Phrasebook

en In the discotheque   »   ca A la discoteca

46 [forty-six]

In the discotheque

In the discotheque

46 [quaranta-sis]

A la discoteca

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Is this seat taken? És----ur--a-u-st s-----? É_ l_____ a_____ s______ É- l-i-r- a-u-s- s-i-n-? ------------------------ És lliure aquest seient? 0
May I sit with you? Puc-s--r--al -e---o----? P__ s____ a_ t__ c______ P-c s-u-e a- t-u c-s-a-? ------------------------ Puc seure al teu costat? 0
Sure. B-n segu-. B__ s_____ B-n s-g-r- ---------- Ben segur. 0
How do you like the music? C-m-t------a mús--a? C__ t____ l_ m______ C-m t-o-a l- m-s-c-? -------------------- Com troba la música? 0
A little too loud. Un--m-c- ---sa--o-t-. U__ m___ m____ f_____ U-a m-c- m-s-a f-r-a- --------------------- Una mica massa forta. 0
But the band plays very well. A-- -é- la-ba-d- --c--m-l- b-. A__ b__ l_ b____ t___ m___ b__ A-a b-, l- b-n-a t-c- m-l- b-. ------------------------------ Ara bé, la banda toca molt bé. 0
Do you come here often? Ve --v-nt a--- ---tè? V_ s_____ a___ v_____ V- s-v-n- a-u- v-s-è- --------------------- Ve sovint aquí vostè? 0
No, this is the first time. N-- ---l---r-me-- vega--. N__ é_ l_ p______ v______ N-, é- l- p-i-e-a v-g-d-. ------------------------- No, és la primera vegada. 0
I’ve never been here before. Enca-a n--hi h-v-a----gu-. E_____ n_ h_ h____ v______ E-c-r- n- h- h-v-a v-n-u-. -------------------------- Encara no hi havia vingut. 0
Would you like to dance? V-l-b-ll--? V__ b______ V-l b-l-a-? ----------- Vol ballar? 0
Maybe later. Més -------o-se-. M__ t____ p______ M-s t-r-, p-t-e-. ----------------- Més tard, potser. 0
I can’t dance very well. No-sé -al-ar-g---e--é. N_ s_ b_____ g____ b__ N- s- b-l-a- g-i-e b-. ---------------------- No sé ballar gaire bé. 0
It’s very easy. É--m-l- --ci-. É_ m___ f_____ É- m-l- f-c-l- -------------- És molt fàcil. 0
I’ll show you. Li -u- -n-e--ar. L_ p__ e________ L- p-c e-s-n-a-. ---------------- Li puc ensenyar. 0
No, maybe some other time. No----llo- -na---t-a--ia. N__ m_____ u__ a____ d___ N-, m-l-o- u-a a-t-a d-a- ------------------------- No, millor una altra dia. 0
Are you waiting for someone? E--à-es-er--- ----? E___ e_______ a____ E-t- e-p-r-n- a-g-? ------------------- Està esperant algú? 0
Yes, for my boyfriend. Sí- el meu-am---/ -----. S__ e_ m__ a___ / x_____ S-, e- m-u a-i- / x-c-t- ------------------------ Sí, el meu amic / xicot. 0
There he is! Ja -i a--iba--’all- -- fo-s! J_ h_ a_____ d_____ a_ f____ J- h- a-r-b- d-a-l- a- f-n-! ---------------------------- Ja hi arriba d’allà al fons! 0

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Genes influence language

The language we speak is dependent on our ancestry. But our genes are also responsible for our language. Scottish researchers have come to this conclusion. They examined how English differs from Chinese. In doing so they discovered that genes play a role, too. Because genes influence the development of our brain. That is to say, they shape our brain structures. With this, our ability to learn languages is determined. Variants of two genes are crucial to this. If a particular variant is scarce, tonal languages develop. So tonal languages are spoken by people without these gene variants. In tonal languages, the meaning of words is determined by the pitch of the tones. Chinese is included in the tonal languages, for example. If this gene variant is dominant, however, other languages develop. English is not a tonal language. The variants of this gene are not evenly distributed. That means they occur with differing frequency in the world. But languages only survive if they are passed down. In order to do this, children must be able to imitate the language of their parents. So they must be able to learn the language well. Only then will it be passed down from generation to generation. The older gene variant is the one that promotes tonal languages. So there were probably more tonal languages in the past than there are today. But one mustn't overestimate the genetic components. They can only add to explaining the development of languages. But there isn't a gene for English, or a gene for Chinese. Anybody can learn any language. You don't need genes for that, but rather only curiosity and discipline!
Did you know?
Thai is a member of the Tai-Kadai language family. It is the native language of 20 million people. In contrast to most western languages, Thai is a tonal language. In tonal languages, the pronunciation of syllables changes their meaning. Most Thai words consist of only one syllable. A word takes on a different meaning depending on the pitch in which a syllable is spoken. Altogether Thai distinguishes between five pitches. Thai society was strictly divided over many centuries. As a result, Thai still recognizes at least five different levels of speech today. These range from a simple vernacular to a very polite form of speech. Furthermore, Thai is divided into many local dialects. The language's semiotic system is a hybrid of an alphabet and syllabic writing. The grammar construction is not very complex. Because Thai is an isolating language, there are no declensions or conjugations. Learn Thai - it is really a fascinating language!