A Short List of Essential Catalan Phrases To Know

The official language of Spain is Spanish (or Castilian Spanish). While it is spoken all over the country, Spain is so vast that it isn’t the only language you'll encounter.

For example, in Barcelona, people speak both Spanish and Catalan. Note that Catalan is a language, NOT a dialect of Spanish! Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, where Catalan is one of the two official languages.

If you traverse the streets on the way to a football match, you’ll notice signs and street names in Catalan. You’ll hear it in Valencia, the Balearic Islands, the small country of Andorra, and even the French village of Roussillon.

Catalan is a special language that appeared between the 8th and 10th centuries. It actually shares many similarities with French, and it's a piece of history you should definitely know about.

• good morning: bon dia (bon dee-yah)
• good afternoon: bona tarda (bo-na tar-da)
• good night: bona nit (bo-na neet)
• hello: hola (oh-la)
• goodbye: adéu (ah-dyo)
• bon appétit: bon profit (bon pro-feet)
• please: si us plau (si oos plow)
• thank you: merci (mer-si) / gràcies (gra-syes)
• you're welcome: de res (de res)
• do you speak english: parles anglès (par-les ang-gles)
• I’m sorry: perdó (per-doh)
• how are you: com estàs (kom es-tas)
• good, thanks: molt bé, gràcies (mol beh gra-syes)