| Learn some useful Catalan phrases! |
 Many people imagine Barcelona as a city of passionate spaniards, and expect to hear some "magical" sounds of spanish guitars, and think the only thing to drink is wine. Woody Allen´s movie "Vickey, Christina, Barcelona" has made these beliefs even concrete. Well, if that was what you were imagining too, get to know some more about Barcelona! :)You may seem things different if you take a careful look. Flamenco is more from Andalucia and the famous paella is originally from Valencia. Many Catalans are against bull-fighting, which is known to be the "National Sports" of Spain. and NO ONE, except the old people, take siesta (mid day nap). Moreover, in Catalunya, there is another official language more than Spanish, which is Catalan. You will see more than half of the things written in Catalan on the street and hear people speaking in a language similar to Spanish, but not exactly the same. That´s the Catalan language. People don´t expect foreigners to speak or understand catalan, but with a few words, you can give afriendly gesture. Why don´t yo learn some Catalan? :) Catalan is a romance language and originated in Latin as spoken by the Romans. There are around 9 million bilingual speakers (speaking Spanish as a second or first language) within the region of Catalunya (Spain). Any visitor to Barcelona will hear Catalan spoken everywhere, and the language is growing from strength to strength after a period of decline and repression. A few first phrases My name is .. ...................................................Em dic .. What is your name?.......................................Com et dius? How are you?..................................................Com estàs? Fine, and you?.................................................Bé, i tu? Pleased to meet you(male speaking)........Encantat de coneixe't Pleased to meet you(female speaking).....Encantada de coneixe't How much is it?..............................................Quin preu té? See you later...................................................Ens veiem més tard Sorry..................................................................Ho sento Excuse me ......................................................Perdona Buying Things. General phrases I want to buy .. .................................................Vull comprar .. How much is it?..............................................Quin preu té ? It's too expensive ...........................................És massa car Do you accept credit cards?........................ Accepteu targetes de crèdit ? Communication Do you speak English?................................Parles anglès? I don't speak Catalan....................................No parlo català I don´t understand ........................................No ho entenc Pardon? ..........................................................Mana? What is it called in Catalan? .......................Com es diu això en català? Please speak more slowly .........................Si us plau, parla més a poc a poc Conversation Where are you from? .................................D'on ets ? I'm from England........................................ Sóc d'Anglaterra I'm from America........................................ Sóc dels Estats Units Have you been to my country ? ................Has estat al meu país? I live in (the city of) ...................................... Visc a (la ciutat de).. What do you think of the city ? ..................Què en penses, de la ciutat? Directions Where is .. ?................................................On és..? Where are .. ?..............................................On són..? How do I get to .. ?......................................Com puc arribar a...? Can I walk there?........................................Puc anar caminant ? Is there a bus ?............................................Hi ha un autobús ? Is there a train ?...........................................Hi ha un tren ? Eating Can we eat?................................................ Podem menjar ? Can we have breakfast? ...........................Podem esmorzar ? Is there a table free?..................................Hi ha alguna taula lliure ? A table for four, please...............................Una taula per quatre, si us plau The menu, please......................................El menú, si us plau For the first course......................................De primer For the second course...............................De segon For dessert...................................................Per postres Have you any vegetarian dishes?............Teniu plats vegetarians ? At the bar Cheers!...........................................................Salut ! I'm feeling drunk!...........................................Estic borratxo ! I feel ill.............................................................No em trobo bé The wine list, please....................................La carta de vins, si us plau What sandwiches do you have?................Quins entrepans teniu ? Getting around Do you have a map of .. ? ............................Té un mapa de...? How long does it take to get to .. ? ............Quant de temps cal per arribar a ..? Is this seat free?............................................Està lliure aquest seient ? A single ticket..................................................Un bitllet A return ticket...................................................Un bitllet d'anada i tornada A ticket for .. .....................................................Un bitllet per .. |
