català
[kə.təˈla]masculine
The English word 'Catalan' refers to the language of Catalan, known in Catalan as català.
català is used to name the Catalan language. It also serves as the masculine adjective or noun to describe a male person from Catalonia or something pertaining to Catalonia.
Meaning: language of Catalonia (name)
Which one should you use?
The word català functions as the name of the language and as the masculine form for people or adjectives. For female people or to modify feminine nouns, use catalana. For groups of people or plural nouns, use the masculine plural catalans or the feminine plural catalanes.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Valencian Community, the term Valencià is often used to refer to the language. In the Balearic Islands, the term Mallorquí is sometimes used to refer to the local variant of the language.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form changes based on gender and number: use català for masculine singular, catalana for feminine singular, catalans for masculine plural and catalanes for feminine plural.
Did you know?
- While it sounds like Spanish, català is linguistically closer to Occitan, a language spoken in southern France, than it is to Spanish.
- Linguists have never reached a consensus on the true origin of the word 'català', as its etymology remains one of the language's great mysteries.
- Despite being a single linguistic continuum, the use of the word català can be a sensitive political or cultural topic depending on whether one is in Barcelona, Valencia, or Mallorca.
Examples in context
- No parlo català.I don't speak Catalan.This sentence is a way to state that one does not speak català.
- Parles català?Do you speak Catalan?This sentence is a way to ask if someone speaks català.Tatoeba #1311412 by enteka, translation #1392352 by CN
- El català és una llengua oficial a Catalunya.Catalan is an official language in Catalonia.
- Vull aprendre a parlar català fluïdament.I want to learn to speak Catalan fluently.
- Parles el català molt bé!You speak Catalan very well!
- El valencià és molt similar al català.Valencian is very similar to Catalan.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Pol asks Montserrat about her studies.
- MontserratPol, saps que estic estudiant català?Pol, do you know I am studying Catalan?
- PolNo ho sabia, Montserrat. És difícil?I didn't know, Montserrat. Is it difficult?
- MontserratUn poc, però el català és interessant.A bit, but Catalan is interesting.
- PolT'ajudaré amb el teu català.I will help you with your Catalan.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “catalan” translations and entries català, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries català, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
