it still faces hardship in an ongoing political battle<\/a> between Madrid and Catalonia. Furthermore, as a minority language that has struggled against repression, Catalan is revered as a beloved, well-protected tradition, and its people are beyond delighted to hear foreigners and visitors promoting the use of it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBon dia, Bona tarda, Bona nit<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n By now you’re biting your lip in nervous anticipation. You thought your basic Spanish skills would be enough to get by, but now you have yet another language to learn?!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
However, don’t sweat. Remember that it doesn’t take advanced conversation skills to buy tickets to the Sagrada Familia, and even the slightest effort will win you smiles of appreciation. When in doubt, a nice salutation beyond Hola!, like saying Good morning, evening, afternoon etc, will already make you feel more natural. And guess what? Almost <\/em>no tricks on the pronunciation (just keep in mind, the vowel sound in nit <\/em>of bona nit<\/em> is like the English word cheese<\/em>). Also, once you master a few of these Catalan phrases\u2014adding them to the rest of your Spanish will gain you big points amongst the locals, we promise!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSisplau i Moltes Gr\u00e0cies<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n There is nothing worse than an impolite tourist. Of course, thank you and gracias are always Catalan phrases that are appreciated but dare yourself to say it in Catalan for the extra brownie points. Here is another expert pronunciation tip. In Catalan, the letter E is more often than not neutral, which means that it sounds more like an A for English speakers. So, moltes gr\u00e0cies <\/em>should sound something like moltas gracias. Also, don’t try to lisp the C when speaking Catalan; this sound does not exist.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nDon’t forget to say please and thank you at the market\u2014in Catalan if you can!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nA quin carrer estic?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n You’re roaming the streets of Gracia and you realize you are totally lost. You then ask someone for directions in a jumbled confusion of Spanglish and they casually respond in Catalan (this isn’t likely but if it does happen, assume that you have pretty darn good Spanish). Here are some things that might help you get by:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Carrer\u2014<\/em>-This word means street. You will see it everywhere. Expert pronunciation tip: in Catalan, final R<\/i> sounds are never pronounced.<\/li>On esta…\u2014<\/em>-Here we have the interrogative word where<\/i>: on. <\/em>Drill yourself on asking where different places are: On esta el restaurant? On esta la catedral? <\/em>And the always important On esta el lavabo? <\/em><\/li>Estic perdut\u2014<\/em>-Always good to know when you’re lost.<\/li><\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFer el Vermut<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Finally, for the foodies out there. If there was just one thing you had <\/em>to know when in Barcelona for culture and cuisine, it would be the sacred tradition of having a vermouth. And of course we have some Catalan phrases to learn to help you enjoy it in all its glory! Around 1 pm, before lunchtime and treated as a sort of aperitif, it is very common to have a cool glass of vermouth, neat, with olives, chips or some other salty snack. So much a ritual of daily life, they literally call it doing the vermouth. Remember, the final R in fer <\/em>is not pronounced. Try this one\u2014On puc fer el vermut? <\/em>Rough translation\u2014where can I have have a vermouth? Watch the video below to find out how to enjoy it like a local.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n