Home and things in Catalan

230 words on the topic

• la casa

  house

  A casa without the article means 'at home'; a la casa — inside the specific building. The ear hears the difference
• l'habitatge

  housing

  The bookish 'housing in general': ads say habitatges de lloguer — housing for rent. The specific flat is el pis
• l'habitació

  room

  Do not mix up with l'habitatge, housing as a whole. Habitació doble — a room for two: that is how hotels write it
• la cuina

  kitchen

  Both the room and the cooking: la cuina catalana — Catalan cuisine. The cook is el cuiner, he is in this unit too
• el bany

  bathroom

  Both the bathroom and the bath: prendre un bany — to take a bath. In ads: pis amb dos banys
• el balcó

  balcony

  With the accent: buhl-KOH. Al balcó hi ha flors — flowers on the balcony, a classic of Catalan streets
• la planta

  floor (story)

  The same word is 'plant': context divides. Planta baixa — the ground floor, quarta planta — the fourth
• l'ascensor

  lift

  A relative of French ascenseur. Old houses lack it — sense ascensor is written large and honestly
• l'escala

  staircase

  Also a 'scale' and a 'scope'. The entrance stairwell is l'escala: 'Scale A' on the plate by the door
• la taula

  table

  A taula! — to the table! — the call to lunch. Taula rodona — a round table, and negotiations
• la cadira

  chair

  Catalonia's own word, not the Spanish silla: one of the first markers that Catalan is being spoken
• el llit

  bed

  One syllable. Anar al llit — to go to bed, literally 'to go to the bed'
• l'armari

  wardrobe

  A relative of French armoire. Armari de cuina — a kitchen cupboard
• la finestra

  window

  Finestra oberta — an open window; Catalan streets talk through them
• la porta

  door

  The flat's door and the car's door. Porta veïnal — the entrance door of the building
• la clau

  key

  The same word is a 'password' and the collarbone: la clau del wifi — the wifi password, la clau del coll — the collarbone
• el llum

  lamp

  From llum, light: a lamp literally is light. The plural llums — the lights of the flat
• l'aigua calenta

  hot water

  Aigua is feminine but takes l' — you know this from the basics. No hi ha aigua calenta — the phrase that starts the call to the landlord
• l'electricitat

  electricity

  In daily life they say it short: la llum — the light. La factura de la llum — the power bill, the most discussed document
• la brossa

  trash

  Contenidor de brossa — a trash container, brossa orgànica — food waste. The sorting here is strict
• la neteja

  cleaning

  From netejar, to clean. Persona de la neteja — a cleaner, productes de neteja — cleaning products
• el rentat

  laundry (washing)

  From rentar, to wash. Rentadora — the washing machine, rentaplats — the dishwasher: one family of roots
• la vaixella

  dishes

  A collective with one long ll: vaee-SHE-lya. Hence vaixell, a ship: dishes once 'sailed' in sets
• el tovalló

  towel

  Stress the ó. Tovallola — a smaller towel, for hands: two words of one family
• el sabó

  soap

  With the stressed -ó at the end: suh-BOH. Sabó de Marsella — Marseille soap: it washes everything here
• el veí

  neighbor

  With the accent: buh-EE. The neighbor woman is la veïna. Veïnat — neighborliness and the neighborhood
• el propietari

  landlord

  In ads shortened to propiet., the owner. La propietària — the landlady
• el lloguer

  rent

  LYOO-GER: the ll is ly. Pis de lloguer — a flat to let, preu del lloguer — the rent price: a word from every ad
• el contracte

  contract

  A relative of contract. Contracte de lloguer — the rental contract: read it to the signature
• la fiança

  deposit

  Fee-AN-suh. Usually one month of rent: una fiança d'un mes. It comes back if everything is intact
• la factura

  utility bill

  A bill in general: for light, water, phone. Les factures les paga el propietari — the landlord pays the bills: ask in advance
• la reforma

  renovation

  Not a reform of the state but a renovation: pis reformat — a renovated flat, it sells for more
• hi ha soroll

  it's noisy

  Literally 'there is noise': Catalan describes the noise rather than naming it. Soroll de carrer — street noise, excused by cheap rent in ads
• No funciona.

  it doesn't work

  The universal formula: about the lift, the light, the wifi. Point at the broken thing with a gesture and all is clear
• S'ha espatllat.

  it broke down

  Literally 'it broke by itself': a reflexive form, the thing breaks 'at its own place'. The adjective espatllat is from the basic unit
• goteja

  it's leaking

  From gota, a drop: goteja — it drips. El sostre goteja — the ceiling leaks, another call to the landlord
• Crideu un tècnic.

  call a repairperson

  Cridar is to call, to shout. Tècnic here is a fixer of everything; the landlord usually knows his own
• Quan vindran?

  when will you come?

  The future of venir, to come: vindran — they will come. The polite way to ask about the repairperson
• Espereu un moment.

  wait a moment

  Espereu — wait, to several people politely. Valencian says the same; the central norm often says espera
• Està tot bé.

  it's all fine

  Literally 'everything is found well'. The repairperson says it leaving; you answer perfecte
• No puc obrir.

  I can't open it

  puc is "I can", from poder; obrir is "to open". Door, window, jar — it works with everything
• llogar un pis

  to rent a flat

  Llogar — both to rent and to let out: a two-way verb, like hire. El pis — the flat: in Catalan it is both the floor and the flat at once
• posar el pis en lloguer

  to let a flat

  Literally "to put the flat out for rent": letting here is a "setting out". El propietari — the landlord from unit one: he decides
• el contracte de lloguer

  rental contract

  Two words of unit one assembled into one: contracte + lloguer. In Spain the minimum is five years: read the term before signing
• la renda

  rent (payment)

  Feminine: la renda. Both income in taxes and rent in a contract: context divides. La renda puja — the phrase of every year
• la durada del contracte

  lease term

  From durar, to last: the term here is a "duration". Un any, prorrogable — a year, renewable: the wording from the contract
• l'agent immobiliari

  real estate agent

  Literally "an agent of real estate": l'immoble — from the Latin "immovable". He usually takes a month's payment for the work
• la visita del pis

  flat viewing

  Literally "a visit of the flat": viewing here is done by "visit". Book in advance: good flats fly away in a day
• el pis amoblat

  furnished flat

  Literally "a flat furnished": from els mobles — the furniture of this very unit. Walk in and live: a suitcase is the entire decor
• entrar a viure

  to move in

  Literally "to enter to live": moving in here is an "entering" of the new life. The move-in date stands in the contract — l'entrada
• deixar el pis

  to move out

  Literally "to leave the flat": moving out here is a "leaving". The landlord is warned in advance — a rule of the contract
• la mudança

  the move

  A relative of the Spanish mudanza: a move here is a "change" of place. El dia de la mudança — moving day: label the boxes in advance
• mudar-se

  to move house

  Reflexive, like the Spanish mudarse: one moves 'at one's own place' — em mudo. La mudança from this lesson is its name
• el mosso

  mover

  El mosso — a handy lad: a relative of the Spanish mozo, but its own. Movers are also called in full: mosso de mudances
• el camió

  truck

  With the accent on the ó. Not the Spanish camión: no n at the end, but the same sound
• empaquetar

  to pack up

  From el paquet — the package: packing here is "packeting". The boxes are capses: look for the tape in advance
• desempaquetar

  to unpack

  The same verb with des-: unpacking here is "un-packeting". Its joy is finding the forgotten things
• l'adreça nova

  new address

  L'adreça — the address, here with a new adjective. The adjective comes after the noun: adreça nova
• el transport de les coses

  moving of things

  Literally "the transport of things": les coses — from unit one. Firms charge by boxes and floors: without a lift it is dearer
• instal·lar-se

  to settle in

  With the mid-dot: to "install oneself", like an appliance on the shelf
• acostumar-se al lloc nou

  to get used to the new place

  Acostumar-se — to get accustomed, a relative of costume: habit here is 'one's own custom'. One gets used to the place 'at the place', with the preposition a
• els mobles

  furniture

  Only plural: els mobles. One item is un moble; the shops are simply called Mobles
• el sofà

  sofa

  With the accent on the á. It came from the Arab south, like la catifa of this lesson. On it one both sleeps and watches TV
• la butaca

  armchair

  Feminine: la butaca. The same word is the theater seat: chosen just as long
• el prestatge

  shelf (storage)

  Not the Spanish estante: its own word. A bookshelf is the same: un prestatge de llibres
• la catifa

  carpet

  From the Arab south, like el sofà. Not the Spanish alfombra: its own word, soft like the carpet itself
• el mirall

  mirror

  The double ll is a soft ly at the end. From mirar, to look: a mirror here is a "looker"
• la cortina

  drape

  A relative of the theater curtain. They live in pairs, hence more often plural: les cortines
• el coixí

  cushion

  With the accent on the í. On the sofa and on the bed — one word
• la manta

  wool blanket

  Feminine, like the Spanish manta. Agafar una manta — to cover oneself with a blanket: the verb here is "take"
• el llustre

  chandelier

  Literally "shine": a chandelier here is a "shining one", from the Latin lustrare — to gleam
• la pintura

  paint

  Both paint and painting: from pintar. The color is picked from a carta de colors — a fan of samples
• pintar les parets

  to paint the walls

  La paret — the wall, in the plural parets. The color goes with the preposition de: pintar de blanc — paint white
• el paper pintat

  wallpaper

  Literally "painted paper", like the Spanish papel pintado. It is glued on — enganxar
• la rajola

  tile

  Both ceramic tile and paving stone — one word. Not the Spanish azulejo: its own word
• el tornavís

  screwdriver

  Literally "turn-screw": tornar + vis. A tool with the instruction in its name — Catalan practicality
• el trepant

  drill (tool)

  From trepar, to drill: a drill here is a "driller". The neighbors hear it through the walls
• la canonada

  pipe

  From la canonada — the piping: a pipe here is "pipework" in the direct sense. Not the Spanish tubería: its own word
• la bombeta s'ha fos

  the bulb has blown

  La bombeta — the bulb, and s'ha fos — "has melted": a blowout here is a melting. The same construction as the battery of unit one
• la calefacció

  heating

  From calor — the heat of the basics: heating here is a "warming". Central heating is calefacció central: all the neighbors pay together
• fer una reforma

  to do renovations

  La reforma — the renovation of unit one: here it is "done", the verb fer. Les obres — the works: at the neighbors they are eternal
• el comptador

  meter

  From comptar, to count: a meter here is a "counter". There are several in the stairwell: light, water, gas — one each
• la lectura del comptador

  meter reading

  Literally "the reading of the meter": the readings are "read", not taken. Submit them on time — otherwise they will bill the maximum
• la factura de l'aigua

  water bill

  La factura — from unit one, now with water. L'aigua — also from there: familiar words, a new bill
• la factura de la llum

  electricity bill

  Electricity here is "light": la llum — from the basics. In winter the bill puja — climbs: the radiators eat more
• han tallat l'aigua

  the water is cut off

  Literally "they have cut the water": a shut-off here is a "cutting", from tallar — to cut. The construction han + participle: done without you
• el contenidor

  trash container

  From contenir, to contain: a bin here is a "container". They are multicolored: each color is its own fraction, the sorting is strict here
• el portal

  apartment entrance

  The same word as the entrance hall: here it is exactly the entrance of the house. El portal és tancat — the intercom door: the code is asked of the neighbors
• el porter electrònic

  intercom

  Literally "an electronic gatekeeper": el porter — the goalkeeper of unit three and the concierge. It opens the door from the flat: obre des de casa
• el soroll dels veïns

  noise from the neighbors

  El soroll — the noise, els veïns — the neighbors, both from unit one. After ten in the evening there is silence here: the house rule
• les normes de la casa

  house rules

  Literally "the norms of the house": rules here are "norms", as in chemistry. They hang at the entrance: trash sorting, quiet, where bikes stand
• el forn

  oven

  Masculine. The same forn as at the bakery: forn de pa — the bread oven. Posa el pastís al forn trenta minuts — a phrase for life
• el microones

  microwave

  Literally "microwaves" — a physicist's word in the kitchen. In speech pressed to el micro: escalfa-ho al micro
• el ratllador

  grater

  From ratllar — to grate: a grater here is a "grater-er". From the verb also el ratllat of the appliances lesson — the scratch: the same movement
• el cullerot

  ladle

  An augmentative of la cullera — the spoon: a ladle here is a "big spoon". Soup is ladled with it, not spooned
• la tapa

  lid

  From tapar — to cover: a lid here is a "coverer". The pot is closed with a lid, the city with a manhole cover: one word
• la taula de tallar

  cutting board

  Literally "a table for cutting": la taula and tallar you know — assemble them. Wooden or plastic: de fusta o de plàstic
• el davantal

  apron

  From davant — the front: an apron here is a 'front-er'. Put on before cooking: em poso el davantal abans de cuinar
• el mantel

  tablecloth

  Masculine, a relative of the mantle — a cape: a tablecloth here is a "table mantle". The white one — mantel blanc — is for holidays
• la batedora

  blender

  From batre — to beat: a blender here is a "beater". The immersion one is batedora de mà: a blender-hand
• el recipient

  food container

  A relative of the letter's recipient — the one who "receives": a container here is a "receiver" of food. Dinner leftovers live in it until tomorrow
• la pinta

  comb

  Feminine, from pentinar — to comb: a comb here is a "comber-er". The fine-tooth one is the same pinta, only with a handle
• la maquineta d'afaitar

  razor

  Literally "a little machine for shaving": afaitar — to shave. The electric one is elèctrica: the same word, only a longer wire
• el xampú

  shampoo

  Written with the stress on the ú, a word of Indian origin. On the bottle look for per cabells tenyits — for dyed hair
• les tisores

  scissors

  Only plural: two blades — two tisores. They cut everything: paper, fabric and — carefully — hair
• l'agulla

  needle

  Feminine. The same word is the compass needle and the syringe needle: thin and sharp are named alike here
• el fil

  thread

  Masculine. You knew el fil de notícies — the news feed: both the feed and the thread stretch. The color is specified after: fil negre
• llençar

  to throw away

  With two l's: llençar is to throw away, while llançar with one is to throw a ball. The difference is in spelling, the meaning — in the bin
• guardar

  to keep

  You knew guardar diners — to save money: to keep here is to "guard". Things are kept in boxes: en una capsa
• la rentadora

  washing machine

  From rentar — to wash: the machine here is a "washer". The program is el programa — the same word as the TV show's
• el rentaplats

  dishwasher

  Literally "a dish-washer": rentar els plats you knew — here is the machine with the same name. The quarrel about who unloads it is eternal
• el congelador

  freezer (compartment)

  From congelar — to freeze. It lives on top of or under la nevera
• el ventilador

  electric fan

  From vent — the wind: a fan here is a "winder". In summer it is in every house: fa calor: poso el ventilador
• l'estufa

  heater

  Feminine. The winter partner of the fan: ventilador in summer, estufa in winter. La calefacció — the heating of the whole house
• l'eixugador

  hair dryer

  From eixugar — to wipe dry: a dryer here is a 'drier'. The full name is l'eixugador de cabell: the hair comes in the set
• la regleta

  power strip

  Literally "a little ruler": from regla, the ruler — long and with divisions. There are never enough outlets in a house — hence the regleta
• l'interruptor

  light switch

  A Latin relative of interruption: a switch here is an "interrupter". Click — and la llum from the basics disappears
• el cargol

  screw

  One word — both a screw and a snail: both "twist" in a spiral. Screws live in the toolbox, but you can meet both
• la clau anglesa

  wrench

  Literally "the English key": the unnamed inventor was, by legend, an Englishman. You knew la clau — the door key: this is its relative
• els alicates

  pliers

  Only plural — like scissors: two teeth go in a pair. They cut wires and hold nuts: tallen el cable
• la cinta aïllant

  insulating tape

  Literally "an insulating tape": aïllar — to isolate, a relative of the island. Black, sticky, and holds everything it should not hold
• el cola

  glue

  Masculine and short, like a drop. It glues everything: paper, a cup and — by the tube's promise — even metal
• la cinta adhesiva

  tape (adhesive)

  Literally "an adhesive tape": adhesiu — sticky, a relative of adhesion. The sister of insulating tape, but transparent and less criminal
• la corda

  rope

  Feminine, from the Latin chorda — the string: a rope here is a "thicker string". Tied and knotted: lligar
• enganxar

  to stick on

  From el ganxo — the hook: to stick here is to 'hook on'. Everything sticks: a sticker, tape and a person who will not leave
• enroscar

  to screw in (twist)

  From l'rosca — the thread: to screw here is to 'thread into'. Screws are twisted, lids too: enrosca el cargol fins al final
• mesurar

  to measure

  A relative of measure — medir and mesurar live side by side. The golden rule of repair: primer mesura, després compra
• reparar amb les pròpies mans

  to fix with my own hands

  Literally "to repair with own hands": pròpies — one's own. The compliment to a maker: ho fa tot amb les pròpies mans
• empènyer

  to push

  To push away from oneself: the door, the cart, the argument. To open this door one must push
• estirar

  to stretch

  To pull, to stretch out: the arms, the rubber, the truth. Stretch your arms up and count to ten
• la dutxa

  shower

  From the Catalan via the Arabic: the falling spray. After training I take a cold shower
• el despertador

  alarm clock

  From despertar — to wake: the clock that wakes you. It rings at seven every morning
• el termòmetre

  thermometer

  Literally "the heat-measurer": thermo + meter. We take the child's temperature with it
• la torradora

  toaster

  From torrar — to toast: the machine that toasts. It smells of warm bread in the mornings
• la màquina de cosir

  sewing machine

  Literally "a machine of sewing": cosir — to sew, you know it. Grandma mends all the clothes with it
• decorar la casa

  to decorate the house

  From decorar — to adorn: the house is decorated for the feast. The children do it with drawings and lights
• l'estrena de la casa

  housewarming

  The estrena of the premiere — a first use: here of a house. For it everyone brought bread and salt
• treure's les sabates

  to take off one's shoes

  Literally "to take out the shoes": treure — to take out. A sign hangs on the house door: shoes off
• la fonamentació

  foundation

  From fonament — the bottom, the base: the foundation is the "groundwork". The foundation of this house reaches the rock
• l'acabat

  finish (surface)

  From acabar — to finish: the finish is the "finished" surface. The kitchen finish is light wood, without gloss
• obrir

  to open

  oo-BREE. Obre la finestra, fa calor — open the window, it's hot. About books and shops too: la botiga obre a les nou
• tancar

  to close

  tun-KAH. Tanca l'aixeta — turn off the tap; la botiga tanca a les vuit — the shop closes at eight
• tancar amb clau

  to lock

  Honestly "to close with a key": tancar amb clau. Tanca amb clau la porta del traster — lock the storeroom door
• obrir amb clau

  to unlock

  Honestly "to open with a key": obrir amb clau. Obrir amb clau el pany vell costa — unlocking the old lock is a job
• encendre la llum

  to turn on the light

  To turn on the light is to "light" it: encendre. The same verb lights matches and the stove
• apagar la llum

  to turn off the light

  To turn off the light is to "extinguish" it: apagar. It also puts out fires: a strong word
• prémer

  to press

  PREH-mer. Prem el botó verd — press the green button. It also means to wring: laundry between the palms is premer too
• girar el pom

  to turn the knob

  zhee-RAHR ul POM: girar — to turn, you knew it; el pom — the round knob of a door
• picar

  to knock

  pee-KAH. Algú pica a la porta — someone is knocking. It also means "to chop": carn picada, you knew it
• trucar el timbre

  to ring the doorbell

  troo-KAHR ul TEEM-bruh. Trucar also means to phone: the finger is the same, the business is different
• tallar amb tisores

  to cut with scissors

  tuh-LYAHrm uhmb tee-ZOH-ruhs. Tallar — to cut, you knew it; les tisores — scissors, always plural
• pegar

  to glue

  puh-GAH. Pego l'etiqueta a la caixa — I glue the label onto the box. Enganxar, you knew it, is the same deed in other words
• cosir

  to sew

  koo-SEE. Cosiré la funda de coixí a mà — I will sew the pillowcase by hand. Needle and thread are the whole science of this verb
• teixir

  to knit

  tuh-SHEE. La iaia teix una manta a l'hivern — grandma knits a blanket in winter: loop by loop
• arreglar

  to fix

  uh-rruh-GLAH — to set right. Arreglar la nevera — to fix the fridge; fixed is arreglat
• estavellar

  to shatter

  To break to pieces: he estavellat el got — I shattered the glass; now it is trencat, you knew it
• ratllar

  to scratch

  rruh-LYAH. El gat ha ratllat la taula nova — the cat scratched the new table. It also means "to grate": ratllar formatge
• tacar

  to stain

  tuh-KAH. El vi ha tacat l'estora blanca — the wine stained the white rug. The stain is la taca: verb and thing of one family
• netejar

  to clean

  nuh-tuh-ZHAH. Netejo la taula abans de dinar — I wipe the table before lunch; the cleaning is la neteja, you met it
• treure la pols

  to dust

  Honestly "to take out the dust": treure la pols. La pols is dust and powder: context divides
• fer la bugada

  to do the laundry

  Literally "to make the wash": fer la bugada. La bugada is both the washing and the pile of washed things
• assecar

  to dry

  us-suh-KAH. Assecaré els plats amb un drap net — I will dry the dishes with a clean rag; dry is sec, you knew it
• passar la planxa

  to do the ironing

  Literally "to pass the iron": passar la planxa. La planxa is the iron: the same root as planxar, you knew it
• fregar el terra

  to mop the floor

  froo-GAHR ul TEH-rruh: fregar is to scrub. Frego el terra del bany cada divendres — I mop the bathroom floor every Friday
• ventilar

  to air out

  ven-tee-LAH. Obro la finestra per ventilar l'habitació — I open the window to air the room. Fresh air is aire fresc
• regar les flors

  to water the flowers

  rruh-GAHR lus FLOSS. Rega — he waters: rego, regs, rega. The watering can is el regador, the same family
• plantar

  to plant

  pun-TAH. Plantaré un tomàquet a l'hort — I will plant a tomato in the vegetable garden: what they say in spring
• cavar

  to dig

  kuh-VAH. El gos cava un forat al jardí — the dog digs a hole in the garden: for bones, of course
• reescriure

  to rewrite

  Literally "to write again". He reescrit la carta sense faltes — I rewrote the letter without mistakes
• teclejar

  to type

  tuh-kluh-ZHAH — to rattle the keys: from la tecla, the key. Typed with two fingers or ten
• el menjador

  living room

  mun-zhoo-DOH — literally 'the dining room': el menjador. In Catalan homes one room holds both the meals and the life
• el rebedor

  entryway

  rruh-buh-DOH — literally 'the receiving room': where guests are received. Coats and keys live here
• el passadís

  hallway

  poo-ssu-DEES — "a passing": el passadís. El passadís és estret i llarg — the hallway is narrow and long
• el traster

  storeroom

  troos-TEH — the cupboard for what one is loath to throw away. Boxes to the ceiling: the classic
• el llindar

  threshold

  yeen-DAH: the double ll gives a y. Aneu amb compte amb el llindar — mind the threshold: people trip over it
• el picaporta

  door handle

  pee-kuh-POR-tuh — literally 'knock-at-the-door'. A handle bracket: one pulls it and knocks on it
• el pany

  lock

  PAHN. Al pany nou li cal una clau nova — the new lock needs a new key
• el timbre

  doorbell

  You knew the school bell; the doorbell is the same el timbre. Algú ha trucat el timbre dues vegades
• l'ampit de la finestra

  windowsill

  l'ampit de la finestra. The cat counts it its own armchair
• la cortineta

  curtain

  koor-tee-NEH-tuh — a little curtain: la cortineta. La cortina is the big drape, you knew it; the kitchen lives in the diminutive
• el bombet

  light bulb

  boom-BET — a "little bomb" of light. Aquest bombet dura molt — this bulb lasts long
• la llanterna

  flashlight

  nyun-TEHR-nuh: la llanterna. La llanterna vella ja no encén — the old flashlight does not light anymore
• el llum de capçal

  night light

  Named domestically: el llum de capçal — the lamp at the head of the bed. Capçal — the headboard
• l'aixeta

  tap

  eye-SHEH-tuh, feminine. Tanca l'aixeta! — turn off the tap: a phrase from every kitchen
• la pica

  sink

  PEE-kuh — the kitchen sink. A la pica hi ha plats bruts — there are dirty dishes in the sink
• la banyera

  bathtub

  buh-NYEH-ruh — from el bany, the bath, you knew it. Omplen la banyera d'aigua calenta
• el vàter

  toilet

  VAH-ter: el vàter — an international word, like the object itself. The family way to say it is la tassa — "the cup"
• la mànega

  hose

  MAH-nuh-guh: la mànega. Amb la mànega rego el jardí — with the hose I water the garden: in summer there is no way without it
• els llumins

  matches

  nyoo-MEENS — always plural: els llumins. No juguis amb els llumins! — do not play with matches!
• l'encenedor

  lighter

  un-suh-noo-DOH — "the lighter". He perdut l'encenedor: prenc un llumí
• la rag

  mop

  RRAK: la rag — a rag head on a stick. Passo la rag al terra de la cuina — I run the mop over the kitchen floor
• el drap

  rag

  Both a rag and a household towel. Mulla el drap abans de fregar — wet the rag before scrubbing
• l'escombra

  broom

  us-KOM-bruh: l'escombra. L'escombra nova és de plàstic — the new broom is plastic; to sweep is escombrar
• la pala

  dustpan

  PAH-luh — a little shovel, the broom's partner. Recollo el paper trencat amb la pala — I gather the torn paper with the dustpan
• la pols

  dust

  You knew the "powder"; dust is the same la pols: aquesta habitació està plena de pols — the room is full of dust
• la brutícia

  dirt

  broo-tee-SEE-uh: la brutícia — from brut, dirty, you knew it. La brutícia del carrer entra amb les sabates
• el detergent

  detergent

  doo-ter-ZHEN, an international word. He posat detergent a la bugada — I put detergent in the wash
• passar l'aspirador

  to vacuum

  Literally "to pass the vacuum": passar l'aspirador. El terra — the floor: what gets vacuumed, like what gets mopped
• escombrar el terra

  to sweep the floor

  Honestly "to sweep the floor": escombrar el terra — from l'escombra, the broom. First sweep, then mop
• posar ordre

  to tidy up

  Literally "to put order". Cada vespre posem ordre a la sala — every evening we tidy the room
• el rellotge de paret

  wall clock

  Honestly "the clock of the wall". El rellotge de paret marca les sis — the wall clock shows six
• l'estora

  rug

  us-TOH-ruh, feminine. Al costat del llit hi ha una estora tova — a soft rug by the bed
• la cobertora

  blanket

  kuh-boor-TOH-ruh — a light blanket that lives on the sofa. Amb la cobertora als genolls — with the blanket on the knees
• la funda de coixí

  pillowcase

  Honestly "the cover of the pillow": la funda de coixí. La funda — a cover: pillowcase, case, book jacket — one word
• el cobrellit

  bedspread

  kuh-broo-NYET — literally 'the bed-covering'. It goes on top of everything: the bed looks dressed at once
• el ganxo

  hook

  GAHN-shoo: el ganxo. Penja l'abric al ganxo — hang the coat on the hook: there are many in the entryway
• el marc de fotos

  photo frame

  Literally "a frame of photos": el marc de fotos. El marc de fotos nou ja penja al menjador
• el gerro

  vase

  ZHEH-rru: el gerro — both a vase and a jug: context divides. Hi ha flors fresques al gerro
• el test

  flower pot

  You knew "test" from school; the flower pot is the same el test: a Latin word that has lived two lives. He posat el gerd a un test més gran
• el bagul

  chest

  boo-GOOL: el bagul — an old chest with a lid that opens upward. Al bagul guardo les mantes d'hivern
• eixugar

  to wipe dry

  ay-shoo-GAH. Eixuga la taula amb un drap sec — wipe the table with a dry rag. It also means to dry: where you wiped, it is dry
• taladrar

  to drill

  tuh-loo-DRAHR — the drill here is el taladrador. Cal taladrar la paret per penjar el marc
• clavar un clau

  to hammer in a nail

  You knew la clau, the key; a nail is the same clau: the hammer blow divides them
• cargolar

  to screw in

  kar-goo-LAHR — to tighten with a screw: from el cargol, the screw. Cargola bé els cargols de la cadira trencada
• muntar un moble

  to assemble furniture

  Literally "to mount the furniture": muntar un moble. Instructions, a screwdriver, three hours: the Saturday classic
• desmuntar

  to disassemble

  The same muntar with des-: to un-mount. Everything can be assembled and disassembled again
• omplir

  to fill

  oom-PLEE. Ompliré la pica d'aigua calenta — I will fill the sink with hot water. About forms too: omplir el document
• pegar amb cinta

  to tape shut

  Literally "to glue with tape": la cinta adhesiva is tape. The box is taped — and all is in order
• aclarir

  to rinse

  You knew "to clarify"; here is the second life — to rinse: aclarir la roba. The same thought: remove the excess, murky or foggy
• fer el llit

  to make the bed

  Literally "to make the bed": fer el llit. Fes el llit abans de sortir — make the bed before going out: the morning habit
• s'ha anat la llum

  the power is out

  Literally 'the light has gone away': s'ha anat la llum — from anar-se'n, you knew it. The light comes back by itself: ha tornat la llum
• l'aixeta perd aigua

  the tap leaks

  Literally 'the tap loses water': l'aixeta perd aigua. One could not say it more honestly: the water drips, the tap keeps quiet
• el radiador no escalfa

  the radiator doesn't heat

  Said honestly: el radiador no escalfa. Fa fred a casa — it's cold at home: usually this very reason
• l'endoll no funciona

  the outlet doesn't work

  Said honestly: l'endoll no funciona. L'endoll is both the outlet and the plug: you stick it in — and it does not work
• la porta no es tanca

  the door won't close

  Said honestly: la porta no es tanca — 'it does not close itself'. The cause is almost always below: the hinges
• engreixar les frontisses

  to oil the hinges

  Literally "to fatten the hinges": engreixar les frontisses. Engreixar also means to fatten up: creaky hinges ask for food too
• canviar el pany

  to change the lock

  Honestly "to swap the lock": canviar el pany. Canviar el pany és més barat que canviar la porta
• posar un bombet nou

  to put in a new bulb

  Literally "to put a new bulb": posar un bombet nou. Switch down, bulb up — and there is light again
• reparar la cadira

  to repair the chair

  ruh-puh-RAHR luh koo-DEE-ruh: reparar — to repair, you knew it. Reparar la cadira trencada és feina de dissabte
• gotejar

  to drip

  goo-tuh-ZHAHR. L'aixeta goteja tota la nit — the tap dripped all night. Each drop is una gota: the verb grew out of it

How it sounds in a sentence

A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.

• Estic a casa

  I'm at home
• L'habitatge és lluminós

  The housing is bright
• L'habitació dona al carrer

  The room faces the street
• La cuina és petita però completa

  The kitchen is small but full
• El bany és a l'esquerra

  The bathroom is on the left
• Des del balcó es veu el mar

  You can see the sea from the balcony

What is worth knowing about these words

la casa — house. A casa without the article means 'at home'; a la casa — inside the specific building. The ear hears the difference

l'habitatge — housing. The bookish 'housing in general': ads say habitatges de lloguer — housing for rent. The specific flat is el pis

l'habitació — room. Do not mix up with l'habitatge, housing as a whole. Habitació doble — a room for two: that is how hotels write it

la cuina — kitchen. Both the room and the cooking: la cuina catalana — Catalan cuisine. The cook is el cuiner, he is in this unit too

Test yourself

Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.

How to learn the set instead of just reading it

Room, key, water, electricity. You will need them on your first day in a rented flat.

A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.

• Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many times
  Adesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
• This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many times
  Mawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.

Next

• All topics of the Catalan language3960 words by topic and letter
• Greetings and goodbyes8 words
• Numbers and counting56 words
• Food and drink241 words
• At a café and a restaurant18 words
• Shopping and money85 words