Què s'ha trencat a casa? in Catalan
Neighbors on the landing discuss what broke in the flat in Catalan. 6 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Sort que tornes: s'ha anat la llum a casa i no trobo els llumins.» — Lucky you are coming back: the light went out in my flat, and I cannot find the matches. 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: neighbors on the landing discuss what broke in the flat. 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.
- Sort que tornes: s'ha anat la llum a casa i no trobo els llumins.Lucky you are coming back: the light went out in my flat, and I cannot find the matches.
- Espera, tinc una llanterna a la caixa d'eines. I no és tot: fa una estona que l'aixeta del teu bany perd aigua; se sent des del replà.Wait, I have a flashlight in the toolbox. And that is not all: your bathroom tap has been leaking for an hour; it is heard from the landing.
- I a més el radiador no escalfa i la porta del bany no es tanca.And on top of that the radiator does not heat and the bathroom door will not close.
- La porta és fàcil: cal engreixar les frontisses. El pany el podem canviar un altre dia; el radiador és cosa del veí de dalt.The door is simple: the hinges must be oiled. We will change the lock some other time; the radiator is the upstairs neighbor's business.
- Moltes gràcies. Avui ja he posat un bombet nou al passadís i almenys hi ha llum on entrem.Many thanks. Today I already put a new bulb in the corridor, and at least where we enter there is light.
- Home, si això goteja encara demà, truquem al lampista entre tots i fem un cafè mentre ell treballa.Well, if it is still dripping tomorrow, we will call the plumber together and brew coffee while he works.
Lines one by one
| Catalan | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Sort que tornes: s'ha anat la llum a casa i no trobo els llumins. | — | Lucky you are coming back: the light went out in my flat, and I cannot find the matches. |
| Espera, tinc una llanterna a la caixa d'eines. I no és tot: fa una estona que l'aixeta del teu bany perd aigua; se sent des del replà. | — | Wait, I have a flashlight in the toolbox. And that is not all: your bathroom tap has been leaking for an hour; it is heard from the landing. |
| I a més el radiador no escalfa i la porta del bany no es tanca. | — | And on top of that the radiator does not heat and the bathroom door will not close. |
| La porta és fàcil: cal engreixar les frontisses. El pany el podem canviar un altre dia; el radiador és cosa del veí de dalt. | — | The door is simple: the hinges must be oiled. We will change the lock some other time; the radiator is the upstairs neighbor's business. |
| Moltes gràcies. Avui ja he posat un bombet nou al passadís i almenys hi ha llum on entrem. | — | Many thanks. Today I already put a new bulb in the corridor, and at least where we enter there is light. |
| Home, si això goteja encara demà, truquem al lampista entre tots i fem un cafè mentre ell treballa. | — | Well, if it is still dripping tomorrow, we will call the plumber together and brew coffee while he works. |
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?
“Sort que tornes: s'ha anat la llum a casa i no trobo els llumins.” — Lucky you are coming back: the light went out in my flat, and I cannot find the matches.. 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.