Barcelona is a bilingual city. A survey by the Generalitat in 2003 claimed equal usage of Catalan and Spanish in everyday situations. A 2001 Linguistic Census established that 94.5% of the Catalonian population could understand Catalan, while 74.5% could speak it and 49.8% could write it. Barcelona itself has the lowest statistics, with 93.8% of its citizens understanding Catalan. Street signs are in Catalan and businesses are also obliged to display information in Catalan or receive heavy fines. Business is conducted in both languages, although contracts are often written in Spanish. Public education is in Catalan and only partly in Spanish. Because of this, 10-29 year olds are the most Catalan-literate of all age groups. Immigrants are also encouraged to learn Catalan, with free courses offered by the city council. Restaurant menus tend to be in both Spanish and Catalan, unless they’re near La Rambla, where English, French and German translations can be found. Barcelona’s growing immigrant population means that in the Raval you’re just as likely to hear Urdu as Catalan, whilst Chinese is omnipresent between Plaça Urquinaona and Berber. Dialects of Arabic are commonplace in the squares of La Ribera.

English Spanish Catalan
Yes si si
No no no
Please Por favor Si us plau
Thank you Gracias Graciès
Good morning/hello Buenos dias Bon dia
Goodbye Adios Adeu
How are you? Qué tal? Qué tal?
Fine, thank you Muy bien, gracias Molt bé, graciès
Welcome Bienvenido benvinguts
Bad Malo malament
My name is… Me llamo… el meu nom és…
What’s your name? Come te llamas? Quin és el teu nom?
Where are you from? De donde eres? D’on ets?
I am from… Yo soy de… Jo soc de…
One uno(a) un(a)
Two dos dos (dues)
Three tres tres
Four cuatro cuatre
Five cinco cinc
Six seis sis
Seven siete set
Eight ocho vuit
Nine nueve nou
Ten dies deu
Eleven once onze
Twelve doce dotze
Thirteen trece tretze
How much? Cuanto es? Cuant és?
When? Cuando? Cuan?
How? Como? Com?
What Que qué
Who quien qui
Monday Lunes dilluns
Tuesday Martes dimarts
Wednesday miercoles dimecres
Thursday Jueves dijous
Friday Viernes divendres
Saturday sabado dissabte
Sunday Domingo diumenge
Why? Por que? Per que?
Where is? Donde esta? On es?
What time is it? Que hora es? Que hora és?
Is this road to…? Este es el camino a…? és quest el camí a?
Stop Parada parar
Right derecha dreta
Left izquierda esquerra
Straight ahead todo recto tot recte
North norte nord
South sur sud
East éste est
West oueste oest
First primera primer
Second segundo segon
Road carretera carretera
Street caller carrer
Roundabout ronda ronda
Trafiic light semaforo semàfor
Near cerca a prop
Petrol station gasolinera benzinera
Airport aeropuerto aeroport
Hotel hotel hotel
Restaurant restaurante restaurant
Slow down reducir reduir
Police policia policia
Licence licencia llicencia
Accident accidente accident
Papers papeles papers
Insurance seguro assegurança
Sorry lo siento ho sento
Hospital hospital hospital
Doctor doctor metge
Ambulance ambulancia ambulància