Benvinguts! 👋
Learn Catalan: free lessons, phrases and games
Welcome to Fun Learning Catalan. Phrases, flashcards and games to get you saying your first bits of Catalan. Handy for Barcelona, Girona, Mallorca or a trip to see family 🟨🟥
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Hola! Sóc en Jordi 🌹Hi! I'm Jordi📖 Catalan guides
Short guides you can read on your phone before a trip. Every one has a "say it like" column.
🤔 Questions people ask
Is Catalan hard to learn?
Not really, especially if you know a bit of Spanish or French. The spelling is fairly regular and lots of words look familiar. The vowel sounds are the main thing to practise.
Is Catalan the same as Spanish?
No. Catalan is its own language that grew out of Latin, like Spanish, French and Italian. You'll spot plenty of shared words, but lots are different.
Where is Catalan spoken?
In Catalonia (Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, Tarragona), Valencia, the Balearic Islands, Andorra, a strip of Aragon, the south of France around Perpignan and the town of Alghero in Sardinia.
Is this Catalan hub free?
Yes. The lessons, guides, flashcards and games on this page are free to use, no sign-up.
📚 Learn Catalan
Five quick lessons. The "say it like" bit is a rough guide for English speakers (Barcelona accent).
1️⃣ Hello and goodbye 👋
| Català | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Hola | Hello | OH-luh |
| Bon dia | Good morning | bon DEE-uh |
| Bona tarda | Good afternoon | BOH-nuh TAR-duh |
| Bona nit | Good night | BOH-nuh NEET |
| Adéu | Bye | uh-DEH-oo |
| Fins demà | See you tomorrow | feenz duh-MAH |
| Com estàs? | How are you? | kom us-TAHS |
| Molt bé, gràcies | Very well, thanks | mol BEH, GRAH-see-us |
| Com et dius? | What's your name? | kom ut DEE-oos |
| Em dic Sam | My name is Sam | um DEEK Sam |
| Encantat / Encantada | Nice to meet you (m / f) | un-kun-TAT / un-kun-TAH-duh |
2️⃣ Being polite 🙏
| Català | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Si us plau | Please | see oos PLOW |
| Moltes gràcies | Thanks a lot | MOL-tus GRAH-see-us |
| De res | You're welcome | duh RESS |
| Perdó | Sorry / excuse me | pur-DOH |
| No ho entenc | I don't understand | noh oo un-TENK |
| Parla anglès? | Do you speak English? | PAR-luh un-GLESS |
| Més a poc a poc, si us plau | Slower, please | mez uh POK uh POK |
3️⃣ At the bar ☕
| Català | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Un cafè amb llet, si us plau | A white coffee, please | oon kuh-FEH um YET |
| Una aigua | A water | OO-nuh EYE-gwuh |
| Una cervesa | A beer | OO-nuh sur-BEH-zuh |
| Pa amb tomàquet | Bread with tomato | pam too-MAH-kut |
| Quant costa? | How much is it? | kwan KOS-tuh |
| El compte, si us plau | The bill, please | ul KOM-tuh |
| Bon profit! | Enjoy your meal! | bon proo-FEET |
4️⃣ Numbers 1 to 10 🔢
| Català | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| u / un | 1 | oo / oon |
| dos | 2 | doss |
| tres | 3 | tress |
| quatre | 4 | KWAH-truh |
| cinc | 5 | seenk |
| sis | 6 | sees |
| set | 7 | set |
| vuit | 8 | BWEET |
| nou | 9 | NOH-oo |
| deu | 10 | DEH-oo |
5️⃣ Getting around 🗺️
| Català | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| On és el lavabo? | Where's the toilet? | on ESS ul luh-BAH-boo |
| la platja | the beach | luh PLAD-juh |
| a la dreta | on the right | uh luh DREH-tuh |
| a l'esquerra | on the left | uh lus-KEH-ruh |
| tot recte | straight on | tot REK-tuh |
| a prop / lluny | near / far | uh PROP / YOON |
| obert / tancat | open / closed (on signs) | oo-BERT / tun-KAT |
🗣️ Sounds that catch you out
📖 Want more?
Each lesson has a longer guide with more words and tips:
ℹ️ About Catalan
The quick facts, in plain English.
🤔 Is it just a Spanish dialect?
Nope. Catalan is its own language. It grew out of Latin, just like Spanish, French and Italian. If you know some Spanish you'll spot loads of words, but plenty are totally different.
🗺️ Where is it spoken?
- Catalonia (Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, Tarragona)
- The Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza)
- Valencia, where it's called valencià
- Andorra, where it's the only official language
- A strip of Aragon, the south of France around Perpignan, and the town of Alghero in Sardinia
About 9.7 million people can speak it (Plataforma per la Llengua, InformeCAT 2025).
🆚 Catalan vs Spanish
| English | Català | Español |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you | Gràcies | Gracias |
| Please | Si us plau | Por favor |
| Good morning | Bon dia | Buenos días |
| Water | Aigua | Agua |
| Cheese | Formatge | Queso |
| Table | Taula | Mesa |
| Window | Finestra | Ventana |
| To eat | Menjar | Comer |
| Now | Ara | Ahora |
| Tomorrow | Demà | Mañana |
| Very | Molt | Muy |
🟨🟥 Bits of culture
- La senyera: the Catalan flag, four red stripes on yellow.
- Sant Jordi (23 April): people swap books and roses. It's like Valentine's Day for book lovers 📚🌹
- Castells: human towers, up to ten people high 😮
- El Caga Tió: a Christmas log that kids "feed", then hit with sticks so it "poos" out sweets. Yes, really 🎄💩
🃏 Flashcards
Pick a pack, tap the card to flip it. Catalan on the front, English on the back.
🔊 uses your phone or computer's Catalan voice, if it has one.
Want the full packs? 🛍️ Printable and laminated Catalan flashcards.
See the Catalan packs🎮 Games
Three quick games. No sign-up, just play.
Tap a Catalan word, then its English match 👇
Learning Spanish too? 📱 My app has games like these for Spanish, built around your own words.
Try the app, free to start✍️ Catalan blogs
Short reads about Catalan and Catalonia.