#romance languages

If you would like to learn the basics of the Catalan language, the Pompeu Fabra University from Barcelona (Catalonia's capital city) is offering this online beginner's course for free!

The course is taught in English and is made for people with no prior knowledge of Catalan (A1.1 level). Everyone can join it, you can be from any country in the world and you don't need to be a university student. The course lasts an average of 15 hours which participants can complete at their own pace during 5 weeks (there are no schedules for classes, you can watch the videos and do the exercises whenever you want) and you'll have a professor from this university who will help you. When you've completed the course, you will also get an official certificate.

Registration is now open for the second edition of this course, which starts on January 26th.

Catalan for Beginners is an online Catalan course which aims to provide basic lexical and grammatical resources so that you can communicate in a variety of day-to-day situations. It is free, open to everyone and meant for any international students who will join a Catalan university or anyone who is interested in Catalan Language and culture. A professor at Universitat Pompeu Fabra accompanies all participants to provide anything you might need and encourages participation. Over three weeks, you will gain a basic grounding in the Catalan language, but you will also acquire other knowledge. The course, by means of a fictional series and its characters, will allow you to immerse yourself in the heart of Barcelona. You’ll also learn a bit about Catalan cuisine, music and traditions. Because learning a language is much more than just understanding words; learning a language is opening a door to the world. As such, this is a course designed to learn Catalan while having fun.

Editions of the academic year 2025-2026:

From 20 October to 21 November 2025

From 26 January to 27 February 2026 [registration is open]

From 27 April to 29 May 2026

Fabricated forges

The English word fabric is a notorious false friend of Spanish fábrica: a fabric is a material, while a fábrica is a factory. However, these words are real cognates: they stem from the same Latin word: fabrica. They’re even related to the word forge, as well as the Spanish words fragua (meaning ‘forge’) and froga (“brickworks”).

estrella = star

sol = sun

luna = moon

constelación = constellation

galaxia = galaxy

satélite = satellite

astrónomo = astronomer

telescopio = telescope

cometa = comet

cinturón de asteroides = asteroid belt

planeta = planet

espacio = space

globo celeste = celestial globe

Vía Láctea = Milky Way

planetario = planetarium

nebuloso = nebula

asteroide = asteroid

nova = nova

año luz = light year

supernova = supernova

agujero negro = black hole

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DELTARUNE AU:!!!

"WHAT IF BERDLY WAS IN CHAPTER 3?!!!"!!!

CANON BERDLY &ND NOELLE HAVE BEEN MUCH CLOSER TOGETHER THAN THAT, SO I GUESS THIS IS MORE LIKE A DOUBLE-AU!!!

My dumb ass, not knowing ANY of the lyrics by said artist in the English said “Mon artiste musicale française préférée est La Femme”, which is accurately translated (I think? I mean I wasn’t corrected 🤷‍♂️), and when asked for a song to play in class I said Tatiana. Now, keep in mind. I know NONE of these lyrics in English. I panicked, and it was the first one I could think of.

Imagine the sheer and utter EMBARRASSMENT I felt when my French teacher puts it on, then immediately pauses it and looks at me like this:

Fast forward to after class my teacher steps outside with me and very kindly explains what the song is actually about. Turns out it’s about feeling up a girl’s tits in a New York night club.