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So, you made the decision to learn the beautiful language that is Catalan? Good for you!
Catalan is the language native to the Catalonian region of Spain. Catalonians are very proud of their language and are appreciative of tourists who make an effort to learn it before visiting the region.
So, if you’re planning a visit to Barcelona or any other Catalonian city, you should begin looking for books to familiarize yourself with the language. That said, I’ve rounded up some of the best books to learn Catalan to help you on your learning journey.
Top books to learn Catalan
1. Complete Catalan Beginner to Intermediate Course
This comprehensive guide to the Catalan language is an excellent choice whether you’re a complete novice or if you already have some experience. In both cases, this book will definitely help you grow into a more proficient Catalan speaker.
This book includes a variety of sections crafted by experienced Catalan language teachers aimed at boosting your ability to communicate in Catalan.
Not only will this book teach you the basic rules and grammar of the language, but it will also allow you to become comfortable with the use of Catalan in day-to-day life. Upon finishing this book, you’ll have gained the ability to interact with first-language Catalan speakers without a hitch.
Key features:
- Useful tips to assist you in navigating common issues in learning Catalan
- Extensive vocabulary
- Includes excerpts of day-to-day conversations that’ll boost your learning rate
- In-book assessments that allow you to gauge your progress
2. Colloquial Catalan: A Complete Course for Beginners
As its name suggests, this book is focused on teaching its readers the language in the way it’s actually used in speech and writing. Even if you don’t know a single word of Catalan, you’ll find Colloquial Catalan very useful.
It’s an easy-to-use, step-by-step guide to the Catalan language that allows you to gain in-depth knowledge of how to navigate a wide variety of situations in Catalan with ease.
Key features:
- Simple and easy-to-understand approach to teaching grammar
- Comprehensive guide to reading, writing, and speaking in colloquial Catalan
- Packed with exercises that facilitate your learning
- Includes an English/Catalan glossary, as well as a summary of grammar rules
- Supplemental audio material to help boost pronunciation proficiency
3. Catalan-English/English-Catalan Dictionary & Phrasebook
If you’re planning on visiting Barcelona or any other Catalan-speaking city, this handy dictionary is sure to come in handy.
Boasting a whopping 4000 entries, this Catalan-English/English-Catalan dictionary is packed with vocabulary.
It will arm you with everything you need to make communication in everyday situations, such as greetings and sightseeing, a breeze.
Key features:
- Highly compact; you can carry it around in your pocket.
- 4,000 dictionary entries
- Includes essential words and phrases for travelers
- Includes a pronunciation and grammar guide
4. Learn Catalan: 2000 Key Vocabularies
This book turns the process of learning Catalan into a science. It’s designed to be efficient, allowing you to make astounding progress in the shortest time.
Packed with thousands of Catalan words, this vocabulary guide allows you to blaze through the learning process by ranking those words based on how often you’re likely to use them. This allows you to zone in on the essential terms and phrases that day-to-day dialogue consists of.
Learn Catalan is specifically designed for beginners and mid-level Catalan speakers who are driven to learn the language. By spending only 20 minutes a day studying this book, you’ll find yourself making significant strides in no time.
Key features:
- Excellent for beginners and intermediates
- 2,000 words and phrases ranked by frequency of use
- Simple and unique structure
- Focuses mainly on vocabulary
5. Learn Catalan with Short Stories from Parlem tu i jo
Want to learn Catalan and enjoy short stories by various Catalan authors, including Rafael Valibona and Xevi Sala Puig? Then this storybook is just for you.
This book uses an ‘interlinear English’ approach to allow you to learn while immersing yourself in literature. Each Catalan word in the book has a literal translation in English, as well as a translation in the form of an English idiom. This allows you to read and learn Catalan vocabulary at the same time simultaneously.
This book is the only one on the market that uses this approach. This learning style makes the definition of every Catalan word you read instantly available to you, which boosts the speed with which you can expand your Catalan vocabulary.
By reading the texts several times and focusing on the words used most frequently, you’ll be able to expand your repertoire of usable Catalan vocabulary.
Through this repetition and reading the many different words in the context of a story, you’ll find memorizing the words, even the more difficult ones, much easier.
Key features:
- Includes translated Catalan short stories by contemporary authors
- ‘Interlinear English’ approach allows you to learn Catalan as you read the stories
- Ideal for both beginners and advanced learners
6. Learning Catalan on the Go: An Introduction for Beginners
If you’re looking for a very basic introduction to the Catalan language, this book may be the one for you.
Learning Catalan on the Go is an introductory book that focuses on frequently used phrases and vocabulary, as well as the basics of Catalan grammar and pronunciation.
It’s a great starting point for those just starting to learn the language, and it highlights the standard Catalan language without regard to any differences in dialects.
Key features:
- Explains Catalan words and grammar in a simple way
- Highly concise; you’ll easily find exactly what you’re looking for in no time
- Available in a Kindle and paperback version
- Perfect for beginner Catalan learners
7. Catalan: An Essential Grammar
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If you’re in search of a book that focuses on the grammatical aspects of the Catalan language, look no further, this is just the book for you.
This book provides detailed and easy-to-understand guidance on the basic rules of Catalan grammar.
Catalan: An Essential Grammar lays out the grammatical concepts and nuances of the Catalan language in short, concise segments that aren’t intimidating to the reader. It’s a great resource for Catalan learners looking to advance their knowledge of the language, whether independently or within a class.
Key features:
- In-depth explanations for grammar concepts
- An appendix is included, offering quick reference overview
- Available in a Kindle, hardcover, and paperback version
Conclusion
There are plenty of books out there that you can use to introduce yourself to Catalan. You can use any one of them or a combination of them to advance your knowledge. Whether you’re looking for a basic introductory book, a grammar guide, a dictionary, or even a book of short stories, the books mentioned above have got you covered.
And for a holistic approach, you can pair your book with an app to learn Catalan. In no time, you’ll achieve fluency!
Top books to learn Catalan – Pin it!
