Frasa
SituationsGet the app (opens the App Store in a new tab)

Catalan · Neighbours · Elementary

How to complain about noise to a neighbour in Catalan

Knock, say who you are, “Hola, visc al pis de sota”, and keep it friendly: “No vull crear problemes, però el soroll no em deixa dormir” and “Pots fer una mica menys de soroll, si us plau?”. Before your own party, warn them: “Dissabte vindran uns amics a casa. Perdona per endavant si hi ha una mica de soroll.”

Try it · about two minutes

Music from upstairs keeps you awake, so you knock and ask politely, or give neighbours a heads-up about your own party.

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

The conversation

  1. It’s past midnight and the music upstairs is still going. You go up and knock on the door.

    You

    Hola, perdona. Visc al pis de sota.

    Hi, sorry. I live in the flat below.

  2. Neighbour

    Necessites alguna cosa?

    Do you need anything?

    You

    No vull crear problemes, però el soroll no em deixa dormir.

    I don’t want to cause trouble, but the noise is keeping me awake.

  3. Neighbour

    Perdona pel soroll.

    Sorry about the noise.

    You

    Pots fer una mica menys de soroll, si us plau?

    Could you keep the noise down a bit, please?

  4. Neighbour

    Intentarem fer menys soroll.

    We’ll try to be quieter.

    You

    Moltes gràcies, de debò.

    Thanks so much, really.

  5. Neighbour

    Hola, com estàs?

    Hi, how are you?

    You

    Dissabte vindran uns amics a casa.

    Some friends are coming over on Saturday.

  6. Neighbour

    Sembla molt divertit!

    That sounds like fun.

    You

    A les dotze abaixarem la música.

    We’ll turn the music down at midnight.

Key phrases

  • La música està molt alta.

    The music is very loud.

  • Pots fer una mica menys de soroll, si us plau?

    Could you keep the noise down a bit, please?

  • No vull crear problemes, però el soroll no em deixa dormir.

    I don’t want to cause trouble, but the noise is keeping me awake.

  • Se sent la teva televisió a través de la paret.

    I can hear your TV through the wall.

  • Et fa res abaixar-ho a partir de les deu de la nit?

    Would you mind turning it down after ten at night?

  • Intentarem fer menys soroll.

    We’ll try to be quieter.

  • Dissabte vindran uns amics a casa.

    Some friends are coming over on Saturday.

  • Perdona per endavant si hi ha una mica de soroll.

    Sorry in advance if it gets a bit noisy.

  • Ho podem portar a la reunió de veïns?

    Shall we raise it at the residents’ meeting?

  • Ahir a la nit la música estava bastant alta.

    The music was quite loud last night.

Good to know in Catalonia

Before your own party

  1. 1

    Tell the neighbours a few days before, in person or with a note by the lift.

  2. 2

    Say when it is, and roughly when the music goes down.

  3. 3

    Apologise in advance, and thank them afterwards.

    Sorry in advance if it gets a bit noisy.

Start with a friendly word

Most people expect quiet late at night. A friendly word at the door usually works better than a note or a formal complaint.

Et fa res abaixar-ho a partir de les deu de la nit?

Would you mind turning it down after ten at night?

The residents’ meeting

Each block of flats has an owners’ association, la comunitat de veïns, which holds meetings. If a problem keeps coming back, it can be raised there; tenants usually go through their landlord.

Ho podem portar a la reunió de veïns?

Shall we raise it at the residents’ meeting?

More situations in Catalan

All situations in Catalan

Keep 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.