Catalan Slang and Everyday Words to Sound Like a Local

Catalan slang words are very similar to those used in Spanish, since the two languages have influenced each other and younger speakers often mix Catalan and Spanish slang in casual conversation. Here are the most common slang expressions in Catalan.

Catalan slang

Maco: cool, nice. Example: Ets molt maco, gràcies per ajudar-me. "You're really nice. Thanks for helping me."

Calé: money. Example: No tinc gaire calé aquest mes. "I don't have much money this month."

Punyeter: difficult, annoying. Example: Aquest exercici és molt punyeter. "This exercise is really tricky."

Flipar: to freak out, be amazed. Example: Fliparàs quan ho vegis! "You'll freak out when you see it!"

Collons!: damn!, wow!. Example: Collons! Quin gol més increïble! "Damn! What an incredible goal! Pay attention to this one, as Collons! is stronger than Coi! and can be considered mildly vulgar."

Coi!: damn!, heck!. Example: Coi, m'he deixat les claus a casa. "Damn, I left my keys at home."

Xulo: cool. Example: Aquest cotxe és molt xulo. "This car is really cool."

Xaval: guy, dude, kid. Example: Ei, xaval, com va? "Hey, dude, how's it going?"

Tio: dude. Example: Tio, això és increïble! "Dude, that's incredible!"

Guapo: handsome, beautiful, great. Example: Quin lloc més guapo! "What a beautiful place!"

Guai: cool. Example: La festa va ser molt guai. "The party was really cool."

Col·le: school (short for col·legi). Example: Demà hem d'anar al col·le aviat. "Tomorrow we have to go to school early."

Fatal: really bad. Example: Avui em trobo fatal. "I feel terrible today."

Currar: to work. Example: Avui em toca currar fins tard. "I have to work late today."

Paio: guy, man. Example: Qui és aquell paio? "Who's that guy?"

Birra: beer. Example: Anem a fer una birra? "Shall we go have a beer?"

Rotllo: vibe, atmosphere. Example: Aquest bar té molt bon rotllo. "This bar has a great vibe." Entre nosaltres hi ha mal rotllo. "There's bad blood between us."

Penya: group of people, gang. Example: La penya ja ens està esperant. "The group's already waiting for us."

Molar: to be cool. Example: Mola molt aquesta cançó. "This song is really cool."

Pijo: posh, snob. Example: És una mica pijo, però és simpàtic. "He's a bit posh, but he's nice."