On és cada cosa? in Catalan
We explain where everything stands in the new house in Catalan. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Ja som al pis nou! Explica'm: on penjo els abrics i on deixen les sabates els convidats?» — We are already in the new flat! Tell me: where do I hang the coats and where do guests leave their shoes? The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: we explain where everything stands in the new house. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- Ja som al pis nou! Explica'm: on penjo els abrics i on deixen les sabates els convidats?We are already in the new flat! Tell me: where do I hang the coats and where do guests leave their shoes?
- Al passadís hi ha un armari gran per als abrics, i un banc baix al costat per a les sabates.In the entryway there is a big wardrobe for coats, and at the side a low bench for shoes.
- I la taula gran? No vull que ocupi massa espai al menjador.And the big table? I do not want it taking up too much space in the living room.
- Posa-la al costat del finestral: així tothom passa per davant sense donar cops.Put it at the side by the window: that way everyone walks past without bumping into anyone.
- D'acord. I el quadre gran? No trobo cap paret que no sigui estreta.All right. And the big painting? I cannot find a single wall that is not narrow.
- Sobre el sofà, que aquella paret és la més ampla: des de dalt de l'escala el penjarem entre dos.Above the sofa — that wall is the widest: we will hang it together with the ladder.
- Perfecte. I què poses tu al fons del passadís?Great. And what will you put at the back of the entryway?
- Un mirall: amb ell, l'espai sembla el doble de gran, i a la vora, una planteta que demana poca aigua.A mirror: with it the space seems twice as big, and next to it — a plant that asks for little water.
Lines one by one
| Catalan | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ja som al pis nou! Explica'm: on penjo els abrics i on deixen les sabates els convidats? | — | We are already in the new flat! Tell me: where do I hang the coats and where do guests leave their shoes? |
| Al passadís hi ha un armari gran per als abrics, i un banc baix al costat per a les sabates. | — | In the entryway there is a big wardrobe for coats, and at the side a low bench for shoes. |
| I la taula gran? No vull que ocupi massa espai al menjador. | — | And the big table? I do not want it taking up too much space in the living room. |
| Posa-la al costat del finestral: així tothom passa per davant sense donar cops. | — | Put it at the side by the window: that way everyone walks past without bumping into anyone. |
| D'acord. I el quadre gran? No trobo cap paret que no sigui estreta. | — | All right. And the big painting? I cannot find a single wall that is not narrow. |
| Sobre el sofà, que aquella paret és la més ampla: des de dalt de l'escala el penjarem entre dos. | — | Above the sofa — that wall is the widest: we will hang it together with the ladder. |
| Perfecte. I què poses tu al fons del passadís? | — | Great. And what will you put at the back of the entryway? |
| Un mirall: amb ell, l'espai sembla el doble de gran, i a la vora, una planteta que demana poca aigua. | — | A mirror: with it the space seems twice as big, and next to it — a plant that asks for little water. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and it gets in the way badly. It is one of the most reliably measured findings in the entire field.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Catalan in this situation?
“Ja som al pis nou! Explica'm: on penjo els abrics i on deixen les sabates els convidats?” — We are already in the new flat! Tell me: where do I hang the coats and where do guests leave their shoes?. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.