Catalan Basics – Vocabulary and Pronunciation (Capítol 1: Un Nou Començament)

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering basic Catalan expressions, numbers, nouns, pronouns, the verb ‘ser,’ and key pronunciation rules introduced in Capítol 1.

hola

hello; standard Catalan greeting (the initial ‘h’ is silent).

gràcies

thank you; polite way to express gratitude.

merci

thanks; informal borrowing from French, equivalent to “gràcies.”

adeu

good-bye; common parting expression.

fins després

see you later (again the same day).

fins aviat

see you soon (after a longer interval).

encantat

pleased to meet you (speaker identifies as male).

encantada

pleased to meet you (speaker identifies as female).

em dic

my name is… (literally “I call myself”).

com et dius?

what is your name? (informal singular).

si us plau

please (when making a request).

aquí té

here you are / here you go (when handing something over).

de res

you’re welcome / it was nothing.

perdoni

excuse me / sorry (to get attention, formal).

perdona

excuse me / sorry (informal singular).

perdó

pardon / sorry (neutral, fits most situations).

em sap greu

I’m sorry / I regret it.

bon dia

good morning; used from sunrise until sunset.

bon vespre

good evening / late afternoon; from sunset until about 22:00.

bona nit

good night; said after 22:00 or when going to sleep.

sí

yes.

no

no / not.

ara

now.

zero

0 (number).

u

1 (number).

dos / dues

2 (number) – masculine / feminine forms.

tres

3 (number).

quatre

4 (number).

cinc

5 (number).

sis

6 (number).

set

7 (number).

vuit

8 (number).

nou

9 (number).

deu

10 (number).

el cafè

coffee.

el te

tea.

l’aigua

water.

el suc

juice.

la llet

milk.

la tassa

cup.

el sucre

sugar.

el petó

kiss; customary greeting kiss on each cheek in Catalonia.

jo

I (first-person singular pronoun).

tu

you (informal singular).

ell

he / him.

ella

she / her.

elli

they (singular, non-binary).

nosaltres

we / us.

vosaltres

you (informal plural).

ells

they (masculine or mixed group).

elles

they (feminine group).

ellis

they (non-binary plural).

ser

to be; used for permanent traits and, unlike Spanish, also for location.

ser – present tense

jo soc, tu ets, ell/ella/vostè és, nosaltres som, vosaltres sou, ells/elles/vostès són.

TX

digraph pronounced like “ch” in English “chocolate.”

-IG (word-final)

ending pronounced the same as TX (e.g., maig).

DJ / TJ

make the soft ‘j’ sound as in “George.”

TG (before E or I)

also produces the “George” sound (e.g., metge).

LL

voiced palatal lateral; no English equivalent, similar to Italian “gli.”

L·L

double L; two separate ‘l’ sounds, indicated by a middle dot.

X (word-initial)

pronounced “sh,” as in “xocolata.”

X (between vowels)

pronounced “gz,” as in “examen.”

X (elsewhere)

pronounced “ks,” as in “taxi.”

IX

always pronounced “sh” (e.g., caixeta).

silent H

letter ‘h’ is normally silent (història, hola).

silent final R

‘r’ at the end of multisyllabic words with a stressed last vowel is silent (dormir).

silent T in -ant / -ent / -int / -ont / -unt

‘t’ is not pronounced in these endings (calent, dormint).

silent P

‘p’ is silent in words like temps, camp.

ä (schwa)

neutral, unstressed mid-central vowel in Catalan phonetics.