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Catalan phrases for ordering the lunch menu of the day in Catalonia

At weekday lunchtime, ask “Hi ha menú del dia?”. You choose a first course and a second course, and the menu usually comes with bread, a drink, and a dessert or coffee. The waiter asks “Ja sap què prendrà?” and “Vol alguna cosa per beure?”. Say “Voldria la sopa, si us plau” and “Prendré el pollastre, si us plau”.

Try it · about two minutes

At a local restaurant at lunchtime you order the fixed-price menu: a first course, a main, and a dessert or coffee.

Sound on: the waiter speaks Catalan. You choose what to say back, and Frasa tells you why it works.

How does the conversation usually go?

  1. It’s one o’clock on a weekday and you’ve sat down in a local restaurant. A board by the door says “Menú del dia”.

    You

    Hi ha menú del dia?

    Is there a menu of the day?

  2. Waiter

    Aquí té la carta.

    Here is the menu.

    You

    Què hi ha de primer i de segon?

    What is there for the first and second course?

  3. Waiter

    Ja sap què prendrà?

    Do you know what you’ll have?

    You

    De primer, la sopa i, de segon, el pollastre.

    For the first course, the soup, and for the main, the chicken.

  4. Waiter

    Vol alguna cosa per beure?

    Would you like something to drink?

    You

    Aigua, si us plau.

    Water, please.

  5. Waiter

    Aigua amb gas o sense?

    Sparkling or still water?

    You

    Sense gas, si us plau.

    Still, please.

  6. Waiter

    Vol veure la carta de postres?

    Would you like the dessert menu?

    You

    Un cafè sol, si us plau.

    A black coffee, please.

Which Catalan phrases do you need?

  • Quin és el plat del dia?

    What is the dish of the day?

  • Aquí té la carta.

    Here is the menu.

  • Què em recomana?

    What do you recommend?

  • Ja sap què prendrà?

    Do you know what you’ll have?

  • Voldria la sopa, si us plau.

    I’d like the soup, please.

  • Prendré el pollastre, si us plau.

    I’ll have the chicken, please.

  • Vol alguna cosa per beure?

    Would you like something to drink?

  • Aigua amb gas o sense?

    Sparkling or still water?

  • Vol veure la carta de postres?

    Would you like the dessert menu?

  • El compte, si us plau.

    The bill, please.

What is worth knowing in Catalonia?

How the menú del dia goes

  1. 1

    It’s mainly a weekday lunch offer, so look for the board outside around midday.

  2. 2

    Pick a first course and a second course from a short list.

    I’d like the soup, please.
  3. 3

    Finish with a dessert or a coffee, then ask for the bill.

    The bill, please.

The menu or the carta

The menú del dia is a fixed set: a first course, a second course, and usually bread, a drink and a dessert or coffee. The dishes often change from day to day. For anything else, order from the carta.

Quin és el plat del dia?

What is the dish of the day?

Postres or cafè

Classic Catalan desserts are flam, a caramel custard, and crema catalana. At lunch you can often take a coffee instead of a dessert.

Un cafè sol, si us plau.

A black coffee, please.

Questions about this situation

Which Catalan phrases matter most here?
“Quin és el plat del dia?” (What is the dish of the day); “Aquí té la carta.” (Here is the menu); “Què em recomana?” (What do you recommend). The full list is above.
Can I hear how they sound?
Yes: press the speaker next to a phrase to hear it, recorded for the Frasa app.
How can I practise this conversation?
Press “Start the conversation” above to play it through and choose your replies, with a note on why some fit better in Catalonia. Frasa, an iPhone app, lets you save these phrases and rehearse them out loud.

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Practise these phrases in Frasa

Frasa is an iPhone app for the conversations in front of you. Save phrases like these, rehearse them out loud, and they come back until they stick.

AI-generated. May be inaccurate.