Basic Expressions in Catalan

In Brief

A small set of Catalan expressions lets you greet someone, introduce yourself, be polite, and keep a simple conversation going. Start with bon dia (“good morning”), em dic... (“my name is...”), si us plau (“please”), gràcies (“thank you”), and de res (“you’re welcome”). Learn each expression as a complete phrase rather than translating it word by word.

Overview

Basic expressions are the ready-made phrases that hold an everyday conversation together. They help you open and close an interaction, exchange names, respond politely, and ask for help when you do not understand. They are useful from your first day of Catalan, whether you are entering a shop, meeting a neighbour, or ordering at a café.

This is an A1 topic: you can use the core phrases before you understand every word or verb form inside them. For example, Com et dius? literally uses a reflexive structure—one in which the action points back to the person—but at first you only need to recognise the whole question as “What’s your name?” Later, forms such as et, em, and es will fit into the wider Catalan pronoun system.

English often uses one expression across several situations, but Catalan may distinguish the time of day or the level of formality. “Hello” can usually be hola, while “good evening” may correspond to bona tarda or bona nit, depending on the hour. Likewise, Catalan distinguishes informal “you” from formal “you,” so a phrase addressed to a friend can change when addressed politely to a stranger.

How It Works

Greeting someone

The adjective in a time-of-day greeting agrees with the following noun. Dia (“day”) is masculine, so the phrase is bon dia; tarda (“afternoon”) and nit (“night”) are feminine, giving bona tarda and bona nit. You do not need to build these forms each time: treat them as fixed greetings.

Catalan	English	When to use it
Hola!	Hello! / Hi!	Neutral and useful at almost any time
Bon dia!	Good morning! / Good day!	From morning into the first part of the day
Bona tarda!	Good afternoon!	From the afternoon into the early evening
Bona nit!	Good evening! / Good night!	On greeting someone later at night or when leaving for the night

Time boundaries are not exact and can vary with local schedules. Follow what people around you use rather than worrying about a precise hour. Hola, bon dia is also a natural combination: hola attracts attention, and bon dia adds a courteous greeting.

Giving and asking for names

The most natural everyday way to say your name is Em dic..., literally “I call myself....” Em means “myself/me” here, and dic is a form of dir-se (“to be called”). English speakers sometimes produce El meu nom és... as a direct version of “My name is....” It is grammatical, but Em dic... is normally simpler and more conversational.

For the question, choose the form that matches your relationship with the other person:

Catalan	English	Register
Com et dius?	What’s your name?	Informal singular: a friend, child, classmate, or peer
Com es diu?	What’s your name?	Formal singular: respectful vostè address
Com us dieu?	What are your names?	Informal plural: more than one person
Com es diuen?	What are your names?	Formal plural: respectful vostès address
Em dic Laia.	My name is Laia.	Standard answer in any register

Because Catalan verb forms often show the subject, vostè and vostès do not have to appear. The formal question Com es diu? can also mean “What is he/she called?” Context normally makes the intended meaning clear.

You can continue an introduction with Soc... (“I am...”), for example Soc l’Anna or Soc de Manchester. Soc is the current standard spelling; you will still often see the older spelling sóc in texts written before the 2016 spelling reform and in informal writing.

Asking how someone is

Com estàs? asks one person informally how they are. The formal equivalent is Com està?. A very useful alternative is Com va?, literally “How is it going?” It avoids choosing a personal “you” form and works in many casual and neutral situations.

Common answers include:

• Molt bé, gràcies. — Very well, thank you.
• Bé. I tu? — Fine. And you? (informal)
• Bé. I vostè? — Fine. And you? (formal)
• Anem fent. — Getting by / We’re doing all right.
• No gaire bé. — Not very well.

Catalan does not require the English-style word I (“I”) in Estic bé: the ending of estic already indicates the speaker. The shorter answer Bé, gràcies is especially common.

Saying please, thank you, and sorry

Si us plau is the standard general expression for “please.” Although it contains us, it can be used when speaking to one person or several people and does not need to change with the level of formality. Put it at the beginning or end of a request, often separated by a pause: Un cafè, si us plau.

Catalan	English	Use
Si us plau.	Please.	Makes a request polite
Gràcies.	Thank you. / Thanks.	Neutral and very common
Moltes gràcies.	Thank you very much.	Stronger thanks
De res.	You’re welcome.	Standard reply to thanks
No hi ha de què.	Don’t mention it.	Warm alternative to de res
Perdó.	Sorry. / Excuse me.	Brief apology or a way to get attention
Disculpa.	Excuse me. / Sorry.	Informal, addressed to one person
Disculpi.	Excuse me. / Sorry.	Formal, addressed to one person
Ho sento.	I’m sorry.	A more personal apology or expression of sympathy

Use perdó when you bump into someone, need to pass, or want to interrupt briefly. Use ho sento when you regret something or respond sympathetically to bad news. They overlap, but they are not exact substitutes in every situation.

Ending a conversation

Adeu is the everyday general goodbye. Catalan also has several fins... expressions, all built around the idea of “until...”:

• Fins ara. — See you shortly / See you in a little while.
• Fins després. — See you later.
• Fins demà. — See you tomorrow.
• Fins aviat. — See you soon.
• A reveure. — Goodbye / See you again.

Choose the phrase that matches what you really expect. If you will see the person tomorrow, fins demà is more specific and natural than a generic goodbye.

Keeping the conversation going

You do not have to pretend that you understand. A few repair phrases—expressions used to fix a communication problem—can keep the interaction in Catalan:

• No ho entenc. — I don’t understand it.
• No entenc aquesta paraula. — I don’t understand this word.
• Ho pots repetir, si us plau? — Can you repeat it, please? (informal)
• Pot parlar més a poc a poc? — Can you speak more slowly? (formal)
• Què vol dir ...? — What does ... mean?
• Parles anglès? — Do you speak English? (informal)
• Una mica. — A little.

These are full phrases worth memorising. You can study their grammar later; their immediate purpose is to help you remain in the conversation.

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Bon dia! Com va?	Good morning! How’s it going?	Neutral opening
Hola, em dic Marc. I tu?	Hi, my name is Marc. And you?	Informal introduction
Com et dius?	What’s your name?	Informal singular
Em dic Hannah. Molt de gust.	My name is Hannah. Nice to meet you.	Molt de gust is a fixed expression
Soc de Leeds, però visc a Girona.	I’m from Leeds, but I live in Girona.	Adding basic personal information
Un cafè amb llet, si us plau.	A coffee with milk, please.	Polite order
Moltes gràcies. — De res.	Thank you very much. — You’re welcome.	Typical exchange
Perdó, on és l’estació?	Excuse me, where is the station?	Getting someone’s attention
Disculpi, parla anglès?	Excuse me, do you speak English?	Formal singular
Ho sento, arribo tard.	I’m sorry, I’m arriving late.	Apology
No ho entenc. Ho pots repetir?	I don’t understand. Can you repeat it?	Informal request for repetition
Més a poc a poc, si us plau.	More slowly, please.	Useful shortened request
Bona tarda, senyora Puig.	Good afternoon, Ms Puig.	Courteous greeting
Adeu! Fins demà!	Bye! See you tomorrow!	Friendly leave-taking
Bona nit, que descansis.	Good night, sleep well.	Informal wish when parting at night

Notice that English translations are not always word-for-word matches. Molt de gust literally refers to “much pleasure,” but “Nice to meet you” is its normal function. Learning the function of a phrase will make your Catalan sound more natural than rebuilding it from English each time.

Common Mistakes

Translating “My name is...” word for word

• Less natural: El meu nom és Alex.
• Natural: Em dic Alex.
• Why: The first sentence is grammatical, but Catalan normally uses dir-se (“to be called”) in an everyday introduction.

Using the informal question in a formal interaction

• Wrong for a formal situation: Com et dius, senyora Roca?
• Right: Com es diu, senyora Roca?
• Why: Et dius belongs with informal tu. Formal vostè takes the same third-person verb form as “he” or “she”: es diu.

Leaving part of si us plau out

• Wrong: Un cafè, us plau.
• Right: Un cafè, si us plau.
• Why: Learn si us plau as one complete polite expression. It works with one listener or several and in informal or formal situations.

Forgetting the accent in sí

• Wrong: Si, gràcies.
• Right: Sí, gràcies.
• Why: Sí with an accent means “yes.” Si without an accent usually means “if,” as in the fixed expression si us plau.

Treating bona nit only as “good night” before bed

• Too limited: Avoiding bona nit when arriving somewhere at night.
• Natural: Bona nit! Tenim una reserva.
• Why: Bona nit can greet people later at night as well as say goodbye before bedtime. Earlier in the evening, speakers may still use bona tarda.

Using ho sento for every “excuse me”

• Awkward for getting attention: Ho sento, on és el lavabo?
• Natural: Perdó, on és el lavabo?
• Why: Ho sento expresses regret or sympathy. Perdó or formal disculpi is better for attracting attention or asking to pass.

Usage Notes

Informal and formal “you”

Use tu with friends, family, children, and often with people of a similar age in relaxed settings. Use vostè when respectful distance is expected, especially in a formal service or professional interaction. Customs vary by age, place, and social setting, so listen to the form the other person chooses. If someone says Com estàs?, that is a clear invitation to the informal form.

The distinction affects verbs and small pronouns, not just the visible word for “you”:

Informal	Formal	English
Com et dius?	Com es diu?	What’s your name?
Com estàs?	Com està?	How are you?
Disculpa.	Disculpi.	Excuse me.
Pots repetir-ho?	Pot repetir-ho?	Can you repeat it?

English no longer makes this distinction in ordinary use, so English-speaking learners need to notice the social relationship before choosing a form.

Pronunciation and everyday speech

In quick speech, si us plau is often compressed and may sound close to sisplau. Keep si us plau as your safe standard spelling. Greetings may also be shortened in friendly interaction, but writing the full forms helps you remember their structure.

Catalan is spoken across several regions, and greeting vocabulary varies. In Valencian usage you may hear bona vesprada for “good afternoon/evening,” where other varieties commonly use bona tarda. You do not need to imitate every regional form at A1; recognising that both belong to Catalan is enough.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following points yet, but they explain forms you will encounter later.

Encantat and encantada can both mean “delighted to meet you.” The ending normally reflects the speaker: a man says encantat, and a woman says encantada. The plural forms are encantats and encantades. If you prefer an expression without agreement, use molt de gust.

Catalan politeness is not simply a matter of adding si us plau. Verb choice can soften a request. Vull un cafè means “I want a coffee” and may sound abrupt as an order; Voldria un cafè, si us plau (“I’d like a coffee, please”) is more courteous. Voldria is a conditional form—a verb form often used for imagined or softened requests—which you can learn in detail at a later level.

You may also meet vós, an older or specialised respectful “you.” It survives in some regional, administrative, literary, and traditional contexts, but beginners can communicate effectively with the modern everyday contrast between tu and vostè. In the plural, vosaltres is the usual informal form, while vostès is formal; their frequency and social range can vary by region.

Finally, fixed expressions do not always reveal their grammar transparently. In que descansis (“sleep well”), the verb is in the subjunctive—a form used here for a wish rather than a statement of fact. At A1, remember the expression as a whole. Later study will show why the same pattern appears in wishes such as que vagi bé (“all the best,” literally “may it go well”).

Practice Tips

1. Build three short dialogues. Practise one introduction, one café order, and one request for help. Say both sides aloud until bon dia, em dic, si us plau, and gràcies come without translation.
2. Practise register in pairs. Put informal and formal forms on opposite sides of a card: Com et dius? / Com es diu?, disculpa / disculpi, pots / pot. Imagine a friend for one side and a formal interaction for the other.
3. Use a repair phrase instead of switching immediately to English. When listening practice becomes difficult, say No ho entenc or Més a poc a poc, si us plau. These phrases turn a breakdown into useful Catalan practice.

Related Concepts

• Next step: Food and Drink — use greetings and polite requests when ordering food or drinks.