Phrasebook

en Small Talk 1   »   ca Conversa 1

20 [twenty]

Small Talk 1

Small Talk 1

20 [vint]

Conversa 1

Choose how you want to see the translation:   
English (UK) Catalan Play More
Make yourself comfortable! Pos-’s -òmode! P_____ c______ P-s-’- c-m-d-! -------------- Posi’s còmode! 0
Please, feel right at home! F--- -o- - ca--! F___ c__ a c____ F-c- c-m a c-s-! ---------------- Faci com a casa! 0
What would you like to drink? Qu--v-l p---b----? Q__ v__ p__ b_____ Q-è v-l p-r b-u-e- ------------------ Què vol per beure? 0
Do you like music? L- ag-a-- l---ú-i--? L_ a_____ l_ m______ L- a-r-d- l- m-s-c-? -------------------- Li agrada la música? 0
I like classical music. M-e----ta-la m----a c-à--i--. M________ l_ m_____ c________ M-e-c-n-a l- m-s-c- c-à-s-c-. ----------------------------- M’encanta la música clàssica. 0
These are my CD’s. E-- m--s-C----ó- aquí. E__ m___ C__ s__ a____ E-s m-u- C-s s-n a-u-. ---------------------- Els meus CDs són aquí. 0
Do you play a musical instrument? Q-e -o-- al-----n--rume-t mu-i-al --s--? Q__ t___ a____ i_________ m______ v_____ Q-e t-c- a-g-n i-s-r-m-n- m-s-c-l v-s-è- ---------------------------------------- Que toca algun instrument musical vostè? 0
This is my guitar. A--e----é--la--eva---i--r-a. A______ é_ l_ m___ g________ A-u-s-a é- l- m-v- g-i-a-r-. ---------------------------- Aquesta és la meva guitarra. 0
Do you like to sing? Q-e--i--g-a-a ----ar? Q__ l_ a_____ c______ Q-e l- a-r-d- c-n-a-? --------------------- Que li agrada cantar? 0
Do you have children? Té-fi-----os--? T_ f____ v_____ T- f-l-s v-s-è- --------------- Té fills vostè? 0
Do you have a dog? Té----g-- -----? T_ u_ g__ v_____ T- u- g-s v-s-è- ---------------- Té un gos vostè? 0
Do you have a cat? Té-----at-v-s-è? T_ u_ g__ v_____ T- u- g-t v-s-è- ---------------- Té un gat vostè? 0
These are my books. Aquí---n---- m--s -li-r-s. A___ s__ e__ m___ l_______ A-u- s-n e-s m-u- l-i-r-s- -------------------------- Aquí són els meus llibres. 0
I am currently reading this book. A-- e-tic -legint--q-e-------re. A__ e____ l______ a_____ l______ A-a e-t-c l-e-i-t a-u-s- l-i-r-. -------------------------------- Ara estic llegint aquest llibre. 0
What do you like to read? Què u- -gr-da llegir? Q__ u_ a_____ l______ Q-è u- a-r-d- l-e-i-? --------------------- Què us agrada llegir? 0
Do you like to go to concerts? L--agrad---na--a co-c---s? L_ a_____ a___ a c________ L- a-r-d- a-a- a c-n-e-t-? -------------------------- Li agrada anar a concerts? 0
Do you like to go to the theatre / theater (am.)? Li ----d- a-ar-al-te-t-e? L_ a_____ a___ a_ t______ L- a-r-d- a-a- a- t-a-r-? ------------------------- Li agrada anar al teatre? 0
Do you like to go to the opera? Li-ag-ada -n-r-a l-òp--a? L_ a_____ a___ a l_______ L- a-r-d- a-a- a l-ò-e-a- ------------------------- Li agrada anar a l’òpera? 0

Download MP3 (.zip files)

MP3 English (UK) + Catalan (1-100) MP3 Catalan (1-100)

Mother language? Father language!

As a child, from whom did you learn your language? For sure you'll say: From mother! Most people in the world think that. The term ‘mother language’ exists in almost all nations. The English as well as the Chinese are familiar with it. Perhaps because mothers spend more time with the children. But recent studies have come to different results. They show that our language is mostly the language of our fathers. Researchers examined genetic material and languages of mixed tribes. In such tribes, the parents came from different cultures. These tribes originated thousands of years ago. Large migratory movements were the reason for this. The genetic material of these mixed tribes was genetically analyzed. Then it was compared to the language of the tribe. Most tribes speak the language of their male ancestors. That means, the language of the country comes from the Y chromosome. So men brought their language with them to foreign lands. And the women there then adopted the new language of the men. But even today, fathers have a great deal of influence on our language. Because when learning, babies are oriented toward the language of their father. Fathers speak considerably less with their children. The male sentence structure is also simpler than that of the female. As a result, the language of the father is better suited for babies. It doesn't overwhelm them and is easier to learn as a result. That is why children prefer to imitate ‘Dad’ when speaking rather than ‘Mum’. Later, the mother's vocabulary shapes the child's language. In this way, mothers influence our language as well as fathers. So it should be called parental language!
Did you know?
Italian is counted among the Romance languages. That means that it developed out of Latin. Italian is the native language of about 70 million people. The majority of those live in Italy. Italian is also understood in Slovenia and Croatia. The language travelled as far away as Africa through colonial politics. Even today, Italian is understood in Libya, Somalia, and Eritrea by many older people. Numerous emigrants also took the language with them to their new homeland. Most notably there are many Italian-language communities in South America. Often Italian has mixed in with Spanish in those areas and created new languages. The unusual thing about Italian is its many different dialects. Some experts even speak of individual languages. The orthography of Italian is not difficult; it follows the pronunciation. For many, Italian is the most beautiful language in the world! Perhaps because it is the language of music, design and good cuisine?