Getting started with Catalan

Free online resources and courses

Getting started with Catalan

ub.edu/poliglotia

This study plan, which mainly uses online resources, is designed for anyone looking for a free way to learn Catalan from scratch.

Benvinguts ibenvingudes!

Contents

02

Choose a good course

04

Work on your vocabulary

09

Organize your time

06

Practise YOUR SPEAKING

03

StrengTHen youR grammar

05

writing isimportant!

07

Improve YOUR LISTENING

10

thoughts about language learning

08

Push yourself a little harder

01

plan your learning

We recommend taking some time to visit the web pages and apps in this presentation and then drawing up a basic study plan.

You can use them comfortably from home, many of them with a mobile device. They can be combined to make your learning experience more complete.

The decision is yours: choose the resources you prefer depending on the time available to you.

01. Plan your learning

Before you start...

All of the resources presented are free and have been checked for quality.

02. Choose a good course

If you're starting Catalan from scratch, we recommend using a course with a clear methodology as the mainstay of your work. You can then complement your learning with the other resources presented here.These three self-learning courses are highly recommended. Choose the one that suits you best!

Ep! Escolta i Parla. curs oral de català

A course aimed at meeting basic, everyday needs in Catalan. Divided into three modules on nine topics related to everyday life. Up to level A2.

catalan for beginners

A course which provides you with the basic lexical and grammatical resources to communicate in a variety of day-to-day situations.

Parla.cat

Courses at all levels. Choose between free courses or a paid option with support from a tutor. All you need to do is sign up!

As you progress through your course, you can strengthen your grammar with these resources.

You can also take out A1 grammar books from our self-access language learning centres and from many public libraries.

GRAMÀTICA del CPNL

Explanations about grammar, spelling and writing styles. Good for all levels.

03. Strengthen your grammar

Enxaneta

Explanations and self-correction exercises in spelling, pronunciation and grammar.

Catalan learning games

Essential vocabulary, including the numbers, colours, food, animals and much more. And everything is explained in English!

Galí en línea

Access to all sorts of activities. And you can choose which regional variety of Catalan you want to do them in...

These resources will help you reinforce your basic vocabulary through games of different kinds.

04. Work on your vocabulary

You should try to write as often as possible. It's always better to make a habit of writing, jotting down a few lines each day rather than writing one long essay each month.Make a point of writing short texts that use the language you have been learning and then get someone to correct them. Here are two ways to find someone to correct your writing.

05. Writing is important!

HELLOTALK

A network of language students brings people together from all over the world to chat and improve their language skills.

POLYGLOT CLUB

A language exchange website providing access to conversation practice and text correction.

If you're a member of the UB community and you'd prefer to chat with someone face-to-face, you can use the Language Exchange Service to find a language partner.

We use language to communicate! Get speaking as soon as possible!As you progress, put what you've learnt into practice: find other people to practise with, even if you can only have very simple conversations.We encourage you to try online language exchanges. There are websites that offer this fast and free service.Here are two international networks of language students ready to become conversation partners.

06. Practise your speaking

CONVERSATON EXCHANGE

For face-to-face and online conversation practice.

TANDEM

An international language exchange network to talk or chat online.

Get used to all the regional varieties of Catalan with these resources.

07. Improve your listening

LyricsTraining

Songs in Catalan. Fill in the blanks with the song lyrics, choosing different levels of difficulty.

4cats

A collection of 20 videos with transcripts and explanations about grammar and vocabulary. Listening practice in Valencian, Balearic and Central Catalan.

These two web pages will help you improve your listening skills, taking you one step closer to a more advanced level.

TV3 a la carta

Access to Catalan television programmes.

Dictados en línea

A series of dictations organized by level of difficulty and other spelling considerations. You choose the speed.

08. Push yourself a little harder

Try to work simultaneously with all these resources to improve your grasp of each aspect of the language, from grammar and vocabulary to speaking, writing, listening and reading.

All this will make your learning experience fuller and more rewarding!

And don’t forget to enjoy the language!Read books and magazines, go to cafés and concerts, watch movies and listen to music!

09. Organize your time

"You should try not to speak with a foreign accent."Not true. Working on your pronunciation is important, of course, but it's only natural to have an accent.

"Never say anything until you can say it correctly."Not so. You have to accept making mistakes as part of the learning process. Don’t be shy!

"The most important thing to work on is your grammar."No. Vocabulary and speaking, writing, listening and reading are all just as important.

"The best way to learn vocabulary is by memorizing lists."Lists may help you pass an exam, but it actually makes more sense to learn vocabulary in context.

"It's not that important if you can’t remember a difficult word."This is true. You should prioritize the vocabulary that is most useful.

"When you read, you need to look up all the words you don’t know."Not necessarily. It's also good practice to infer the meaning of words from their context.

"You need to practise a lot to learn a language."Absolutely! The more practice you get, the better!

"It's important to set yourself goals that are realistic."This is crucial, so don’t be in too much of a hurry!

10. Thoughts about language learning

It's always better to work a little every day — even if that only means fifteen minutes — than it is to study for an entire afternoon once a week.

Remember!

This guide was prepared by the Area for Language Learning and Textual Support of the UB’s Language Services: our job is to help you learn languages independently and for free.

If you want to find out more about learning languages for free, follow us!

Learn more languages athttps://www.ub.edu/autoaprenentatgecatala/

Did you find this interesting?

Links in this presentation

• Polyglot Club

• Galí en línia

• Tandem

• Enxaneta

• HelloTalk

• Catalan learning games

• LyricsTraining

• Language Exchange Service

• Public libraries

• 4cats

• Parla.cat

• Self-access language learning centres

• Conversation Exchange

• TV3 a la carta

• Online dictation exercises

• Ep! Escolta i parla. Curs oral de català

• Gramàtica del CPNL

• Catalan for Beginners

Laia Casas BorràsContent

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Glòria Vallès FitóOriginal idea and content

Jovita Laín CorbíCoordinator

Julia Leonor Ferrari Editing assistant and music selection

RomanSenykMusicMusic

Ample24 Editing and design

Barnaby NooneLanguage review

Credits

Thank you!