 |
 l
català és una llengua fàcil d’aprendre,
és una qüestió de voluntat. (Catalan is an
easy language to learn, it is a question of will). This
phrase demonstrates the accessibility of Catalan, understanding
it in written form is easy for people who speak another Latin
language such as French, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish. The
Institute of Catalan Studies, the academy of the Catalan language,
has determined the set of rules for the language called Català
estàndard.
The
Catalan alphabet is composed of 26 letters, of which
one is a c cedilla (ç), and with an x pronounced either
x or ch depending on the case. Therefore the Catalans write
both xocolata and Xina.
The
verbs in the infinitive finish with an ar (parlar,
menjar, evolucionar), r (coneixer, pareixer, poder), ir (reunir,
definer, abolir) and re (viure, absoldre, deure). The
conjugations are guided by these four terminations:
Ar:
Parli/parlo, parles, parla, parlem, parleu, parlen.
Er: Conec, coneixes, coneix, coneixem, coneixeu,
coneixen.
Ir: Reuneixi/Reuneixo, reuneixes, reuneix,
reunim, reunim, reuniu, reuneixen.
Re: Visc, vius, viu, vivim, viviu, viuen.
The
vocabulary – the Latin and Greek origins of Catalan
are easily identified: discussion (discussion), raïm (raisin),
esquirol (squirrel), Pare i Mare (Father and Mother). But there
are some unique Catalan words that demand attention; groc (yellow),
maduixa (strawberry) and samarreta (T-shirt).
| Click
to hear Catalan spoken |
| "Bon
dia ! Si voleu ballar, heu d’anar a discoteca,
i si us estimeu més la tranquil·litat,
us podeu estar a casa mirant la televisió,
teclejant a internet, o llegint una bona novel·la". |
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| "Avui
al mercat he comprat api, mongetes i enciam, tot
per fer un bon dinar de verdures. Demà
si tinc temps aniré a passejar voramar
i si fa mal temps aniré al cinema".
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“Hello!
If you want to dance you must go to a discotheque,
but to remain in peace and quiet you can stay
at home, watch television or play on the internet.”
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| “Today,
at the market, I have bought celery, beans and
salad, all to prepare a good meal of vegetables.
Tomorrow, if I have the time, I’m going to walk
along the seaside. If the weather is bad, I’m
going to go to the cinema.” |
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