Which Catalan phrases matter most here?

“No menjo carn.” (I don’t eat meat); “Sense carn, si us plau.” (No meat, please); “Teniu algun plat vegà?” (Do you have any vegan dishes). 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.

Catalan phrases for saying you're vegetarian or vegan in Catalonia

Tell the waiter early: “Sóc vegetarià” (women say “vegetariana”) or “No menjo carn”. Ask “Teniu algun plat vegà?” and check what’s inside, for example “La sopa porta brou de carn?”. Add “Sense carn, si us plau” when you order. Staff understand, but some kitchens don’t count ham or fish as meat, so name what you avoid.

Try it · about two minutes

Before ordering, you explain that you don’t eat meat and check which dishes on the menu suit you.

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?

Waiter
Aquí té la carta.
Here is the menu.
You
No menjo carn.
I don’t eat meat.
Waiter
Cap problema. Avui tenim sopa de verdures, una amanida i un arròs de verdures.
No problem. Today we have vegetable soup, a salad and a vegetable rice.
You
La sopa porta brou de carn?
Does the soup have meat stock?
Waiter
Ja sap què prendrà?
Do you know what you’ll have?
You
Prendré l'arròs de verdures, si us plau.
I’ll have the vegetable rice, please.
Waiter
Vol alguna cosa més?
Would you like anything else?
You
Una cosa més: l'arròs porta pernil o cansalada?
One more thing: does the rice have ham or bacon?
Waiter
Vol veure la carta de postres?
Would you like the dessert menu?
You
Sí, si us plau.
Yes, please.
Dessert is done. You’d like a coffee to finish, with plant-based milk.
You
Teniu llet vegetal?
Do you have plant-based milk?

Which Catalan phrases do you need?

No menjo carn.
I don’t eat meat.
Sense carn, si us plau.
No meat, please.
Teniu algun plat vegà?
Do you have any vegan dishes?
Quin és el plat del dia?
What is the dish of the day?
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.
Vol alguna cosa més?
Would you like anything else?
Teniu llet vegetal?
Do you have plant-based milk?
Me'l pots fer amb llet de civada?
Can you make it with oat milk?

What is worth knowing in Catalonia?

How to explain it

1
Say it once, early, when the menu arrives.
I don’t eat meat.
2
Ask about stock, ham and bacon in soups, rice and vegetables.
La sopa porta brou de carn?Does the soup have meat stock?
3
Order, and repeat it with the dish.
No meat, please.

“Sense carn” may not cover ham

Some kitchens don’t think of ham or fish as carn, and soups or rice can be cooked in meat stock. If it matters to you, name what you avoid.

Això porta pernil o cansalada?

Does this have ham or bacon?

Vegetarià or vegetariana

The word follows your gender: vegetarià for a man, vegetariana for a woman. Vegà and vegana work the same way.

Sóc vegetariana.

I’m vegetarian (said by a woman).

Questions about this situation

Which Catalan phrases matter most here?: “No menjo carn.” (I don’t eat meat); “Sense carn, si us plau.” (No meat, please); “Teniu algun plat vegà?” (Do you have any vegan dishes). 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

All situations in Catalan

Practise these phrases in Frasa

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AI-generated. May be inaccurate.