Basic words in Valencian
110 words Valencian words on the topic “basic words”: sí — yes, no — no, bé — well, malament — badly, molt bé — very well.
110 words on the topic
- síyesSí with an accent is yes; si without one is if. Only the written mark tells them apart
- nonoOne word serves as no and as the negation before a verb: no entenc — I don't understand
- béwellThe adverb: it answers how. The adjective good is bo, and before a noun it even shrinks: bon dia
- malamentbadlyThe partner of bé. Bad about a thing is dolent: el temps és dolent — the weather is foul
- molt bévery wellMolt means very and stands right before the word it boosts
- més o menysso-soLiterally more or less. The same phrase means about: més o menys vint — about twenty
- el metremeter (unit)The meter; the jump was two of them, not a centimeter more
- el centímetrecentimeterThe centimeter; the child grew three of them in a year
- el quilòmetrekilometerThe kilometer; from the town to the beach there are five
- el litreliterFrom the Greek litra — a unit of weight, become a measure of volume. Buy a liter of milk, please
- el gramgramThe gram; put a hundred of sugar into the dough
- el pesweightThe weight; of the rucksack it tires my shoulders
- la llargadalengthThe length; of the pool it is twenty-five meters
- l'ampladawidthThe width; of the corridor it doesn't reach a meter
- l'alturaheightFrom alt — high: the height of towers and mountains. About a person they say alçada. The tower's height amazes the tourists
- la fondàriadepthThe depth; of the children's pool it is half a meter
- aproximadamentapproximatelyApproximately; about ten thousand people live here
- gairebéalmostAlmost; the film has almost ended — hurry in
- en puntsharp (on the dot)Literally on the point: a les huit en punt — at eight sharp, not a minute later. It stands after the time like a full stop at the end of a phrase. And eight here is huit: the Valencian giveaway; the central norm says vuit
- de mitjanaon averageOf middle — on average; snow falls here two days a year
- el dobletwice as muchLiterally the double; this flat costs twice as much as ours
- la xifrafigure (number)The cipher — the figure; of visitors it grows every summer
- el quarta quarter (of an hour)The entry is fourth — now the quarter of an hour; it has passed and he still hasn't come
- pesarto weighWeigh; the seller weighs the melon in front of the buyer
- innecessariunnecessaryThe un-necessary; this purchase was — now I see
- buitemptyThe empty; the fridge is — time to go shopping
- el fetfactThe fact; it is that the train doesn't stop here anymore
- la preguntaquestion (inquiry)The entry is the question; I have one — when do you close on Friday?
- importantsignificantImportant; take the important documents and the ID
- positiupositiveThe positive; a positive test here is good news, this time
- negatiunegativeThe negative; a negative balance of the month explains everything without words
- en comparació ambcompared toComparison with; compared to other years this summer is cool
- igual quethe same asEqual that; I want the same cake as last year's birthday
- l'avantatgeadvantageThe advantage; of living in the center — walking everywhere
- el desavantatgedrawbackThe dis-advantage; of the old flat it is felt every winter in the bill
- les conseqüènciesconsequencesAlways plural — the consequences; of a fair contract they are seen fast
- tenir en compteto take into accountHave in account; one must that in August the city empties
- el més probable és quemost likelyMore probable — most likely; we'll be late: train strike
- seguramentsurelySure-ly; they have gone to bed — it's past two
- la probabilitatprobabilityThe probability; of rain it rises to ninety percent
- la suposiciósuppositionThe supposition; it is only that, not an accusation
- sembra queit looks likeIt seems that; today it will rain — the birds fly low
- deu serit must beLiterally it owes to be — it must be; where is Pau? Still on the train
- no pot serit can't beIt cannot be; that the same grandma won again
- com a mínimat leastLiterally at-to the minimum; we got home dry
- en qualsevol casin any caseAny case; tomorrow we'll call the doctor anyway
- per si de casjust in caseFor if of case — just in case; take the umbrella
- siif only (had)The if of the subjunctive; if I had free time, I would learn a third language
- sempre queprovided thatAlways that — provided that; I'll leave it to you if you're back by ten
- fins i tot sieven ifEven and-if; even if it rains, the feast will be on the square
- en aquest casin that caseThis case; if there's no train, in that case we'll go by car
- si nootherwiseIf not; careful with the paella, otherwise it will burn
- llavorsthen (in that case)The entry is llavors again — the then of consequence; if it rains, then we lunch indoors
- per tal queso thatFor the sake of that; we study so that the children have a better future
- com sias ifAs if; he rents the flat as if he means to live in it for twenty years
- en lloc derather thanIn the place of; instead of complaining, you cook for a week
- en generalmostlyIn general; mostly we give Saturdays to the family
- per regla generalas a ruleBy the general rule; Valencian trains arrive on time
- quasi tothomalmost everybodyAlmost everybody; they came out to the street to celebrate the victory
- l'excepcióexceptionThe exception; every rule has its own, and this is mine
- etcèteraand so onEt cetera — and so on; the list lacks sugar, oil, flour and so on
- a diferència deunlikeDifference of; unlike his brother, he runs up the stairs
- excepteexceptExcept; everybody signed the agreement except the youngest uncle
- no del totnot quiteNot of the all; that is not quite exact — I saw her from afar
- més o menysmore or lessThe entry is so-so again — the describing kind; how is the repair? More or less: the kitchen breathes
- amb dificultatwith effortWith difficulty; but we finished the cupboard before dark
- val la pena provar-hoit's worth tryingIt is worth the pain to try; the teacher is charming
- caliayou should have seenLiterally it was needed; see grandma's face when she opened the door!
- el millor de totthe best of allBetter of all; it was the silence after the feast
- el pitjor de totthe worst of allThe worst of all; it was that nobody warned anybody
- el més aviat possibleas soon as possibleMore soon possible; call — the seats fly away
- en vain vainIn went — in vain; he ran in vain: the bus had already left
- sortir-se'nto copeGet out of it; alone, with two children and a move, he coped anyway
- l'intentattemptFrom intentar — to attempt: an attempt is an "intent" set in motion. On the third attempt the key turned
- és a dirthat is to sayLiterally it is to say; he comes on Tuesday, that is, the day after tomorrow
- resulta queit turned out thatIt results that; the neighbor had known it for days
- com a resultatas a resultAs at-the result; of the rain the fair moves indoors
- du ait leads toIt leads to; every evening before a screen leads to worse sleep
- gràcies athanks toThanks to; the rain, the garden woke up on Friday
- a la primeraon the first tryAt the first; I didn't pass the exam on it, nor on the second
- oorShort as can be. In questions it often closes the list: café o te?
- tambétooAlso and too in one word. It follows what it refers to: jo també — me too
- nomésonlyNarrows the amount or the choice: només deu euros — just ten euros
- jaalreadySits before the verb and marks that the thing has happened: ja he dinat — I've already had lunch
- encarastillFor something ongoing that might have stopped: encara treballo — I'm still working
- massatoo (excessively)Not very but too, beyond what is wanted: massa car — too expensive
- una micaa littleA small amount of something. Una mica de pa — a bit of bread
- plegatstogetherAn adverb with a folksy flavor: anem plegats — let's go together
- no es potnot allowedLiterally it cannot be done. On signs you will meet prohibits, forbidden
- calone mustAn impersonal must with no person in it: cal beure aigua — one must drink water
- per tal dein order toPurpose, spelled out in full: per tal de veure — in order to see. Plain per often does the same job
- siifThe same letters as the yes-word without its accent: sí, yes — si, if
- mentre quewhileTwo things happening at once: mentre jo cuine, tu poses la taula
- ja quesince (given that)Reason with a shrug: since it's raining, we stay in. Built on ja, already
- només cal queas long asLiterally only it is needed that — the one condition that matters
- així quesoLiterally thus that — it opens the consequence: it's nine, so the train has gone
- entrebetweenThe same word as Spanish entre: between two things, among friends
- unsaboutBefore a number it means roughly: unes vint persones — about twenty people
- en comptes deinstead ofLiterally in the place of: arròs en comptes de pa — rice instead of bread
- contraagainstThe same word Spanish uses: jugar contra — to play against
- sensewithoutUnmistakable cousin of Spanish sin: un café sense sucre
- per aforFor a purpose or a recipient: per a la teua mare — for your mother. Plain per is for a cause or a route
- sobreabout (concerning)Sobre is both on top of and about: un llibre sobre animals
- després deafterTwo words in writing, one idea: després de dinar — after lunch
- durantduringLasting through: durant l'estiu — through the summer. Cousin of English duration
- a causa debecause ofCause as an excuse: a causa del tren — because of the train. Built on la causa
- al voltant dearoundAround a point in space: al voltant de la taula — around the table
- a través dethroughLiterally across of: a través de la finestra — through the window
- des de dinsfrom the insidedes de marks the starting point, dins is inside: locked from the inside
- pels voltantsnearbyLiterally by the surroundings: pels voltants del centre — around the center
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.
- Sí, clar que pucYes, of course I can
- No, gràcies, ja he dinatNo thanks, I've already had lunch
- Estic bé, gràciesI'm doing well, thanks
- Aquesta nit he dormit malamentThat night I slept badly
- Tot molt bé, gràcies per preguntarAll very well, thanks for asking
- Què tal l'examen? — Més o menysHow was the exam? — So-so
What is worth knowing about these words
sí — yes. Sí with an accent is yes; si without one is if. Only the written mark tells them apart
no — no. One word serves as no and as the negation before a verb: no entenc — I don't understand
bé — well. The adverb: it answers how. The adjective good is bo, and before a noun it even shrinks: bon dia
malament — badly. The partner of bé. Bad about a thing is dolent: el temps és dolent — the weather is foul
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “yes” in Valencian?
Sí with an accent is yes; si without one is if. Only the written mark tells them apart
- How do you say “centimeter” in Valencian?
The centimeter; the child grew three of them in a year
- How do you say “height” in Valencian?
From alt — high: the height of towers and mountains. About a person they say alçada. The tower's height amazes the tourists
- How do you say “figure (number)” in Valencian?
The cipher — the figure; of visitors it grows every summer
- How do you say “significant” in Valencian?
Important; take the important documents and the ID
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Yes, no, good, bad, very. The small change of a language — and no sentence assembles without it.
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.
- This holds 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 “yes” in Valencian?
«sí». Sí with an accent is yes; si without one is if. Only the written mark tells them apart. It is one of 110 words in the set “basic words” — the rest are in the table above.
How many basic words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 110 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.