A handful of words does most of the work in everyday Catalan. Articles, pronouns, and verbs like ser, estar, and tenir turn up in nearly every sentence, so getting them automatic pays off faster than almost anything else you could study. This is the highest-leverage hundred words in the language, not a shortcut around learning it.
How to use this list
Do not work through this list top to bottom. Read down it and mark only the words you could not have produced yourself. Those are your list. The rest are already yours, and reviewing them is wasted effort better spent on words you actually meet in reading, conversation, or subtitles.
The 100 words
| # | Catalan | English | In use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | el | the (masc.) | El llibre és sobre la taula.The book is on the table. |
| 2 | la | the (fem.) | La casa és molt gran.The house is very big. |
| 3 | de | of / from | Sóc de Barcelona.I am from Barcelona. |
| 4 | i | and | Menjo pa i formatge.I eat bread and cheese. |
| 5 | que | that / which | Crec que tens raó.I think that you are right. |
| 6 | a | to / at | Vaig a la platja.I'm going to the beach. |
| 7 | en | of it / of them (pronoun) | No en vull més.I don't want any more of it. |
| 8 | un | a / one (masc.) | Tinc un gat negre.I have a black cat. |
| 9 | una | a (fem.) | Vull comprar una cadira nova.I want to buy a new chair. |
| 10 | és | is | Ella és metgessa.She is a doctor. |
| 11 | no | no / not | No entenc la pregunta.I don't understand the question. |
| 12 | per | for / through | Vaig sortir per la porta.I went out through the door. |
| 13 | amb | with | Vinc amb el meu germà.I'm coming with my brother. |
| 14 | es | oneself (reflexive) | Ell es dutxa cada matí.He showers every morning. |
| 15 | jo | I | Jo estudio català.I study Catalan. |
| 16 | tu | you | Tu ets el meu millor amic.You are my best friend. |
| 17 | ell | he | Ell viu a Girona.He lives in Girona. |
| 18 | ella | she | Ella llegeix un llibre.She is reading a book. |
| 19 | nosaltres | we | Nosaltres anem a la platja.We are going to the beach. |
| 20 | vosaltres | you all | D'on sou vosaltres?Where are you all from? |
| 21 | ells | they (masc.) | Ells juguen a futbol.They play football. |
| 22 | elles | they (fem.) | Elles treballen juntes.They work together. |
| 23 | ser | to be | Vull ser feliç.I want to be happy. |
| 24 | estar | to be (state / location) | Estic content de veure't.I'm happy to see you. |
| 25 | tenir | to have | Tinc dues germanes.I have two sisters. |
| 26 | fer | to do / make | Què fas aquest cap de setmana?What are you doing this weekend? |
| 27 | poder | to be able / can | Puc ajudar-te amb això?Can I help you with this? |
| 28 | voler | to want | Vull aprendre català.I want to learn Catalan. |
| 29 | anar | to go | Hem d'anar a la feina.We have to go to work. |
| 30 | dir | to say | Et vull dir una cosa.I want to tell you something. |
| 31 | veure | to see | Vull veure't demà.I want to see you tomorrow. |
| 32 | saber | to know | No sé la resposta.I don't know the answer. |
| 33 | donar | to give | Et puc donar un consell.I can give you advice. |
| 34 | venir | to come | Quan vindràs a casa?When will you come home? |
| 35 | parlar | to speak | Parlo català i anglès.I speak Catalan and English. |
| 36 | pensar | to think | Què penses d'això?What do you think about that? |
| 37 | trobar | to find | No trobo les claus.I can't find my keys. |
| 38 | deixar | to let / lend | Em pots deixar el llibre?Can you lend me the book? |
| 39 | posar | to put | Posa el got a la taula.Put the glass on the table. |
| 40 | aquest | this | Aquest poble és molt bonic.This village is very pretty. |
| 41 | aquell | that | Aquell home és el meu veí.That man is my neighbor. |
| 42 | cada | each / every | Cada dia vaig a l'escola.Every day I go to school. |
| 43 | qui | who | Qui vol venir amb mi?Who wants to come with me? |
| 44 | meu | my / mine | Aquest cotxe és meu.This car is mine. |
| 45 | teu | your / yours | Aquest gos és teu?Is this dog yours? |
| 46 | seu | his / her | El seu germà estudia medicina.His brother studies medicine. |
| 47 | nostre | our | La nostra ciutat té molta història.Our city has a lot of history. |
| 48 | vostre | your (plural) | El vostre pla és excel·lent.Your plan is excellent. |
| 49 | bé | well / fine | Estic bé, gràcies.I'm fine, thanks. |
| 50 | bo | good | Aquest restaurant és molt bo.This restaurant is very good. |
| 51 | dolent | bad | Fa un temps dolent avui.The weather is bad today. |
| 52 | gran | big | Viuen en una casa gran.They live in a big house. |
| 53 | petit | small | Tenim un gos petit.We have a small dog. |
| 54 | nou | new | M'he comprat un mòbil nou.I bought myself a new phone. |
| 55 | vell | old | Aquest és un poble vell.This is an old village. |
| 56 | bonic | beautiful | Avui fa un dia bonic.Today is a beautiful day. |
| 57 | llarg | long | Va ser un viatge llarg.It was a long trip. |
| 58 | curt | short | He escrit una resposta curta.I wrote a short answer. |
| 59 | molt | much / very | Tinc molta feina.I have a lot of work. |
| 60 | poc | little / few | Vaig dormir molt poc anit.I slept very little last night. |
| 61 | tot | everything / all | Tot està bé.Everything is fine. |
| 62 | algú | someone | Algú ha trucat a la porta.Someone knocked on the door. |
| 63 | res | nothing | No he sentit res.I haven't heard anything. |
| 64 | ningú | nobody | Ningú va arribar a temps.Nobody arrived on time. |
| 65 | ara | now | Ara he de marxar.I have to leave now. |
| 66 | llavors | then | Primer menja, llavors ves a dormir.First eat, then go to sleep. |
| 67 | aquí | here | Fa cinc anys que visc aquí.I've lived here for five years. |
| 68 | allà | there | Vés allà i espera'm.Go there and wait for me. |
| 69 | quan | when | Quan tornes a casa?When are you coming home? |
| 70 | on | where | On és la farmàcia més propera?Where is the nearest pharmacy? |
| 71 | com | how | Com et sents avui?How do you feel today? |
| 72 | per què | why | Per què plores?Why are you crying? |
| 73 | perquè | because | M'he quedat a casa perquè estic malalt.I stayed home because I'm sick. |
| 74 | si | if | Si plou, ens quedarem a dins.If it rains, we'll stay inside. |
| 75 | o | or | Vols te o cafè?Do you want tea or coffee? |
| 76 | només | only | Només necessito un minut.I only need a minute. |
| 77 | ja | already | Ell ja se n'ha anat.He has already left. |
| 78 | encara | still / yet | Encara estic esperant la resposta.I'm still waiting for the answer. |
| 79 | de nou | again | Digues-ho de nou, si us plau.Say it again, please. |
| 80 | sempre | always | Sempre prenc cafè al matí.I always have coffee in the morning. |
| 81 | mai | never | No he estat mai a París.I have never been to Paris. |
| 82 | home | man | Aquell home treballa en un banc.That man works at a bank. |
| 83 | dona | woman | La dona estava a prop de la finestra.The woman was near the window. |
| 84 | nen | child / boy | El nen juga al parc.The child is playing in the park. |
| 85 | casa | house | La nostra casa té un jardí gran.Our house has a big garden. |
| 86 | dia | day | Treballo cada dia excepte diumenge.I work every day except Sunday. |
| 87 | nit | night | La nit va ser tranquil·la.The night was calm. |
| 88 | any | year | Aquest any ha estat difícil.This year has been hard. |
| 89 | temps | time / weather | No tinc temps per descansar.I don't have time to rest. |
| 90 | vida | life | La vida està plena de sorpreses.Life is full of surprises. |
| 91 | món | world | Vull viatjar pel món.I want to travel around the world. |
| 92 | aigua | water | Un got d'aigua, si us plau.A glass of water, please. |
| 93 | menjar | food / to eat | Aquest menjar és molt bo.This food is very good. |
| 94 | feina | work / job | Estic buscant una feina nova.I'm looking for a new job. |
| 95 | amic | friend | És el meu millor amic.He is my best friend. |
| 96 | família | family | La meva família viu a Tarragona.My family lives in Tarragona. |
| 97 | ciutat | city | Barcelona és una ciutat preciosa.Barcelona is a beautiful city. |
| 98 | país | country | Aquest és un país molt bonic.This is a very beautiful country. |
| 99 | camí | way / path | Aquest camí porta a la muntanya.This path leads to the mountain. |
| 100 | paraula | word | No conec el significat d'aquesta paraula.I don't know the meaning of this word. |
The ones English speakers get wrong
ser vs. estar
Both translate as 'to be', but 'ser' covers identity, origin, and permanent traits ('Ell és metge', he is a doctor), while 'estar' covers temporary states and location ('Estic cansat', I'm tired). Picking the wrong one is one of the first things that marks out a learner.
tu vs. vostè
'Tu' is the informal 'you' used with friends and family, while 'vostè' is the formal, distant register used with strangers or in professional settings, similar to the tu and vous split in French. Which one you pick also changes the verb conjugation.
per vs. per a
In careful written Catalan, 'per' covers cause, means, and movement through something, while 'per a' covers purpose and destination, roughly 'for'. Everyday spoken Catalan often blurs the two, but the distinction still shows up in writing and in more formal speech.
The pronoun en
'En' is a small pronoun that stands in for 'of it' or 'of them', with no direct English equivalent: 'No en vull més' means 'I don't want any more of it'. Learners tend to just drop it, but leaving it out sounds noticeably unnatural to a native speaker.
Elision before vowels
The articles 'el' and 'la' both shorten to l' before a word starting with a vowel or a silent h, so 'the water' is 'l'aigua' and 'the man' is 'l'home', not 'el aigua' or 'la home'.
What to do next
A list this size is about two weeks of light daily review, and it is the difference between decoding Catalan and following it.