Easy Catalan

BENVINGUTS A LA PÀGINA CATALANA DEL BABEL SITE

Pàgina dedicada a la genialíssima Professora de Català, Carlota Juan Latorre

1. The catalan language

Catalan, Català, is spoken by about 8 million persons in the world. So it must be considered as an important european language.

Speakers are from Catalunya, País Valencià, Illes Balears, Rosselló, Andorra, some parts of Aragón and in the sardinian city of L'Alguer (Alghero). That means Catalan is spoken within 4 european States: Spain (Espanya), France (França), Italy (Itàlia) & Andorra (where it is the official language). If its position is extremely weak in France and in Italy, it is full of life in Spain and in Andorra.

Catalan is a latin language which means that it has the same roots as Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Rumanian, Occitan and French. The closest language is Occitan. French and Italian are closer to Catalan than Castillan Spanish. Pais Valencià's Catalan is also called Valencià (even if it is the same language). It differs from normalized Català as Provençal is different from normalized Occitan. Valencià's vocabulary is mostly Catalan whereas its pronunciation seems to be closest to the Spanish one (which not means Valencià's pronunciation comes from Spanish one!).

Order: Catalan: a Complete Course for Beginners Today!

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2. Pronounciation

Català's and Valencià's pronounciations are quite different from the English one. So note that the pronounciation table given below is not perfectly exact. It is worth listening to native speakers so as to improve one's pronounciation. I give below both pronounciation.

	CATALÀ	VALENCIÀ
A stressed; À	Like in Fr, Spa, It; Eng but	Idem
A not stressed	Fr peu, Ger Köln, Eng butter	Like in Fr, Spa, It; Eng but
E stressed	Fr bébé or Fr père	Idem
É	Fr bébé, Spa leche	Idem
È	Fr père, Eng get, Ger Männer	Idem
E not stressed	Fr peu, Ger Köln, Eng butter	Fr bébé or Fr père
I, Í	Fr souris, Eng kill, Spa mi	Idem
O stressed	Fr mot or Fr port	Idem
Ó	Fr mot, Spa foto	Idem
Ò	Fr port, Eng more	Idem
O not stressed	Fr pour, Eng put, Spa luna, Ger Uhr	Fr mot or Fr port
U, Ú	Fr pour, Eng put, Spa luna, Ger Uhr	Idem
B	Beginning: [b], middle: [v-b], end: [p] (like in Spanish)	Idem
C in front of e,i Ç, SS	Spa salir, Fr garçon, Eng thus Ger süß	Idem
C in front of a,u,o; K; Q	Fr quatre, Eng kill, Spa color Ger Köln	Idem
D	Beginning&middle: [d], end: [t]	Idem
F	Fr, Eng, Spa final	Idem
G in front of e,i J	Fra jeune, Polish dobrze	Eng John
G in front of a,u,o	Eng get, Fr gâteau, Spa gol	Idem
TG, TJ	Eng John	Idem
IG	Eng Chinese, Spa chichón, Ger *Tschüß, Fra Tch*èque	Idem
H	Not pronounced	Idem
L, L·L	Eng well, Russian Ural	Fr, Spa final, Eng link
LL	Spa ella, It famiglia, Eng million Oc&Port filha	Idem
M	Eng mother	Idem
N	Eng north	Idem
NY	Spa España, fr Espagne, It Spagna Eng Onion, Oc&Port Espanha	Idem
P	Fr papa, Eng put	Idem
QU in front of e,i	Fr quatre, Eng kill	Idem
QUA	Spa *cua*tro, It *qua*ttro	Idem
R (beginning) RR	Spa rosa, tierra	Idem
R (in a word)	Spa pero, It però	Idem
R (end)	Not pronounced	Idem
S	Eng sister or zoo	Idem
T	Fr table, Eng get	Idem
V	Beginning: [b], middle: [v-b] (like in Spanish)	Idem; in some parts of País Valencià, v is like Fr voiture or Eng version
W	Eng water	Idem
X (in a word, alone)	Sounds like [ks] or [gz] Like Fr Taxi, Exemple	Idem
X (beginning of a word)	Eng short, Fr cheval, It scegliere	Eng Chinese, Spa chichón
IX	Eng short, Fr cheval, It scegliere	Idem
TX	Eng Chinese, Spa chichón	Idem
Z	Eng zoo	Idem

Note: Like in Spanish, English or Italian, every word has a stressed syllable. Catalan A, E and O have different sounds if they are stressed or not. The stress can be written (accent) or not, according to the rule. Vowels with accents are:

À É È Í Ó Ò Ú

Examples of stressed vowels:

Poder (to be able to), podré (I'll be able to), podia (I was able to), podrem (We'll be able to), Podran (They'll be able to).

Català (Catalan); plaça (place)

Conèixer (to know); coneix (he knows); diumenge (Sunday); faré (I'll do)

Família (family); guia (guide); típica (typical); filla (daughter)

Això (this); atenció (attention); Barcelona; esforç (effort)

Bústia (mailbox); puja! (come up!).

Special characters used in Catalan:

Alt+0191 ¿	alt+0224 à	Alt+0192 À
Alt+0161 ¡	Alt+0233 é	Alt+0201 É
Alt+0183 ·	Alt+0232 è	Alt+0200 È
Alt+0231 ç	Alt+0237 í	Alt+0205 Í
Alt+0199 Ç	Alt+0243 ó	Alt+0211 Ó
	Alt+0242 ò	Alt+0210 Ò
	Alt+0250 ú	Alt+0218 Ú

The Catalan alphabet is:

A (a), B(be), C(ce), Ç(ce trencada), D(de), E(e), F(efa), G(ge), H(hac), I(i), J(jota), K(ca), L(ela), M(ema), N(ena), O(o), P(p), Q(cu), R(erra), S(essa), T(te), U(u), V(ve baixa), W(ve doble), X(ics, xeix), Y(i grega), Z(zeta).

The digraphs are:

LL (ella), L.L (ela geminada), RR, SS, NY, QU, GU, IX, IG, TX.

3. Basic Expressions-Conjugations

Very basic expressions-Expressions molt bàsiques:

So as to be polite the first word I want you to learn is: (moltes) gràcies = thank you (very much)

De res = you're welcome

Sí = yes

No = no (also used to make the negative form of verbs)

Si us plau = please

Bon dia = good morning

Bona tarde = good afternoon

Bon vespre = good evening

Bona nit = good night (before going to bed).

Adéu, adèu-siau = good-bye

Fins prompte, fins aviat = see you later

¿Què tal? = how are you?

¿Com va això? = How do you do?

Molt bé, gràcies, ¿i tu? (¿i vostè?) = very well, thanks, and you?

Encantat = glad to know you

¿Perdó? = I beg your pardon

¡Perdó! = excuse me

¡Hola! = hi!

Voldria/Voldríem = I/we'd like

Podria/Podríem = can I/can we

Conjugation:

Like in Spanish, this is a difficult aspect of the language. It is important to know that, unlike English, verbs have a lot of forms and some beautiful irregular verbs. Note that the conjugations given here are in standard Catalan. They differ sometimes from Valencian's conjucations.

The personal pronouns are:

jo (Valencià: yo)= I

tu = you, for one person that you know well

ell = he, it

ella = she, it

Vostè = you, for one person you don't know or you respect (comes from Vostra Mercè=Her Mercy)

nosaltres (Valencià: nosatres)= we

vosaltres (Valencià: vosatres)= you, for several persons you know well

ells = they for masculine (or mix masculine&feminine)

elles = they for feminine

Vostès = you, for several persons you don't know or you respect.

NOTE: Vostè must be conjugated like ell/ella; Vostès must be conjugated like ells/elles.

Unlike French or English it's no use conjugating your verbs with the personal pronouns. Indeed, the forms of the verbs are quite different for each personal pronoun. However, you can use these pronouns to highlight the person.

Example: Vaig a la psicina=I go to the swimming pool; Jo vaig a la piscina=I (and not you) go to the swimming pool.

Tenses:

Catalan present corresponds to 2 english tenses: I sing, I'm singing = canto

Catalan imperfet corresponds to the english form I was singing = jo cantava

Catalan pretèrit indefinit corresponds to the english tense: I've sung = he cantat. In Catalan, it is always to have + past paticiple

Catalan pretèrit perifràstic corresponds to 2 english tenses: I sang, I've sung. = vaig cantar. Note that it exists another pretèrit (called pretèrit perfet), close to French Passé Simple and Spanish pretérito. It won't be presented here since the pretèrit perifràstic is the most used in everyday conversations.

Catalan futur corresponds to the english form: I will sing = cantaré

Catalan condicional corresponds to the english form: I would sing = cantaria

Catalan present del subjuntiu and pretèrit imperfet del subjuntiu are not very used in English (eg. 'God save the Queen'). They are essential in Catalan. You'll say for instance: "Vull que canti" ("I want him to sing"; 'vull' is present =>'canti' is a present del subjuntiu) and "volia que cantés" ("I wanted him to sing"; 'volia' is past =>'cantés' is a subj. Past).

How to build the Catalan conjugation (regular verbs)?

1st Group Verbs (ending in AR):

Present: drop -AR, add: o, es, a, em, eu, en

Imperfet: drop -AR, add: ava, aves, ava, àvem, àveu, aven

Pretèrit perifràstic: vaig, vas, va, vam, vau, van + verb

Present del subjuntiu: drop -AR, add: i, is, i, em, eu, in

Pretèrit imperfet del subjuntiu: drop -AR, add: és, essis, és, éssim, éssiu, essin

Futur: add directly: é, às, à, em, eu, an

Condicional: add directly: ia, ies, ia, íem, íeu, ien

Imperatiu: see table

Gerund: drop -AR, add: ant

Pretèrit indefinit: conjugate haver + past participle of the verb (drop -AR, add at).

Example: the verb cantar, to sing.

Present	Imperfect	Preterit perifràstic	Subjunctive present	Subjunctive past
Canto	Cantava	Vaig cantar	Canti	Cantés
Cantes	Cantaves	Vas cantar	Cantis	Cantessis
Canta	Cantava	Va cantar	Canti	Cantés
Cantem	Cantàvem	Vam cantar	Cantem	Cantéssim
Canteu	Cantàveu	Vau cantar	Canteu	Cantéssiu
canten	cantaven	Van cantar	cantin	cantessin

Future	Conditionnal	Present perfect	Imperative
Cantaré	Cantaria	He cantat
Cantaràs	Cantaries	Has cantat	Canta
Cantarà	Cantaria	Ha cantat	Canti
Cantarem	Cantaríem	Hem cantat	Cantem
Cantareu	Cantaríeu	Haveu/Heu cantat	Canteu
Cantaran	Cantarien	Han cantat	Cantin

General notes:

1. You may have noticed that future and conditionnal are not constructed the same way as the other tenses. Indeed they don't come from latin tenses but correspond to an old construction (like in French, Spanish or Portuguese): Verb + 'haver' (to have) conjugated. Thus, 'cantaré' was before '*cantar-he' coming from 'he de cantar' (I have to sing...in the future=I'll sing). And 'cantaríem' was long ago '*cantar-havíem' coming from 'havíem de cantar' (we had to sing=we would sing).

2. You can see that the Catalan pretèrit indefinit is constructed exactly as the English present perfect (to have+past participle).

3. Have you noticed how easy it is to build a preterit in Catalan!!! Just conjugate the verb anar (to go) with the verb. It can't be easier. Thus never forget that "Vaig cantar" doesn't mean "I'm going to sing' but "I sang"!!!!!!

NB: note these differences in Valencià:

Present: drop -AR, add: e, es, a, em, eu, en (instead of o, es, a, em, eu, en)

Subjunctive Present: drop -AR, add: e, es, e, em, eu, en (instead of i, is, i, em, eu, in)

2nd Group Verbs (Verbs in ER and RE):

Present: drop -ER or -RE, add: o, s, (nothing), em, eu, en

Imperfet: drop -ER or -RE, add: ia, ies, ia, íem, íeu, ien

Pretèrit perifràstic: vaig, vas, va, vam, vau, van + verb

Present del subjuntiu: drop -ER or -RE, add: i, is, i, em, eu, in

Pretèrit imperfet del subjuntiu: drop -ER or -RE, add: és, essis, és, éssim, éssiu, essin

Futur: Verbs in -ER: add directly: é, às, à, em, eu, an

Futur: Verbs in -RE: drop -E, add: é, às, à, em, eu, an

Condicional: Verbs in -ER: add directly: ia, ies, ia, íem, íeu, ien

Condicional: Verbs in -RE: drop -E, add: ia, ies, ia, íem, íeu, ien

Imperatiu: see table

Gerund: drop -ER or -RE, add: ent

Pretèrit indefinit: conjugate haver + past participle of the verb (drop -ER or -RE, add ut).

Example of an -ER verb: the verb témer, to fear.

Present	Imperfect	Preterit perifràstic	Subjunctive present	Subjunctive past
Temo	Temia	Vaig témer	Temi	Temés
Tems	Temies	Vas témer	Temis	Temessis
Tem	Temia	Va témer	Temi	Temés
Temem	Temíem	Vam témer	Temem	Teméssim
Temeu	Temíeu	Vau témer	Temeu	Teméssiu
Temen	Temien	Van témer	Temin	Temessin

Future	Conditionnal	Present perfect	Imperative
Temeré	Temeria	He temut
Temeràs	Temeries	Has temut	Tem
Temerà	Temeria	Ha temut	Temi
Temerem	Temeríem	Hem temut	Temem
Temereu	Temeríeu	Haveu/Heu temut	Temeu
Temeran	Temerien	Han temut	Temin

Example of a -RE verb: the verb perdre, to lose.

Present	Imperfect	Preterit perifràstic	Subjunctive present	Subjunctive past
Perdo	Perdia	Vaig perdre	Perdi	Perdés
Perds	Perdies	Vas perdre	Perdis	Perdessis
Perd	Perdia	Va perdre	Perdi	Perdés
Perdem	Perdíem	Vam perdre	Perdem	Perdéssim
Perdeu	Perdíeu	Vau perdre	Perdeu	Perdéssiu
Perden	Perdien	Van perdre	Perdin	Perdessin

Future	Conditionnal	Present perfect	Imperative
Perdré	Perdria	He perdut
Perdràs	Perdries	Has perdut	Perd
Perdrà	Perdria	Ha perdut	Perdi
Perdrem	Perdríem	Hem perdut	Perdem
Perdreu	Perdríeu	Haveu/Heu perdut	Perdeu
Perdran	Perdrien	Han perdut	Perdin

NB: note these differences in Valencià:

Present: drop -ER or -RE, add: (nothing), s, (nothing), em, eu, en (instead of o, s, (nothing), em, eu, en)

Subjunctive Present: drop -ER or -RE, add: a, es, a, em, eu, en (instead of i, is, i, em, eu, in)

3rd Group Verbs (Verbs in IR): Non incoatius verbs

Present: drop -IR, add: o, s, (nothing), im, iu, en

Imperfet: drop -IR, add: ia, ies, ia, íem, íeu, ien

Pretèrit perifràstic: vaig, vas, va, vam, vau, van + verb

Present del subjuntiu: drop -IR, add: i, is, i, im, iu, in

Pretèrit imperfet del subjuntiu: drop -IR, add: ís, issis, ís, íssim, íssiu, issin

Futur: add directly: é, às, à, em, eu, an

Condicional: add directly: ia, ies, ia, íem, íeu, ien

Imperatiu: see table

Gerund: drop -IR, add: int

Pretèrit indefinit: conjugate haver + past participle of the verb (drop -IR, add it).

Example: the verb dormir, to sleep.

Present	Imperfect	Preterit perifràstic	Subjunctive present	Subjunctive past
Dormo	Dormia	Vaig dormir	Dormi	Dormís
Dorms	Dormies	Vas dormir	Dormis	Dormissis
Dorm	Dormia	Va dormir	Dormi	Dormís
Dormim	Dormíem	Vam dormir	Dormim	Dormíssim
Dormiu	Dormíeu	Vau dormir	Dormiu	Dormíssiu
Dormen	Dormien	Van dormir	Dormin	Dormissin

Future	Conditionnal	Present perfect	Imperative
Dormiré	Dormiria	He dormit
Dormiràs	Dormiries	Has dormit	Dorm
Dormirà	Dormiria	Ha dormit	Dormi
Dormirem	Dormiríem	Hem dormit	Dormim
Dormireu	Dormiríeu	Haveu/Heu dormit	Dormiu
Dormiran	Dormirien	Han dormit	Dormin

NB: note these differences in Valencià:

Present: drop -IR, add: (nothing), s, (nothing), im, iu, en (instead of o, s, (nothing), im, iu, en)

Subjunctive Present: drop -IR, add: a, es, a, im, iu, en (instead of i, is, i, im, iu, in)

3rd Group Verbs (Verbs in IR): incoatius verbs

These verbs are caracterized by an additionnal suffix you have to put in present tenses.

Note: it is impossible to say if an IR verb is incoatiu or not! You have to learn these verbs, you have to practice the language, since unfortunately there are no rules.

Present: drop -IR, add: eixo, eixes, eix, im, iu, eixen

Imperfet: drop -IR, add: ia, ies, ia, íem, íeu, ien

Pretèrit perifràstic: vaig, vas, va, vam, vau, van + verb

Present del subjuntiu: drop -IR, add: eixi, eixis, eixi, im, iu, eixin

Pretèrit imperfet del subjuntiu: drop -IR, add: ís, issis, ís, íssim, íssiu, issin

Futur: add directly: é, às, à, em, eu, an

Condicional: add directly: ia, ies, ia, íem, íeu, ien

Imperatiu: see table

Gerund: drop -IR, add: int

Pretèrit indefinit: conjugate haver + past participle of the verb (drop -IR, add it).

Example: the verb servir, to serve.

Present	Imperfect	Preterit perifràstic	Subjunctive present	Subjunctive past
Serveixo	Servia	Vaig servir	Serveixi	Servís
Serveixes	Servies	Vas servir	Serveixis	Servissis
Serveix	Servia	Va servir	Serveixi	Servís
Servim	Servíem	Vam servir	Servim	Servíssim
Serviu	Servíeu	Vau servir	Serviu	Servíssiu
Serveixen	Servien	Van servir	Serveixin	Servissin

Future	Conditionnal	Present perfect	Imperative
Serviré	Serviria	He servit
Serviràs	Serviries	Has servit	Serveix
Servirà	Serviria	Ha servit	Serveixi
Servirem	Serviríem	Hem servit	Servim
Servireu	Serviríeu	Haveu/Heu servit	Serviu
Serviran	Servirien	Han servit	Serveixin

NB: note these differences in Valencià:

Present: drop -IR, add: isc, ixes, ix, im, iu, ixen (instead of eixo, eixes, eix, im, iu, eixen)

Some Irregular Verbs:

Ser, to be:

Present	Future	Imperfet	Subjunctive present	Subjunctive past
Sóc	Seré	Era	Sigui	Fos
Ets	Seràs	Eres	Siguis	Fossis
És	Serà	Era	Sigui	Fos
Som	Serem	Érem	Siguem	Fóssim
Sou	Sereu	Éreu	Sigueu	Fóssiu
Són	Seran	Eren	Siguin	Fossin

Sortir, to go out (Català of Barcelona):

Present	Future	Imperfet	Subjunctive present	Subjunctive past
Surto	Sortiré	Sortia	Surti	Sortís
Surts	Sortiràs	Sorties	Surtis	Sortissis
Surt	Sortirà	Sortia	Surti	Sortís
Sortim	Sortirem	Sortíem	Sortim	Sortíssim
Sortiu	Sortireu	Sortíeu	Sortiu	Sortíssiu
Surten	Sortiran	Sortien	Surtin	Sortissin

Eixir, to go out (Valencià):

Present	Future	Imperfet	Subjunctive present	Subjunctive past
Isc	Eixiré	Eixia	Isca	Eixís
Ixes	Eixiràs	Eixies	Isques	Eixissis
Ix	Eixirà	Eixia	Isca	Eixís
Eixim	Eixirem	Eixíem	Isquem	Eixíssim
Eixiu	Eixireu	Eixíeu	Isqueu	Eixíssiu
Ixen	Eixiran	Eixien	Isquen	Eixissin

Anar, to go:

Present	Future	Imperfet	Subjunctive present	Subjunctive past
Vaig	Aniré	Anava	Vagi	Anés
Vas	Aniràs	Anaves	Vagis	Anessis
Va	Anirà	Anava	Vagi	Anés
Anem	Anirem	Anàvem	Anem	Anéssim
Aneu	Anireu	Anàveu	Aneu	Anéssiu
Van	aniran	Anaven	Vagin	Anessin

Tenir, to have:

Present	Future	Imperfet	Subjunctive present	Subjunctive past
Tinc	Tindré	Tenia	Tingui	Tingués
Tens	Tindràs	Tenies	Tinguis	Tinguessis
Té	Tindrà	Tenia	Tingui	Tingués
Tenim	Tindrem	Teníem	Tinguem	Tinguéssim
Teniu	Tindreu	Teníeu	Tingueu	Tinguéssiu
Tenen	Tindran	Tenien	Tinguin	Tinguessin

fer, to do, to make:

Present	Future	Imperfet	Subjunctive present	Subjunctive past
Faig	Faré	Feia	Faci	Fes
Fas	Faràs	Feies	Facis	Fessis
Fa	Farà	Feia	Faci	Fes
Fem	Farem	Fèiem	Fem	Féssim
Feu	Fareu	Fèieu	Feu	Féssiu
Fan	Faran	Feien	Facin	Fessin

Voler, to want:

Present	Future	Imperfet	Subjunctive present	Subjunctive past
Vull	Voldré	Volia	Vulgui	Volgués
Vols	Voldràs	Volies	Vulguis	Volguessis
Vol	Voldrà	Volia	Vulgui	Volgués
Volem	Voldrem	Volíem	Vulguem	Volguéssim
Voleu	Voldreu	Volíeu	Vulgueu	Volguéssiu
Volen	Voldran	Volien	Vulguin	Volguessin

Poder, to be able to:

Present	Future	Imperfet	Subjunctive present	Subjunctive past
Puc	Podré	Podia	Pugui	Pogués
Pots	Podràs	Podies	Puguis	Poguessis
Pot	Podrà	Podia	Pugui	Pogués
Podem	Podrem	Podíem	Puguem	Poguéssim
Podeu	Podreu	Podíeu	Pugueu	Poguéssiu
Poden	Podran	Podien	Puguin	Poguessin

venir, to come:

Present	Future	Imperfet	Subjunctive present	Subjunctive past
Vinc	Vindré	Venia	Vingui	Vingués
Véns	Vindràs	Venies	Vinguis	Vingussis
Ve	Vindrà	Venia	Vingui	Vingués
Venim	Vindrem	Veníem	Vinguem	Vinguéssim
Veniu	Vindreu	Veníeu	Vingueu	Vinguéssiu
Vénen	Vindran	Venien	Vinguin	Vinguessin

Veure, to see:

Present	Future	Imperfet	Subjunctive present	Subjunctive past
Veig	Veuré	Veia	Vegi	Veiés
Veus	Veuràs	Veies	Vegis	Veiessis
Veu	Veurà	Veia	Vegi	Veiés
Veiem	Veurem	Vèiem	Vegem	Veiéssim
Veieu	Veureu	Vèieu	Vegeu	Veiéssiu
Veuen	Veuran	Veien	Vegin	Veiessin

Alçar-se, to get up:

Interesting verb that allows us to study the reflexive forms and a verb in"ç".

Present	Future	Imperfet	Subjunctive present	Subjunctive past
M'alço	M'alçaré	M'alçava	M' alci	M'alcés
T'alces	T'alçaràs	T'alçaves	T'alcis	T'alcessis
S'alça	S'alçarà	S'alçava	S'alci	S'alcés
Ens alcem	Ens alçarem	Ens alçàvem	Ens alcem	Ens alcéssim
Us alceu	Us alçareu	Us alçàveu	Us alceu	Us alcéssiu
S'alcen	S'alçaran	S'alçaven	S'alcin	S'alcessin

The reflexive forms are: em, et, es, ens, us, se. In front of a vowel or an h they become m', t', s', ens, us, s'.

Expression of obligation:

HAVER DE:

The English expression "To have to" is given in Catalan by "Haver de" (same construction).

Examples:

I have to go now= He d'anar-me'n ara.

You had to read your lesson= Havies de llegir la teva lliçó.

"de" becomes "d'" in front of a vowel or an h. The "haver" verb must be conjucated:

Present	Future	Imperfet
He (haig)	Hauré	Havia
Has	Hauràs	Havies
Ha	Haurà	Havia
Hem	Haurem	Havíem
Haveu	Haureu	Havíeu
Han	Hauran	Havien

The English expression "It is necessary to" is given in Catalan by the verb "caler".

It is necessary to...= cal...

It was necessary to...= calia...

It'll be necessary to...= caldrà...

Example:

A car is necessary to go out= cal tenir un cotxe per sortir afora.

It's (was, will be) no use... is said in Catalan No cal (calia, caldrà)... or No fa (feia, farà) falta...

Negative form:

The negative form of a verb is simply built by means of the expression no+Verb.

Example:

Veig (I see) -> No veig (I don't see).

Sóc Català (I'm Catalan) -> No sóc Català (I'm not Catalan).

In some parts of Catalonia you can use the expression no+Verb+pas (close to the same French expression):

No visc pas a França -> I don't live in France.

The articles:
Definite article:

In English there is only one article (The). In Catalan we have four.

	Singular	Plural
Masculine	El, l'	Els
Feminine	La, l'	Les

To know which article you have to put in front of a noun you have to know the gender of this article.

NB: use of L':

In front of a vowel or an h EL becomes L'.

Example: l'home (the man).

In front of an A, O, E or a stressed U or I (written accent or not), LA becomes L'. Same rule with an h.

Examples: l'atenció, l'hort (the garden), l'Espanyol (the Spaniard).

l'Índia, l'Úrsula. But: la Isabel, la Universitat.

NB:

A+EL -> AL; A+ELS -> ALS

DE+EL -> DEL; DE+ELS -> DELS

PER+EL -> PEL; PER+ELS -> PELS

Indefinite article (a/an):

	Singular	Plural
Masculine	Un	*(Uns)**
Feminine	Una	*(Unes)**

Note that, like in English, the indefinite article is not used in plural forms.

We say un català (a Catalan) but catalans (Catalans).

The plural forms can be used to give back the English notion of "some" (partitive article):

Hi ha uns cotxes al pàrking=there are some/a few cars in the car park.

But: Hi ha cotxes al pàrking=there are cars in the car park (no matter the nber)

Nouns: Gender

They are either masculine or feminine (you have to learn the gender, like in French).

(Very) General rules:

Are masculine the nouns which end by a consonant.

Are feminine the nouns which end by -a, -tat, -ció, -sió.

Nouns-Adjectives: plural forms

The plural is formed by adding an s to the singular.

Home (man) -> homes (men)

Castell (castle) -> castells (castles)

When a word (very often feminine) ends by an a, the plural is es.

La cadira (the chair) -> les cadires (the chairs)

Llengua (language) -> llengües (languages)

La lògica (the logic) -> les lògiques (the logics). Be careful: -ca becomes -ques.

When a words ends by an accentuaded vowel, add ns to form the plural:

Mà (hand) -> mans (hands)

L'atenció -> les atencions

But: cafè -> cafès.

Words which end by s, x, ix, tx, ig have their plural in os:

Peix (fish) -> peixos (fishes)

Desig (desire) -> desijos (note the transformation g->j)

Words which end by sc, st, xt have their plural in os or s:

Text -> textos or texts

Trist (sad) -> tristos or trists

Words which end by s don't change:

El llapis (the pen) -> els llapis (the pens)

Possessive adjectives:

Owner is	Thing possessed is Sing	Thing possessed is Plur
I	El meu, La meva	Els meus, Les meves
You (sing)	El teu, La teva	Els teus, Les teves
He, She	El seu, La teva	Els seus, Les seves
We	El nostre, La nostra	Els nostres, Les nostres
You (plur)	El vostre, La vostra	Els vostres, Les vostres
They	El seu, La seva	Els seus, Les seves

Examples:

El meu gat, els meus gat = my cat, my cats

La teva gata, les teves gatas = your she-cat, your she-cats

El seu llibre, els seus llibres = his, her, their book, his, her, their books

El nostre pare, la nostra mare, els nostres pares = our father, our mother, our parents

Els vostres diners, la vostra amiga, les vostres amigues = your money (you=several persons), your friend, your friends

NB: In valencià "va" becomes "ua"; "ve" becomes "ue". For examples "la seva" is said "la seua" and "les meves" is said "les meues".

Demonstrative adjectives:

	This, These (near)		That, Those (far)
	Masc	Fem	Masc	Fem
Singular	Aquest	Aquesta	Aquell	Aquella
Plural	Aquests	Aquestes	Aquells	Aquelles
Corresp. to	Aquí (here)		Allà, Enllà (there)

Examples:

Aquest arbre es troba lluny d'aquella montaña=this tree is far from that mountain.

Aquells nens joguen a la vora d'aquella plaça=those children are playing close to this place.

NB1: Aquest is pronounced [akèt] and Aquests is pronounced [akèts].

NB2: In Valencià the demonstrative adjectives are quite different:

	This, These (near)		That, Those (far)
	Masc	Fem	Masc	Fem
Singular	Este/Eixe	Esta/Eixa	Aquell	Aquella
Plural	Estos/Eixos	Estes/Eixes	Aquells	Aquelles
Corresp. to	Ací (here)		Allà (there)

Quantitatius:

Quant, quants, quanta, quantes?= how much, how many?

Ex: Quants dies queden fins Nadal?

(How many days till Christmas?)

Molt, molts, molta, moltes= lots of

Ex: Tinc molt pa; tinc molts nens.

(I have a lots of bread; I have lots of sons)

Poc, pocs, poca, poques= some, a few, a little

Ex: Tinc poc diners; tens poques filles i molts fills.

(I have a few money; you don't have many sons but a lot of daughters)

Una mica= some, a few, a little

Ex: Vols una mica de sopa?

(Do you want some soup?)

No...gaire, no...gaires= not a lot of...

Gens de= no (for things you can't count)

Ex: Ell no té gens d'aigua (He has no water)

Cap= no (for things you can count)

Ex: Ell no té cap ampolles d'aigua (He has no bottle of water)

Res= nothing

Prou= sufficiently, enough

Ex: jo en tinc prou (I've got enough)

Massa= too much, too many

Ex: A barcelona hi ha massa cotxes (There are too many cars in B.)

Ningú= no-one

Tothom= everybody

La gent= people

Numbers:

Number

Name

Ordinal

Number

Name

Ordinal

0

Zero

40

Quaranta

1

U, Un

Primer,a

50

Cinquanta

2

Dos, Dues

Segon,a

60

Seixanta

3

Tres

Tercer,a

70

Setanta

4

Quatre

Quart,a

80

Vuitanta

5

Cinc

Cinquè,ena

90

Noranta

6

Sis

Sisè,ena

100

Cent

7

Set

Setè,ena

200

Dos-cents

Dues centes

8

Vuit

Vuitè,ena

300

Tres-cents

Tres centes

9

Nou

Novè,ena

1000

Mil

10

Deu

Desè,ena

2000

Dos mil

11

Onze

3000

Tres mil

12

Dotze

10000

Deu mil

13

Tretze

100000

Cien mil

14

Catorze

10^e6

Un milió,

15

Quinze

10^e9

Mil milions

16

Setze

17

Disset

18

Divuit

19

Dinou

20

Vint

21

Vint-i-u (un,una)

22

Vint-i-dos (dues)

23

Vint-i-tres

30

Trenta

31

Trenta-u (un,una)

32

Trenta-dos (dues)

33

Trenta-tres

34

Trenta-quatre

The hour: (be careful: that's amazing!!!)

Quina hora és, sisplau? = What time is it, please? (pron. [kínorés sisplau])

És la, Són les... = it is...

Noon, 12PM = migdía

Midnight, 12AM = mitjanit

1h00 = és l'una (en punt)

1h15 = és un quart de dos (one quarter to two!!!!!!!)

3h15 = és un quart de quatre

4h20 = és un quart i cinc de cinc (one quarter plus 5 to 5)

5h30 = són dos quarts de sis (two quarters to 6)

6h45 = són tres quarts de set (three quarters to 7)

7h40 = són tres quarts menys cinc de vuit (three quarters minus 5 to 8)

11h05 = són les once i cinc (minuts)

Hour= la hora; minute= el minut; second=el segon.

Days and months:

The days of the week are - Els dies de la setmana són:

Dilluns (monday), Dimarts, Dimecres, Dijous, Divendres, Dissabte, Diumenge.

The months of the year are - Els mesos del any són:

Gener, Febrer, Març, Abril, Maig, Juny, Juliol, Agost, Setembre, Octubre, Novembre, Desembre.

The seasons of the year:

La primavera (spring), L'estiu (summer), La tardor (autumn, fall), L' hivern (winter).

The day before yesterday=abans d'ahir; Yesterday=ahir; Today=avui; Tomorrow=demà; The day after tomorrow=demà passat.

El matí=the morning; la tarda=the afternoon; el vespre=the evening; la nit=the night.

Demà pel matí=tomorrow morning.

Some key Expressions:

There is/are = hi ha

There isn't/aren't = no hi ha (cap)

Now/Later = ara/més tard

Before/After = abans/després

Always/Never = sempre/mai

Sometimes = a vegades

Often = sovint

More than/Less than = més que/menys que

As much as = tan...com

All = tots, totes

Nowhere = enlloc

Everything:Nothing = tot/res

Something,anything = alguna cosa

Where = on. Where is/are...? =On es troba...? On es troben...?

When = Quan?

What = Què? Quin?

How = Com?

Who = Qui?

Why = ¿Per què?

Because = perquè

Since= ja que

Which = Què

Catalan in Europe

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Number	Name	Ordinal	Number	Name	Ordinal
0	Zero		40	Quaranta
1	U, Un	Primer,a	50	Cinquanta
2	Dos, Dues	Segon,a	60	Seixanta
3	Tres	Tercer,a	70	Setanta
4	Quatre	Quart,a	80	Vuitanta
5	Cinc	Cinquè,ena	90	Noranta
6	Sis	Sisè,ena	100	Cent
7	Set	Setè,ena	200	Dos-cents Dues centes
8	Vuit	Vuitè,ena	300	Tres-cents Tres centes
9	Nou	Novè,ena	1000	Mil
10	Deu	Desè,ena	2000	Dos mil
11	Onze		3000	Tres mil
12	Dotze		10000	Deu mil
13	Tretze		100000	Cien mil
14	Catorze		10^e6	Un milió,
15	Quinze		10^e9	Mil milions
16	Setze
17	Disset
18	Divuit
19	Dinou
20	Vint
21	Vint-i-u (un,una)
22	Vint-i-dos (dues)
23	Vint-i-tres
30	Trenta
31	Trenta-u (un,una)
32	Trenta-dos (dues)
33	Trenta-tres
34	Trenta-quatre