Language/Catalan/Grammar/Give-your-Opinion
Hi Catalan learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will explore how to give your opinion in Catalan. As you progress in your Catalan studies, it's important to be able to express your thoughts and ideas on a variety of topics. Being able to give your opinion is an essential skill to have in any language.
With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: Personal Pronouns & Ordinal Numbers in Catalan.
Opinion verbs[edit | edit source]
In Catalan, there are several verbs that we use to express our opinion. The most common ones are "creure" (to believe), "pensar" (to think), "opinar" (to have an opinion), and "considerar" (to consider). They all work similarly to their English counterparts.
For example:
| Catalan | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Jo crec que el dinar està deliciós. | sho kɾək kə ˈdi.nər əsˈta ðə.li.siˈɔs | I believe that the lunch is delicious. |
| Tu penses que la pel·lícula és avorrida. | tu ˈpɛnsəs kə lə pəʎˈli.ku.lə ˈɛz ə.voˈri.ðə | You think that the movie is boring. |
| Ell opina que el teatre és la millor forma de cultura. | eʎ u.piˈna kə əl təˈatɾə ˈɛs lə miˈʎɔɾ ˈfɔrmə ðə kuɫtuˈɾə | He has the opinion that theater is the best form of culture. |
| Nosaltres considerem que la festa hauria de ser més llarga. | nu.zəɫˈtɾɛs kən.sə.dəˈɾɛm kə lə ˈfɛs.tə a.u.ɾi.ə də ˈsɛr mes ˈʎar.ɡə | We consider that the party should be longer. |
It's important to notice that these verbs are usually followed by the conjunction "que".
Adjectives to express opinions[edit | edit source]
Just like in English, we use adjectives to express our opinions. In Catalan, we have several adjectives that can help us convey our thoughts and feelings. Here are a few examples:
| Catalan | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| bé / malament | bɛ / məˈɫa.mənt | good / bad |
| divertit / adormit | di.vəɾˈtit / əðoɾˈmit | fun / sleepy |
| agradable / desagradable | ə.ɡɾəˈða.blə / də.zə.ɣɾəˈða.blə | pleasant / unpleasant |
| interessant / avorrit | in.tə.ɾəsˈtant / ə.voˈrit | interesting / boring |
Some examples of how to use them in a sentence:
- Jo sóc content perquè vaig aprovar l'examen. (I am happy because I passed the test.)
- El sopar que vam fer ahir va ser molt agradable. (The dinner we had yesterday was very pleasant.)
- El llibre és molt interessant, no puc deixar de llegir-lo. (The book is very interesting, I can't stop reading it.)
Giving reasons[edit | edit source]
When expressing our opinion, it's always helpful to give a reason to support it. In Catalan, we use the conjunctions "perquè" (because), "ja que" (since), or "doncs" (thus). Here are a few examples:
| Catalan | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| M'agrada anar a la platja perquè m'encanta nedar. | maɣˈɾaðə ˈanər a la ˈpɫatʃə pərˈkɛ məŋˈkantə nəˈðaɾ | I like going to the beach because I love swimming. |
| Ja que no tenim res millor a fer, podríem anar al cinema. | ʒə ˈkə nɔ təˈnim ˈrɛz miʎˈɔɾ ə ˈfɛr, poˈðɾim əˈnaɾ əɫ siˈne.mə | Since we don't have anything better to do, we could go to the cinema. |
| No puc anar a fer esport, doncs estic malalt. | nɔ puk əˈnaɾ a fər əsˈpɔɾt, dɔns əsˈtik məˈɫaɫt | I can't go do sports, thus I am sick. |
Vocabulary[edit | edit source]
Here's some additional vocabulary that can help you express opinions:
- Personalment (Personally)
- Creient-ho o no (Believe it or not)
- En la meva opinió (In my opinion)
- Estic d'acord (I agree)
- No estic d'acord (I disagree)
Dialogue[edit | edit source]
Here's an example of a dialogue using the vocabulary and grammar we have covered in this lesson:
- Person 1: Sabies que el nou restaurant vietnamita és molt bo? (Did you know that the new Vietnamese restaurant is really good?)
- Person 2: No, no ho sabia. Personalment, no m'agrada molt la cuina asiàtica. (No, I didn't know that. Personally, I don't really like Asian cuisine.)
- Person 1: Doncs jo pens que les sopes i els phòs són deliciosos! (Well, I think that the soups and phos are delicious!)
- Person 2: A mi ja que no m'agrada el picant, prefereixo anar a restaurants italians. (Since I don't like spicy food, I prefer going to Italian restaurants.)
Practice[edit | edit source]
Now it's your turn to practice! Try to express your opinion on different topics using the vocabulary and grammar we've covered. To improve your Catalan Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!
➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Locative Case in Catalan
- Personal pronouns
- Gender
- Future Tense
- Accusative Case in Catalan
- Negation
- Plural
- Pronouns
- How to use the Modal Verb Must in Catalan
- Verb to be with names and places