If you’re coming to Barcelona for Focus on Project Management this November, you’ll notice pretty quickly that Spanish isn’t the only language around you.

The signs at the airport, announcements on the metro, restaurant menus and conversations happening at the table next to you will often be in Catalan. 

For a group of language-industry professionals, that makes Barcelona an especially interesting place to spend a few days. So, before we arrive to PM26, here’s a little background on the language you’ll be seeing and hearing around the city, plus a few words worth trying while you’re there.

Catalan’s roots

It’s an easy assumption to make if you don’t know much about the region, but Catalan is a language in its own right.

Like Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese, it developed from Latin. Its roots go back more than a thousand years, with written Catalan appearing during the Middle Ages and the language becoming established in literature, administration and commerce.

And it isn’t only spoken in Catalonia. Different varieties of Catalan are found across the Balearic Islands, the Valencian Community, Andorra, parts of Aragón and southern France, as well as the city of Alghero in Sardinia.

In Barcelona, both Catalan and Spanish are part of everyday life, so don’t be surprised to hear people move between the two.

A bit of history

Catalan’s history hasn’t followed a neat upward line. There have been periods of cultural growth and literary revival, but also periods when its official and public use was heavily restricted. Most notably, Catalan was repressed under Franco’s dictatorship, particularly in public institutions and official contexts.

Following Spain’s transition to democracy, Catalan returned to schools, public administration and public life. Today, Catalan and Spanish are both official languages in Catalonia.

For anyone working with languages, there’s something particularly interesting about seeing how visible Catalan is in Barcelona today: language here carries history, culture and identity with it.

Once you know a little of that story, the Catalan words you see around the city start to mean a little more, so keep your ears open!

Can you spot the Catalan?

If you speak Spanish, French or another Romance language, Catalan can feel familiar. You may understand a word immediately, need a second look at another, and find the next completely new.

Take good night: bona nit in Catalan, compared with buenas noches in Spanish and bonne nuit in French. Or thank you: gràcies in Catalan and gracias in Spanish. The similarities give you clues, but Catalan has its own vocabulary, sounds and spelling patterns.

Keep an eye out for combinations such as ny, which represents a sound similar to Spanish ñ, as in Catalunya, and the distinctive l·l, known as the ela geminada, which you might spot in words such as col·lega. Accents matter too: Catalan uses both acute and grave accents, so you’ll come across forms such as é, è, ó and ò.

For language professionals, it can become a small game during your stay: how much Catalan can you work out before reaching for a translation?

A few useful words for your stay

Nobody is expecting you to arrive at Novotel Barcelona City speaking fluent Catalan (although that would be impressive…). But learning a few words is an easy way to engage with the city and learn more about it.

Here are a few you can put to use straight away:

Bon dia – Good morning. 

Si us plau – Please.

Gràcies – Thank you. 

De res – You’re welcome.

Adéu – Goodbye.

Molt bé – Very good.

Salut! – Cheers! (One to remember for the Welcome Drinks Reception on Wednesday evening!)

Listen while you’re there

One of the pleasures of travelling when you work in the language industry is that you tend to notice things other visitors might miss.

So, between Focus PM sessions, pay attention to the language around you. Look at the words used on street signs. Compare the Catalan and Spanish versions of announcements. Listen to what people are saying in cafés. See what you recognise.

You might notice sortida when you’re looking for the exit, carrer on a street sign, or bon profit around mealtimes. 

And that’s part of the value of bringing Focus PM to a different European city each year: the learning doesn’t have to stop when the programme finishes for the day. We get to spend a few days somewhere with its own history, culture and language, alongside colleagues who are likely to find those things just as interesting as we do!

Come to Barcelona for the Focus PM conversations, practical ideas and time with your peers, but leave a little room for Catalan too.

We look forward to welcoming you to this beautiful city this November. Find out more about ELIA Focus on Project Management 2026 here, and make sure to stay up to date with all event news by checking #ELIAPM on LinkedIn regularly!

Ens veiem a Barcelona!