Deep Dive into the difference between Catalan vs Spanish Languages

The Catalan vs Spanish case is probably one of the most prominent examples of the country’s multilingual approach. Both languages have much in common, from their shared history to similar linguistic nuances, such as grammar and pronunciation.

Today, we’ll explore these remarkable languages to find out whether they are as identical as they look at first glance.

Spanish vs Catalan: History and origins of the Romance languages

Catalan is one of the five main languages spoken in Spain. Although Spanish is the only one with official status in the country, the other four — Catalan (also called Valencian), Galician, Basque, and Aranese — have co-official status in specific territories. Such distinction occurred due to various historical events, which we’ll discuss hewre.

Brief history of Catalan

Here are the key milestones in the history of the Catalan language:

• Originating from Vulgar Latin in northern Catalonia during the early Middle Ages.
• Flourishing as the language of culture and administration in the Crown of Aragon during the Middle Ages.
• Decline in official status following the 1469 union of Aragon and Castile and the 18th-century Nueva Planta decrees.
• Suppression during the Spanish Civil War and Franco dictatorship in the 20th century.
• Revival and official recognition as a co-official language in Catalonia after 1979.
• Continued vibrant use today across Catalonia, Valencian Country, Balearic Islands, and parts of southern France.

The Catalan language has a fascinating origin rooted in the everyday spoken Latin of the Roman Empire — Vulgar Latin. Born in northern Catalonia, it evolved alongside other Romance languages, such as Spanish, French, and Italian. While sharing Latin roots, Catalan has its own unique identity with distinctive traits. The earliest written records date back to the 12th century, marking the start of its rich linguistic journey.

In the Middle Ages, Catalan was the cultural and administrative language of the Crown of Aragon, covering Catalonia, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands. This golden age saw a flourishing of Catalan literature.

However, the 1469 union of the Crowns of Aragon and Castile shifted the balance. Castilian Spanish gradually took precedence, becoming the official language of the Spanish Empire and imposing restrictions on regional languages.

The early 18th-century Nueva Planta decrees dissolved Catalan institutions and declared Castilian the sole official language. Despite this, Catalan survived in daily life and culture.

The 20th century brought further hardship with the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s dictatorship banning Catalan from public use. Yet, the language endured privately.

After Franco’s death and Spain’s transition to democracy, Catalonia regained autonomy. The 1979 Statute of Autonomy recognized Catalan as co-official alongside Spanish, sparking a renaissance in Catalan literature, media, and education.

Today, Catalan thrives across Catalonia, the Valencian Country, the Balearic Islands, and parts of southern France. It holds official status in Catalonia and is deeply woven into education, government, and media.

What is Catalan Spanish: Discovering the similarities

Shared history is not the only thing Catalan and Spanish have in common. As closely related languages within the Romance family, they share features with many other Romance languages, including similarities in grammar, vocabulary, and phonology. Let’s see in more detail the similarities in these Catalan vs Spanish examples.

• Similar alphabets. Both languages use a modified version of the Latin alphabet, making them look almost the exact same. The differences are the extra letter "ñ" in the Spanish alphabet, equivalent to the Catalan letters "ny," and the letter "ç" in Catalan, which doesn’t have an equivalent in Spanish.
• Verb modes. Catalan and Spanish have four of them — indicative, subjunctive, conditional, and imperative.
• Pronunciation features. Although the pronunciation of both languages is quite similar in general, one of the most prominent resemblances is the silent "H" sound, used in both Catalan and Spanish, and a strong rolling "R" sound. Catalan also features silent letters, such as "T," "R," and "D," and utilises consonant clusters, especially at the end of words, which are less common in Spanish. Both languages have distinct consonant sounds and vowel sounds, with Catalan having a wider range of vowels compared to Spanish.
• Conjugation rules. Both languages share similar verb conjugation patterns. However, some specific endings and tenses still might differ.
• Sentence order. It is the same in both languages. Catalan and Spanish follow the subject-verb-object structure.
• Grammatical gender. There are only two noun genders (feminine and masculine) in both Spanish and Catalan; Catalan does not have a neuter gender, unlike some other languages.
• Vocabulary similarities. Many Spanish words and Spanish vocabulary are similar to their Catalan counterparts due to their common Latin roots, which can help Spanish speakers understand and learn Catalan more easily.

As you can see, there are quite a lot of similarities the languages share. There is a high degree of mutual intelligibility between Catalan and Spanish, allowing native speakers to easily understand each other, even when using different languages during the conversation.

However, there are still significant differences and grammatical differences, such as those found in Catalan grammar compared to Spanish, that set them apart.

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How different is Catalan grammar from Spanish grammar

Catalan is its own language, not just a dialect of Spanish, with its own regulatory institutions and identity. Knowing these distinctions will help you easily determine which one language is used. So, what is the key difference between Spanish and Catalan?

• The Simple Past tense

Both Catalan and Spanish belong to the Western Romance languages, which include Portuguese and French. Catalan shares traits with Spanish and Portuguese but also has unique features.

In Spanish, the simple past tense expresses completed actions at a specific time, using conjugations based on verb endings (-ar, -er, -ir) and irregular forms. For example:

Ayer cociné un pastel de manzana y moras. (Yesterday, I made a cake with apples and blackberries.)

However, in Catalan, the periphrastic past tense is formed using an auxiliary word. Usually, it is the verb anar (to go), but there can be different options. Here’s how the same sentence sounds in Catalan:

Ahir vaig cuinar un pastís de pomes i mores. (Yesterday, I made a cake with apples and blackberries.)

• Weak pronouns

Catalan is known for using atonic or weak pronouns that don’t have a Spanish equivalent. The most common examples are “hi” and “en” pronouns. They are typically placed before or after the verb. Hi denotes direction and en — origin. For example:

Catalan: Tenim cinc tomàquets. En menjaré dos. (We have five tomatoes. I’ll eat two of them.)

Spanish: Tenemos cinco tomates. Me comeré dos de ellos.

• Articles before names and possessive nouns

Possessive nouns in Spanish, like in English, are typically not accompanied by any article. For example:

Mi casa. (My house.)

Mi carra. (My car.)

In Catalan, however, there is usually an article used in such cases. For example:

La meva casa. (My house.)

El meu coche. (My car.)

When it comes to communication, spoken language plays a crucial role in distinguishing Catalan from Spanish. Spanish speakers may not automatically understand Catalan, as the differences between the two languages are significant, especially in pronunciation and vocabulary. The only exception to the high degree of uniformity in Catalan is found in rare dialectal cases, such as the Algherese dialect.

Catalan to Spanish: Comparing vocabulary

Another thing similar and different between Spanish and Catalan at the same time is the vocabulary. Many Spanish words have almost identical pronunciation and meaning in Catalan, and knowledge of Spanish vocabulary can be very helpful when learning Catalan. Check some examples in the table below.

However, in some cases, words with the same meaning sound entirely different in Catalan and Spanish. Let’s explore some examples.

In addition to this difference between Catalan and Spanish, there is another one — false cognates. Both languages contain many words that sound identical but have completely different meanings. These differences are not only in vocabulary but also in Catalan grammar, where you can find unique grammatical rules and structures.

Let's see examples in the table below.

As you can see, there are many similarities and differences in vocabulary. This shows that despite their resemblances, Catalan and Spanish are two separate languages with unique features.

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Conclusion

Summing up, both Catalan and Spanish are beautiful languages definitely worthy of your attention. Whether you’re planning to visit Madrid or Barcelona or are just interested in mastering a new language, these two options can be a good idea to start with. And see you in the next article!