Quantes coses calen? in Catalan
We count what is needed for a picnic by the river in Catalan. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Demà pícnic al riu! Fem les comptes: què cal comprar i quant?» — Tomorrow a picnic by the river! Let us count: what must be bought and how much? 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 count what is needed for a picnic by the river. 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.
- Demà pícnic al riu! Fem les comptes: què cal comprar i quant?Tomorrow a picnic by the river! Let us count: what must be bought and how much?
- Som vuit: una desena d'entrepans, al menys, i dos litres de suc ben fred.There are eight of us: at least ten sandwiches and two liters of well-chilled juice.
- Els entrepans els fa la fleca a l'engròs o els hem de pagar per unitat?Does the bakery make sandwiches wholesale, or will they have to be paid per piece?
- A l'engròs surten més a compte: deu d'un tipus i deu de l'altre, i la mateixa quantitat de dolços.Wholesale comes out better: ten of one and ten of the other, and the same of sweets.
- I si sobre? No vull arrossegar un munt de menjar de tornada.And if some is left? I do not want to drag a pile of food back.
- Sobrarà poc: uns vint trossos de fruita, i el que quedi, se'l menjaran les gavines amb gratitud.A little will remain: some twenty pieces of fruit, and what is left the seagulls will finish gratefully.
- D'acord. A ull, quant costa tot plegat?All right. By eye, how much does all this cost?
- Uns trenta euros, al menys: aquest mes anem just, però el riu és gratis.Thirty euros, at the least: this month we are tight, but the river is free.
Lines one by one
| Catalan | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Demà pícnic al riu! Fem les comptes: què cal comprar i quant? | — | Tomorrow a picnic by the river! Let us count: what must be bought and how much? |
| Som vuit: una desena d'entrepans, al menys, i dos litres de suc ben fred. | — | There are eight of us: at least ten sandwiches and two liters of well-chilled juice. |
| Els entrepans els fa la fleca a l'engròs o els hem de pagar per unitat? | — | Does the bakery make sandwiches wholesale, or will they have to be paid per piece? |
| A l'engròs surten més a compte: deu d'un tipus i deu de l'altre, i la mateixa quantitat de dolços. | — | Wholesale comes out better: ten of one and ten of the other, and the same of sweets. |
| I si sobre? No vull arrossegar un munt de menjar de tornada. | — | And if some is left? I do not want to drag a pile of food back. |
| Sobrarà poc: uns vint trossos de fruita, i el que quedi, se'l menjaran les gavines amb gratitud. | — | A little will remain: some twenty pieces of fruit, and what is left the seagulls will finish gratefully. |
| D'acord. A ull, quant costa tot plegat? | — | All right. By eye, how much does all this cost? |
| Uns trenta euros, al menys: aquest mes anem just, però el riu és gratis. | — | Thirty euros, at the least: this month we are tight, but the river is free. |
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?
“Demà pícnic al riu! Fem les comptes: què cal comprar i quant?” — Tomorrow a picnic by the river! Let us count: what must be bought and how much?. 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.