Catalan and Romanian: 30 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 | Romanian |
|---|---|---|---|
| problemaca [pɾuˈβlɛ.mə]ro /proˈblema/ | problem | #269 | #361 |
| vineca [ˈbi.nə]ro /ˈvi.ne/ | to come | #323 | #246 |
| ahca /ˈa/ro /ˈah/ | ah | #324 | #586 |
| doctorca [dukˈto]ro /ˈdok.tor/ | doctor | #432 | #666 |
| nordca [ˈnɔrt]ro /nord/ | north | #443 | #1,008 |
| agentca [əˈʒen]ro [aˈdʒent] | agent | #504 | #753 |
| generalca [ʒə.nəˈɾal]ro /d͡ʒe.neˈral/ | general | #587 | #937 |
| atacca [əˈtak]ro [aˈtak] | attack | #687 | #932 |
| real[reˈal] | real | #721 | #989 |
| oficialca [u.fi.siˈal]ro [o.fi.tʃiˈal] | official | #749 | #1,462 |
| gustca [ˈɡust]ro /ˈɡust/ | taste | #785 | #1,525 |
| sudca [ˈsut]ro /sud/ | south | #789 | #1,046 |
| minut[miˈnut] | minute | #819 | #703 |
| trenca [ˈtɾɛn]ro /ˈtren/ | train | #922 | #1,524 |
| hotelca [uˈtɛl]ro /hoˈtel/ | hotel | #924 | #930 |
| zonaca [ˈzo.nə]ro [ˈzo.na] | zone | #932 | #821 |
| clubca /ˈklup/ro /ˈklub/ | club | #950 | #1,129 |
| sergentca [sərˈʒen]ro /serdˈʒent/ | sergeant | #988 | #1,140 |
| soldatca [sulˈdat]ro [solˈdat] | soldier | #989 | #1,186 |
| continuaca [kun.tiˈnu.ə]ro /kon.ti.nuˈa/ | to continue | #998 | #874 |
| barca [ˈbar]ro /ˈbar/ | bar | #1,159 | #1,043 |
| estca [ˈest]ro /ˈest/ | east | #1,175 | #1,312 |
| riscca /ˈrisk/ro /risk/ | risk | #1,217 | #1,518 |
| explicaca [əksˈpli.kə]ro [ekspliˈka] | to explain | #1,287 | #1,342 |
| nasca [ˈnas]ro /ˈnas/ | nose | #1,505 | #1,658 |
| dormca /ˈdɔrm/ro /ˈdorm/ | to sleep | #1,533 | #1,160 |
| totalca [tuˈtal]ro /toˈtal/ | total | #1,586 | #1,175 |
| morca /ˈmɔr/ro [mor] | to die | #1,619 | #735 |
| morica [ˈmɔ.ɾi]ro [morʲ] | to die | #1,902 | #985 |
| complicatca [kum.pliˈkat]ro [kompliˈkat] | complicated | #1,965 | #1,663 |
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.