Differences between the three main Catalan dialects
Catalan is spoken in Catalonia, in the region of Valencia, in the Balearic Islands and in a part of AragĂł (all of them in Spain). Itâs also the official language of Andorra and itâs spoken in the south of France and in an Italian city called LâAlguer. The language can be divided in two blocks: el bloc occidental y el bloc oriental (western and eastern block).
As you can see, part of Catalonia, the south of France, the Balearic Islands and LâAlguer are in the eastern side, while Andorra, part of AragĂł and the region of ValĂšncia are in the western side (NOTE: the areas that are not painted in the region of ValĂšncia are the areas where Spanish is the âtraditionalâ language).
The main dialects are: el catalĂ oriental, el valenciĂ /nord-occidental i el mallorquĂ (this is how we call the dialect from the islands. However, the subdialects are eivissenc and menorquĂ. Some people include lâalguerĂ©s here as well, while others donât). Inside these dialects there are subdialects.
NOTE: To talk about the Balearic Islands and LâAlguer, Iâll use the term âthe islandsâ.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES?
The articles change a bit.Â
Everyone uses âel, la, els, lesâ, except in the islands, where they use lâarticle salat (the âsaltyâ article). So, a Catalan speaker would say âLes illesâ to talk about the Balearic Islands, but someone from these islands or from LâAlguer would say âSes Illesâ.
He comprat sa casa que volia (Iâve bought the house I wanted) (islands)
He comprat la casa que volia (Iâve bought the house I wanted)
Since thereâs a context itâs easier to understand, but if someone from Majorca says âsa casaâ (the house), people from other places would understand âhis/her houseâ, since âsaâ is like âla seuaâ, a possessive pronoun.
          sg.                pl.
m.         es                 es
f.          sa                ses
sa llengua (the language)
ses llengĂŒes (the languages)
Iâm going to be honest: if you can understand someone from the islands you deserve a C2 certificate.
1 PERSON SINGULAR IN THE PRESENT TENSE
Depending on the dialect, a person will say:
penso    pense    pens (I think)
penso: in Catalonia, in the map, the areas called âCentralâ and âSeptentrionalâ
pense: in Valencian and the Nord-occidental dialect
pens: in the islands. This is the oldest form, itâs been found in the oldest Catalan texts.
Penso que tens raĂł (I think youâre right)
Pense que tens raĂł (I think youâre right)
Pens que tens raĂł (I think youâre right)
Obviously this doesnât happen if the verb ends in a consonant (example, jo crec (i believe/think))
Possessives change a bit as well, but just one letter!
In the western block people say âla meua casaâ âla teua casaâ âla seua casaâ âles meues casesâ âles teues casesâ âles seues casesâ. However, in the eastern side people will say âla meva casaâ âla teva casaâ âla seva casaâ âles meves casesâ âles teves casesâ âles seves casesâ.
La meua amiga és molt alta. (My friend is very tall)
La meva amiga és molt alta.
Like Spanish or English or any other language, there are some vocabulary differences. There many words, but Iâve just listed some:
(male form. in order: western block, central Catalan and the islands)
xiquet   nen   nin/fiet/boix  (child)
xic     noi     al·lot          (boy)
eixida     sortida             (exit)
creïlla      patata           (potatoe)
tomaca     tomata    tomà tiga (tomatoe)
espill       mirall            (mirror)
You can use whatever word you want, people will understand you. This is like saying âliftâ to an American, they know it means âelevatorâ.
This video (in Catalan) explains the vocabulary differences, including LâAlguer.
1 PERSON IN THE PRESENT OF SUBJUNCTIVE
The ending of the verbs in the first person of the present tense in subjunctive changes as well.
Example: potser compri un llibre (I might buy a book) (eastern)
        potser compre un llibre (I might buy a book) (western)
There are some more differences in the subjunctive. Example:
Que parle qui ho haja fet (Whoever has done it must speak up) (western)
Que parli qui ho hagi fet (Whoever has done it must speak up) (eastern)
The pronunciation changes a bit as well, but this is easier to see if you listen, rather than reading. Some examples:
Some from the eastern side would say âdoctahâ, like the British, while people from the western side will say each letter.
Also, in the eastern side the âeâ sounds like a âaâ (more or less) when it is not the stressed letter.
In an eastern Catalan, youâd hear âpoetasâ, although the âaâ sound will be quite weak.Â
Same happens with the âoâ, if it isnât a strong one it sounds like an âuâ. Example: portar. Wirtten âportarâ but pronounced âpurtarâ in the eastern side.
The video form the 80s every student has watched in high school: âComprarĂ© peresâ (in Catalan)
Of course, there are many more differences, if you want to add any (or correct anything) feel free to do so!