LingoflyGreetings and goodbyes in Catalan
8 words in Catalan on the topic “greetings and goodbyes”: hola — hello, bon dia — good morning, bona tarda — good afternoon, bona nit — good night. 8 words can be played from recordings.
8 words on the topic
- holahellothe h is silent: OH-luh
- bon diagood morningLiterally 'good day'. Before a masculine noun bo shrinks to bon: bon dia, bon cafè
- bona tardagood afternoonFor after lunch. Tarda is feminine, hence bona, not bon
- bona nitgood nightBoth a greeting late in the evening and a wish before sleep — like the Spanish buenas noches
- adéugoodbyeFrom a Déu — 'to God': the same road Spanish adiós took. The everyday parting word
- fins arasee you soonLiterally 'until now' — a goodbye for someone you will see again today. In Catalonia it is one of the most common farewells, alongside adéu
- com estàs?how are you?Built on estar — it asks about your state right now, not about life in general
- què tal?how's it going?Literally 'what such'. Lighter and shorter than com estàs? — it fits anyone
Download the word set (CSV) · Open the printable sheet
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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.
What is worth knowing about these words
hola — hello. One word for every occasion, as in Spanish. The h never sounds.
bon dia — good morning. Literally 'good day'. Before a masculine noun bo shrinks to bon: bon dia, bon cafè.
bona tarda — good afternoon. For after lunch. Tarda is feminine, hence bona, not bon.
bona nit — good night. Both a greeting late in the evening and a wish before sleep — like the Spanish buenas noches.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is hola — hello.
- What is this word?
It is què tal? — how's it going?
- What is this word?
It is com estàs? — how are you?
- What is this word?
It is fins ara — see you soon.
- What is this word?
It is adéu — goodbye.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “hello” in Catalan?
One word for every occasion, as in Spanish. The h never sounds
- How do you say “how's it going?” in Catalan?
Literally 'what such'. Lighter and shorter than com estàs? — it fits anyone
- How do you say “how are you?” in Catalan?
Built on estar — it asks about your state right now, not about life in general
- How do you say “see you soon” in Catalan?
Literally 'until now' — a goodbye for someone you will see again today. In Catalonia it is one of the most common farewells, alongside adéu
- How do you say “goodbye” in Catalan?
From a Déu — 'to God': the same road Spanish adiós took. The everyday parting word
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Every conversation starts here, and so does every first impression: say hello in the local language and you stop being a stranger in about a second.
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 timesAdesope, 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.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & 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.
Frequently asked
How do you say “hello” in Catalan?
«hola». The h is silent: OH-luh. It is one of 8 words in the set “greetings and goodbyes” — the rest are in the table above.
How many greetings do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 8 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 8 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.