Un curs de català in Catalan
We consult on which course to sign up for in Catalan. 6 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Tens un moment? M'apunto a un curs de català i no sé per on començar.» — Do you have a moment? I am signing up for Catalan courses and do not know where to start. 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 consult on which course to sign up for. 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.
- Tens un moment? M'apunto a un curs de català i no sé per on començar.Do you have a moment? I am signing up for Catalan courses and do not know where to start.
- Clar. Primer fes la prova de nivell de llengua: és curta i en línia.Of course. First take the language level test: it is short and online.
- La prova? Em costa entendre per l'oïda quan parlen ràpid.A test? I find it hard to understand by ear when people speak fast.
- A tots ens passa al principi. Jo vaig aprenent amb la ràdio: cada vegada entenc més.Everyone does at the start. I studied gradually with the radio: I understand more every time.
- I quant costa el curs presencial?And how much does the in-person course cost?
- Al centre cívic és de franc, i el privat, uns cent euros el trimestre. Pas a pas: amb un any ja parlaràs amb fluïdesa.At the cultural center it is free, and a private one is about a hundred euros a term. Step by step: in a year you will already speak fluently.
Lines one by one
| Catalan | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Tens un moment? M'apunto a un curs de català i no sé per on començar. | — | Do you have a moment? I am signing up for Catalan courses and do not know where to start. |
| Clar. Primer fes la prova de nivell de llengua: és curta i en línia. | — | Of course. First take the language level test: it is short and online. |
| La prova? Em costa entendre per l'oïda quan parlen ràpid. | — | A test? I find it hard to understand by ear when people speak fast. |
| A tots ens passa al principi. Jo vaig aprenent amb la ràdio: cada vegada entenc més. | — | Everyone does at the start. I studied gradually with the radio: I understand more every time. |
| I quant costa el curs presencial? | — | And how much does the in-person course cost? |
| Al centre cívic és de franc, i el privat, uns cent euros el trimestre. Pas a pas: amb un any ja parlaràs amb fluïdesa. | — | At the cultural center it is free, and a private one is about a hundred euros a term. Step by step: in a year you will already speak fluently. |
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?
“Tens un moment? M'apunto a un curs de català i no sé per on començar.” — Do you have a moment? I am signing up for Catalan courses and do not know where to start.. 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.