El cotxe de lloguer in Catalan
A tourist rents a car at the rental office in Catalan. 6 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Bon dia! Tinc una reserva: un cotxe de lloguer per a tres dies, a nom de Molina.» — Good afternoon! I have a booking: a car for three days, in the name of Molina. 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: a tourist rents a car at the rental office. 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.
- Bon dia! Tinc una reserva: un cotxe de lloguer per a tres dies, a nom de Molina.Good afternoon! I have a booking: a car for three days, in the name of Molina.
- Sí, aquí és: les claus i els papers. El cotxe és al segon pis del parc, al costat de la sortida.Yes, right here: the keys and the papers. The car is on the second level of the parking lot, by the exit.
- Perfecte. I si el cotxe fa un soroll estrany al girar?Great. And if the car makes a strange sound when turning?
- Em truqui: canviem el cotxe el mateix matí. L'assegurança ja hi és.Call us: we will change the car the same morning. The insurance is already included.
- Entesos. Dimarts el deixo aquí, amb el dipòsit ple.I see. On Tuesday I will leave it here, with a full tank.
- Molt bé. Quan torni, el revisem: oli, rodes i una rentada gratis.Very good. When you return, we will inspect it: the oil, the wheels and a free wash.
Lines one by one
| Catalan | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Bon dia! Tinc una reserva: un cotxe de lloguer per a tres dies, a nom de Molina. | — | Good afternoon! I have a booking: a car for three days, in the name of Molina. |
| Sí, aquí és: les claus i els papers. El cotxe és al segon pis del parc, al costat de la sortida. | — | Yes, right here: the keys and the papers. The car is on the second level of the parking lot, by the exit. |
| Perfecte. I si el cotxe fa un soroll estrany al girar? | — | Great. And if the car makes a strange sound when turning? |
| Em truqui: canviem el cotxe el mateix matí. L'assegurança ja hi és. | — | Call us: we will change the car the same morning. The insurance is already included. |
| Entesos. Dimarts el deixo aquí, amb el dipòsit ple. | — | I see. On Tuesday I will leave it here, with a full tank. |
| Molt bé. Quan torni, el revisem: oli, rodes i una rentada gratis. | — | Very good. When you return, we will inspect it: the oil, the wheels and a free wash. |
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?
“Bon dia! Tinc una reserva: un cotxe de lloguer per a tres dies, a nom de Molina.” — Good afternoon! I have a booking: a car for three days, in the name of Molina.. 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.