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Learn Catalan

Open vowels, the punt volat and a past tense built on anar, one lesson at a time.

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Catalan is a Romance language spoken in Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, Andorra, where it is the official language, and the Sardinian town of Alghero. It sits between Spanish and French in many ways yet has its own sounds and spelling: open and closed e and o, the middle dot in col·legi, ny for the sound in canyon, and ix for sh. Spoken Central Catalan reduces unstressed vowels, and the everyday past tense is built with anar, as in vaig anar (I went). Learnr creates a personalized Catalan course and teaches it in short, interactive lessons.

How to learn Catalan, step by step

Learn the vowels and their reduction. Catalan has open and closed versions of e and o, marked by grave and acute accents in words like cafè and també. In Central Catalan, unstressed a and e merge into a schwa and unstressed o sounds like u, so the final a of casa becomes a schwa and the o in Barcelona sounds like u.
Read the special spelling. Ny sounds like the ny in canyon, ix as in caixa sounds like sh, tx is ch and the middle dot in l·l marks a doubled l, as in col·legi. Final r is often silent, so menjar sounds like menjá.
Master the vaig past tense. The common spoken past uses a form of anar plus infinitive: vaig menjar means I ate, not I am going to eat. Spanish speakers often trip on this, so drill vaig, vas, va, vam, vau and van until the meaning feels natural.
Tackle the pronouns en and hi. En replaces partitives and phrases with de (en vull dos, I want two of them), while hi replaces places and some other complements (hi vaig, I go there). These words have no direct equivalent in Spanish, so practice them deliberately.
Choose a variety to imitate. Central, Valencian and Balearic Catalan differ in pronunciation, verb endings and some vocabulary. Pick the one you will hear most, then listen to the others so speakers from Barcelona, Valencia or Mallorca all sound familiar.
Practice daily with real Catalan media. Catalan TV, radio, podcasts and newspapers are widely available online. Pair them with a short daily Learnr lesson and streak to keep grammar active while you build listening.

What you'll learn

Pronounce open and closed vowels and reduced unstressed vowels
Read Catalan spelling including l·l, ny, ix, tx and ç
Use the periphrastic past with vaig, vas, va and their plurals
Place the pronouns en and hi correctly in sentences
Hold everyday conversations in shops, cafés and with friends

What's inside your Catalan course

A sample path Learnr builds for Catalan. Your real course adapts to your goal and level.

1. Catalan sounds and spelling
2. Articles, gender and plurals
3. Present tense and the verbs ser and estar
4. The periphrastic past with anar
5. Weak pronouns en and hi and their combinations
6. Regional varieties and everyday conversation

How long does it take to learn Catalan?

English speakers often reach everyday conversation in 6 to 12 months with 30 to 60 minutes daily practice. Spanish or French speakers move much faster, sometimes reaching reading comfort within a few months, though pronunciation and pronouns still take focused work.

What you need before you start

No prior language is needed. Spanish or French gives you a big vocabulary head start, and basic grammar knowledge helps with the pronoun system.

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming Catalan is a dialect of Spanish and speaking with Spanish vowels and vocabulary, which locals notice right away.
Reading vaig plus infinitive as a future, like Spanish voy a, when it actually describes the past.
Avoiding en and hi because they feel strange, which makes your sentences repetitive and clumsy in everyday speech.

How Learnr builds your course

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Learnr instantly builds a full Catalan course tailored to your goal and skill level.

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Catalan questions, answered

Is Catalan closer to Spanish or French?

It shares features with both. Vocabulary often resembles French or Occitan, while grammar and many sounds echo Spanish. It is a separate language with its own history and literature.

Is Valencian the same as Catalan?

Linguistically, Valencian is a variety of Catalan with its own pronunciation and some different forms. Speakers of both understand each other easily.