk]
Six in Catalan	Sis	[ˈsis]
Seven in Catalan	Set	[ˈsɛt]
Eight in Catalan	Vuit	[ˈbujt]
Nine in Catalan	Nou	[ˈnɔw]
Ten in Catalan	Deu	[ˈdɛw]
Eleven in Catalan	Onze	[ˈon.zə]
Twelve in Catalan	Dotze	[ˈdot.zə]
Thirteen in Catalan	Tretze	[ˈtɾet.zə]
Fourteen in Catalan	Catorze	[kəˈtɔɾ.zə]
Fifteen in Catalan	Quinze	[ˈkin.zə]
Sixteen in Catalan	Setze	[ˈsɛt.zə]
Seventeen in Catalan	Disset	[diˈsɛt]
Eighteen in Catalan	Divuit	[diˈβujt]
Nineteen in Catalan	Dinou	[diˈnɔw]
Twenty in Catalan	Vint	[ˈbint]
Twenty-one in Catalan	Vint-i-u	[ˌbin.tiˈu]
Twenty-two in Catalan	Vint-i-dos	[ˌbin.tiˈdos]
Twenty-three in Catalan	Vint-i-tres	[ˌbin.tiˈtɾɛs]
Twenty-four in Catalan	Vint-i-quatre	[ˌbin.tiˈkwa.tɾə]
Twenty-five in Catalan	Vint-i-cinc	[ˌbin.tiˈsiŋk]

The colours in Catalan

The most common colours in Catalan with phonetic transcription for pronunciation.

English	Catalan	IPA
Red in Catalan	Vermell	[bəɾˈmeʎ]
Blue in Catalan	Blau	[ˈblaw]
Green in Catalan	Verd	[ˈbɛɾt]
Yellow in Catalan	Groc	[ˈɡɾɔk]
Orange in Catalan	Taronja	[təˈɾɔn.ʒə]
Purple in Catalan	Lila	[ˈli.lə]
Pink in Catalan	Rosa	[ˈrɔ.zə]
Black in Catalan	Negre	[ˈnɛ.ɡɾə]
White in Catalan	Blanc	[ˈblaŋk]
Grey in Catalan	Gris	[ˈɡɾis]

Days of the week, months and seasons in Catalan

Of course, you will also need the days of the week in Catalan and the pronunciation of the months and seasons in dialogues and daily communication in Catalan.

English	Catalan	IPA
Monday in Catalan	Dilluns	[diˈʎuns]
Tuesday in Catalan	Dimarts	[diˈmaɾts]
Wednesday in Catalan	Dimecres	[diˈmɛkɾəs]
Thursday in Catalan	Dijous	[diˈʒɔws]
Friday in Catalan	Divendres	[diˈβɛndɾəs]
Saturday in Catalan	Dissabte	[diˈsap.tə]
Sunday in Catalan	Diumenge	[di.uˈmɛn.ʒə]
January in Catalan	Gener	[ʒəˈne]
February in Catalan	Febrer	[fəˈβɾe]
March in Catalan	Març	[ˈmaɾs]
April in Catalan	Abril	[əˈβɾil]
May in Catalan	Maig	[ˈmaʧ]
June in Catalan	Juny	[ʒuɲ]
July in Catalan	Juliol	[ʒu.liˈɔl]
August in Catalan	Agost	[əˈɣost]
September in Catalan	Setembre	[səˈtɛm.bɾə]
October in Catalan	Octubre	[ukˈtu.βɾə]
November in Catalan	Novembre	[nuˈβɛm.bɾə]
December in Catalan	Desembre	[dəˈzɛm.bɾə]
Spring in Catalan	Primavera	[pɾi.məˈβɛ.ɾə]
Summer in Catalan	Estiu	[əsˈtiw]
Autumn in Catalan	Tardor	[təɾˈðo]
Winter in Catalan	Hivern	[iˈβɛrn]

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More information about the Catalan Business Course.

Additional links

• Learn Catalan with Mondly
• The different ways of learning languages
• Learning vocabulary successfully
• Motivated language learning
• It is so easy to train your understanding of a language at the same time
• Learning languages quickly? – Is it possible?
• The different types of learners when learning languages

More information about the Catalan Course for Children.