Catalan and Portuguese: 81 words that are the same
Among the two thousand words each language uses most, these are written identically and carry the same meaning in both. If you have one of the two, this is the part you do not have to learn.
A shared word is not proof of a shared root. Two languages can land on the same spelling by borrowing from a third — that is all tren and bomba are — and a word that looks the same can still be said quite differently. What this list is good for is the head start.
| Word | In English | Catalan | Portuguese |
|---|---|---|---|
| sempreca [ˈsem.pɾə]pt /ˈsẽ.pɾi/ | always | #125 | #122 |
| matarca [məˈta]pt /maˈta(ʁ)/ | to kill | #220 | #339 |
| reica [ˈrej]pt /ˈʁej/ | king | #228 | #588 |
| horaca [ˈɔ.ɾə]pt /ˈɔ.ɾɐ/ | hour | #244 | #257 |
| amorca [əˈmor]pt /aˈmoʁ/ | love | #253 | #269 |
| problemaca [pɾuˈβlɛ.mə]pt /pɾoˈblẽ.mɐ/ | problem | #269 | #224 |
| guerraca [ˈɡɛ.rə]pt /ˈɡɛ.ʁɐ/ | war | #276 | #398 |
| pensarca [pənˈsa]pt /pẽˈsa(ʁ)/ | to think | #284 | #210 |
| contraca [ˈkɔn.tɾə]pt /ˈkõ.tɾɐ/ | against | #292 | #314 |
| pensavaca /pənˈsaβə/pt /pẽˈsa.vɐ/ | to think | #299 | #766 |
| pensoca [ˈpɛn.su]pt /ˈpẽ.su/ | to think | #341 | #489 |
| servirca [sərˈbi]pt /seʁˈvi(ʁ)/ | to serve | #417 | #1,699 |
| formaca [ˈfor.mə]pt /ˈfɔʁ.mɐ/ | form; shape | #423 | #261 |
| pensaca [ˈpɛn.sə]pt /ˈpẽ.sɐ/ | to think | #481 | #530 |
| qualca [ˈkwal]pt /ˈkwaw/ | which | #514 | #179 |
| armaca [ˈar.mə]pt /ˈaʁ.mɐ/ | weapon | #543 | #358 |
| escolaca [əsˈkɔ.lə]pt /isˈkɔ.lɐ/ | school | #573 | #413 |
| explicarca [əks.pliˈka]pt /is.pliˈka(ʁ)/ | to explain | #635 | #980 |
| mortaca [ˈmɔr.tə]pt /ˈmɔʁ.tɐ/ | dead | #647 | #794 |
| comprarca [kumˈpɾa]pt /kõˈpɾa(ʁ)/ | to buy | #652 | #656 |
| enviarca [əm.biˈa]pt /ẽ.viˈa(ʁ)/ | to send | #667 | #1,401 |
| especialca [əs.pə.siˈal]pt /is.pe.siˈaw/ | special | #672 | #583 |
| hospitalca [us.piˈtal]pt /os.piˈtaw/ | hospital | #673 | #595 |
| calmaca [ˈkal.mə]pt /ˈkaw.mɐ/ | calm | #706 | #425 |
| sistemaca [sisˈte.mə]pt /sisˈtẽ.mɐ/ | system | #707 | #659 |
| prometoca /pɾuˈmɛtu/pt /ˌproˈmetu/ | to promise | #719 | #988 |
| bocaca [ˈbo.kə]pt /ˈbo.kɐ/ | mouth | #720 | #651 |
| respostaca /rəsˈpɔstə/pt /ʁesˈpɔs.tɐ/ | answer, response | #731 | #779 |
| professorca [pɾu.fəˈso]pt /pɾo.feˈsoʁ/ | teacher | #743 | #847 |
| oficialca [u.fi.siˈal]pt /o.fi.siˈaw/ | official | #749 | #1,179 |
| idiotaca /iðiˈɔtə/pt /i.d͡ʒiˈɔ.tɐ/ | idiotic | #756 | #479 |
| penaca [ˈpɛ.nə]pt /ˈpẽ.nɐ/ | punishment | #758 | #485 |
| mestreca [ˈmɛs.tɾə]pt /ˈmɛs.tɾi/ | master | #790 | #1,110 |
| estaca [ˈes.tə]pt /ˈɛs.tɐ/ | this | #823 | #77 |
| amigaca [əˈmi.ɣə]pt /aˈmi.ɡɐ/ | friend | #832 | #665 |
| baixaca [ˈba.ʃə]pt /ˈbaj.ʃɐ/ | low | #846 | #1,557 |
| músicaca [ˈmu.zi.kə]pt /ˈmu.zi.kɐ/ | music | #870 | #614 |
| pobreca [ˈpɔ.βɾə]pt /ˈpɔ.bɾi/ | poor | #888 | #1,109 |
| costaca [ˈkɔs.tə]pt /ˈkɔs.tɐ/ | coast | #892 | #1,881 |
| correca [ˈko.rə]pt /ˈkɔ.ʁi/ | to run | #919 | #1,327 |
| hotelca [uˈtɛl]pt /oˈtɛw/ | hotel | #924 | #825 |
| planetaca [pləˈnɛ.tə]pt /plaˈne.tɐ/ | planet | #931 | #1,002 |
| zonaca [ˈzo.nə]pt /ˈzõ.nɐ/ | zone | #932 | #1,129 |
| caixaca [ˈka.ʃə]pt /ˈka.ʃɐ/ | box | #963 | #822 |
| esperançaca [əs.pəˈɾan.sə]pt /is.peˈɾɐ̃.sɐ/ | hope | #964 | #1,071 |
| mataca [ˈma.tə]pt /ˈma.tɐ/ | to kill | #978 | #1,852 |
| escaparca [əs.kəˈpa]pt /is.kaˈpa(ʁ)/ | to escape | #980 | #1,612 |
| baseca [ˈba.zə]pt /ˈba.zi/ | basis | #1,065 | #905 |
| tioca [ˈti.u]pt /ˈt͡ʃi.u/ | uncle | #1,067 | #732 |
| coronelca [ku.ɾuˈnɛl]pt /ko.ɾoˈnɛw/ | colonel | #1,135 | #996 |
| descobrirca [dəs.kuˈβɾi]pt /d͡ʒis.kuˈbɾi(ʁ)/ | to discover | #1,148 | #513 |
| visitaca [biˈzi.tə]pt /viˈzi.tɐ/ | to visit | #1,153 | #1,357 |
| pedraca [ˈpe.ðɾə]pt /ˈpɛ.dɾɐ/ | stone | #1,157 | #1,479 |
| bombaca [ˈbom.bə]pt /ˈbõ.bɐ/ | bomb | #1,179 | #1,050 |
| líderca [ˈli.ðər]pt /ˈli.deʁ/ | leader | #1,188 | #1,442 |
| imaginarca [i.mə.ʒiˈna]pt /i.ma.ʒiˈna(ʁ)/ | to imagine | #1,205 | #1,415 |
| principalca [pɾin.siˈpal]pt /pɾĩ.siˈpaw/ | main; principal | #1,229 | #1,210 |
| mentirca [mənˈti]pt /mẽˈt͡ʃi(ʁ)/ | to lie | #1,259 | #926 |
| tiaca [ˈti.ə]pt /ˈt͡ʃi.ɐ/ | aunt | #1,266 | #1,229 |
| princesaca [pɾinˈsɛ.zə]pt /pɾĩˈse.zɐ/ | princess | #1,289 | #1,642 |
| ofertaca [uˈfɛr.tə]pt /oˈfɛʁ.tɐ/ | offer | #1,293 | #1,679 |
| políticaca [puˈli.ti.kə]pt /puˈli.t͡ʃi.kɐ/ | politics | #1,335 | #1,675 |
| correuca [kuˈrɛw]pt /koˈʁew/ | to run | #1,404 | #1,245 |
| notíciaca [nuˈti.si.ə]pt /noˈt͡ʃi.sjɐ/ | news | #1,445 | #1,531 |
| teoriaca /teuˈɾiə/pt /te.oˈɾi.ɐ/ | theory | #1,449 | #1,682 |
| drogaca [ˈdɾɔ.ɣə]pt /ˈdɾɔ.ɡɐ/ | drug | #1,455 | #1,044 |
| imaginoca [i.məˈʒi.nu]pt /ˌimaˈʒinu/ | to imagine | #1,506 | #1,864 |
| braçosca [ˈbɾa.sus]pt /ˈbɾa.sus/ | arm | #1,517 | #1,554 |
| nacionalca [nə.si.uˈnal]pt /na.si.oˈnaw/ | national | #1,519 | #1,602 |
| calorca [kəˈlo]pt /kaˈloʁ/ | heat | #1,624 | #1,643 |
| vídeoca [ˈbi.ðe.o]pt /ˈvi.d͡ʒju/ | video | #1,635 | #1,311 |
| militarca [mi.liˈtar]pt /mi.liˈta(ʁ)/ | military | #1,644 | #1,706 |
| cantarca [kənˈta]pt /kɐ̃ˈta(ʁ)/ | to sing | #1,671 | #1,359 |
| ossosca [ˈo.sus]pt /ˈɔ.sus/ | bone | #1,683 | #1,989 |
| descansarca [dəs.kənˈsa]pt /des.kɐ̃ˈsa(ʁ)/ | to rest | #1,729 | #1,576 |
| controlarca [kun.tɾuˈla]pt /kõ.tɾoˈla(ʁ)/ | to control | #1,748 | #1,513 |
| presaca [ˈpɾɛ.zə]pt /ˈpɾe.zɐ/ | prisoner | #1,784 | #1,577 |
| vensca [ˈbens]pt /ˈvẽj̃s/ | to come | #1,886 | #1,309 |
| mapaca [ˈma.pə]pt /ˈma.pɐ/ | map | #1,894 | #1,820 |
| internetca [in.tərˈnɛt]pt /ĩ.teʁˈnɛ.t͡ʃi/ | internet | #1,952 | #1,822 |
| sexualca [sək.suˈal]pt /sek.suˈaw/ | sexual | #1,978 | #1,906 |
The speaker plays the voice the LangX app uses for that language — synthesised, not a native speaker, so treat it as a guide. Voices for Catalan (upc_ona (ca_ES), CC BY-SA 4.0).
The overlap is the easy part.
The rest comes from using it with someone who speaks it.