Catalan phrases for meeting your new neighbours in Catalonia
Greet your neighbour on the stairs and say you’ve just moved in: “Hola, visc aquí al costat” or “Acabo d'arribar al bloc”. Give your name and add “molt de gust”. If they ask which floor you live on, answer simply. Expect “Parles molt bé el català” and offer a coffee some day.
Try it · about two minutes
In your first week you meet a neighbour on the stairs and introduce yourself.
Sound on: the neighbour speaks Catalan. You choose what to say back, and Frasa tells you why it works.
How does the conversation usually go?
A few days after moving in, you carry a box up the stairs. A neighbour is coming down.
YouHola, visc aquí al costat.
Hello, I live next door.
- Neighbour
Benvingut al bloc!
Welcome to the building.
YouGràcies! Em dic Sam, molt de gust.
Thanks. My name is Sam, nice to meet you.
- Neighbour
A quin pis vius?
Which floor do you live on?
YouAcabo de mudar-me al pis de dalt.
I’ve just moved into the flat upstairs.
- Neighbour
T'agrada viure aquí?
Do you like living here?
YouSí, m'agrada molt.
Yes, I like it a lot.
- Neighbour
Parles molt bé el català!
You speak Catalan really well.
YouEstic aprenent català.
I’m learning Catalan.
- Neighbour
Si algun dia necessites una mà, truca'm.
If you ever need a hand, just ask.
YouUn dia et ve de gust un cafè?
Fancy a coffee sometime?
Which Catalan phrases do you need?
Hola, visc aquí al costat.
Hello, I live next door.
Acabo d'arribar al bloc.
I’ve just arrived in the building.
Que tinguis un bon dia!
Have a nice day.
Fa poc que sóc aquí.
I’ve only been here a short time.
Acabo de mudar-me al pis de dalt.
I’ve just moved into the flat upstairs.
A quin pis vius?
Which floor do you live on?
T'agrada viure aquí?
Do you like living here?
Parles molt bé el català!
You speak Catalan really well.
Un dia et ve de gust un cafè?
Fancy a coffee sometime?
Si algun dia necessites una mà, truca'm.
If you ever need a hand, just ask.
What is worth knowing in Catalonia?
A first hello
- 1
Say a short hello when you pass someone on the stairs. It is normal even before you have met.
- 2
Say that you live next door, or that you’ve just moved in.
Hello, I live next door. - 3
Give your name and add molt de gust, which means nice to meet you.
Tu or vostè on the stairs
Necessites alguna cosa?
Do you need anything?
Necessita alguna cosa?
Do you need anything? (formal)
With neighbours around your age, tu is the usual choice. With an older neighbour, vostè is the safe start until they use tu with you.
Floor and door
In Barcelona people often give the floor and the door together: tercer segona is the third floor, second door. It helps when someone asks where you live.
A quin pis vius?
Which floor do you live on?
Questions about this situation
- Which Catalan phrases matter most here?
- “Hola, visc aquí al costat.” (Hello, I live next door); “Acabo d'arribar al bloc.” (I’ve just arrived in the building); “Que tinguis un bon dia!” (Have a nice day). 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.
Related situations in Catalan
- Borrowing something from a neighbour
- Asking a neighbour to keep the noise down
- Asking a neighbour to take in a parcel
- Small talk with a neighbour in the lift
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.