Intercat is a collection of electronic resources in a web environment: teaching material, sociolinguistic documentation, information on language volunteering, etc. aimed at providing an introduction to Catalan language and culture. It is aimed specifically at students visiting the universities in Catalonia as part of mobility programmes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Intercat's virtual Catalan courses are totally free, except the Parla.cat. tutorial.
You can study Catalan through courses offered by public bodies such as Catalan universities, the Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística or, if you live outside Catalonia, through the courses organised by the Institut Ramon Llull.
Or you can sign up for the free on-line courses offered by Intercat.
The online Catalan courses on the Intercat website are completely free, apart from courses taken with a tutor through the Parla.cat website. The Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística also offers free courses at beginner and basic levels.
Each university’s website gives details of the Catalan language courses it offers.Check out this page to find out what courses are available at each university.
Yes, the Intercat website’s resources section lists the free online Catalan courses available. Use the filters to find the course that best suits you.
Before starting a Catalan course, you can take a level test to find out what course is best for you. Ask your university’s Language Service for information. You can also find out your Catalan level by taking the test on the Catalan virtual learning platform Parla.cat (you will need to register on the website first, this is free). The results of the test will enable you to pick the right course for you. The Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística also offers a level test you can take before registering for one of its courses.
If you live outside Catalonia, you can use Intercat’s online tools. The Institut Ramon Llull offers face-to-face Catalan courses in many universities around the world.
The Institut Ramon Llull organises regular official examinations in cities around the world to assess candidates’ knowledge of Catalan and issue international certificates. The examinations cover all levels and can be sat by anyone of any nationality who is aged fourteen or over on the date of the test, and who wants official accreditation of their knowledge of the Catalan language without having studied an official course. The tests for obtaining the Institut Ramon Llull Catalan language certificates are open examinations designed to assess candidates’ language skills irrespective of where or how they learned.
The results can be obtained from the Institute’s website after the date published in the examination announcement. Candidates who pass the examination can download the corresponding certificate.
Catalan universities hold common examinations of knowledge of the Catalan language, and for this they are coordinated through the Interuniversity Commission for Linguistic Training and Accreditation of Catalonia (CIFALC). Official Catalan language certificates are awarded to language service apprentices through the calls that allow the accreditation of six levels of linguistic competence in Catalan: Initial A1, Basic A2, Elementary B1, Intermediate B2, Sufficiency C1, Superior C2.
The Language Policy Secretariat (LPS) holds official examinations each year. These are announced in the Official Journal of the Government of Catalonia (DOGC), usually before the end of January. The exams usually take place in May or June and the registration period is at the start of the year. The LPS website contains all the information on these exams.
For more information about language certificates, go to: this link.
If you have studied in Catalonia or have any Catalan qualification, diploma or certificate issued by an official body outside Catalonia, see the LPS’ list of equivalent qualifications to the official Catalan certificates.
The Consortium for Language Standardisation (CPNL) runs officially recognised courses that allow students to obtain a certificate equivalent to that of the Secretariat for Language Policy. The courses lead to the attainment of each level of proficiency in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): Basic A2, Elementary B1, Intermediate B2, Sufficiency C1 and Superior C2. In these courses, total assessment is the sum of the course assessment (and therefore completion of the tasks proposed by the teacher) plus the final mark for the proficiency test.
If you live outside Catalonia you can find where and when official examinations will be held on the website of the Institut Ramon Llull (IRL). The examinations can be sat by anyone of any nationality who is aged fourteen or over on the date of the test, and who wants an official accreditation of their knowledge of the Catalan language without having studied an official course.
Most Catalan universities offer face-to-face Catalan courses and issue certificates which are equivalent to the official qualifications, even if you are not a student there. Contact the language services of each university for details.
The certificates you will be awarded if you take these courses and pass the official examinations are issued by the Catalan universities and are organised by the Catalan Interuniversity Commission for Language Education and Certification (CIFALC). The university where you take the course and exams will issue the official certificate. These certificates are approved by the Language Policy Secretariat (LPS) of the Government of Catalonia.
If you have completed the courses and passed one of the examinations approved by CIFALC (the Catalan Interuniversity Commission for Language Education and Certification) held at a Catalan university, you can request a certificate from the university’s language service.
If you have studied in Catalonia or have any Catalan qualification, diploma or certificate issued by an official body outside Catalonia, see the LPS’s list of equivalent qualifications to the official Catalan certificates. This page also gives details of all the requirements (courses taken, teaching centre, period of study, etc.) and where to obtain the official certificate.
If you have taken and passed one of the official examinations held each year by the Language Policy Secretariat, you can collect the certificate from its offices in the city where you sat the test.
If you have completed a Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística (CPNL) course and passed the final examination (Basic 3, Elementary 3, Intermediate 3, Sufficiency 3 or Superior C2), an official certificate will be sent to the e-mail address you provided.
If you live outside Catalonia you can find where and when examinations will be held on the website of the Institut Ramon Llull (IRL). The examinations can be sat by anyone of any nationality who is aged fourteen or over on the date of the test, and who wants an official accreditation of their knowledge of the Catalan language without having studied an official course.
The results can be obtained from the Institute’s website after the date published in the examination announcement. Candidates who pass the examination can download the corresponding certificate.
You can obtain sample papers for the official examinations and details on how to enrol for the exams held by the Language Policy Secretariat, from the Catalan language website.
You can also find sample papers in the certificates section of the website of the Catalan Interuniversity Commission for Language Education and Certification (CIFALC).
The Institut Ramon Llull also publishes sample papers on its website.
The Intercat courses are online tools to help you learn Catalan easily and at your own pace, but they do not lead automatically to an official qualification.
The Courses and certificates page gives details of all the ways to obtain official certificates of Catalan.
The Language Policy Secretariat (LPS) holds official examinations each year. These are announced in the Official Journal of the Government of Catalonia (DOGC), usually before the end of January. The exams usually take place in May or June and the registration period is at the start of the year. The LPS website contains all the information on these exams.
For more information about language certificates, go to: this link.
If you have studied in Catalonia or have any Catalan qualification, diploma or certificate issued by an official body outside Catalonia, see the LPS’ list of equivalent qualifications to the official Catalan certificates.
The Consortium for Language Standardisation (CPNL) runs officially recognised courses that allow students to obtain a certificate equivalent to that of the Secretariat for Language Policy. The courses lead to the attainment of each level of proficiency in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): Basic A2, Elementary B1, Intermediate B2, Sufficiency C1 and Superior C2. In these courses, total assessment is the sum of the course assessment (and therefore completion of the tasks proposed by the teacher) plus the final mark for the proficiency test.
If you live outside Catalonia you can find where and when official examinations will be held on the website of the Institut Ramon Llull (IRL). The examinations can be sat by anyone of any nationality who is aged fourteen or over on the date of the test, and who wants an official accreditation of their knowledge of the Catalan language without having studied an official course.
To find out if your studies are equivalent to any of the Catalan official certificates, see the Language Policy Secretariat’s list of equivalent qualifications to the official Catalan certificates
If you are taking or have taken a course at any of the Catalan universities, you can take part in the language exchange or language volunteer activities organised by each university.
If you are not a university student you can take part in the Language volunteer programme, organised by the Language Policy Secretariat, as a learner.
A language exchange involves pairing a visiting student who is learning Catalan with a Catalan-speaking student who wants to practice another language. Most Catalan universities have a language exchange register that they use to put students in contact with each other based on the languages they want to practice. From this point on, the students themselves arrange their meetings.
If you are not a university student you can take part in the Language volunteer programme, organised by the Language Policy Secretariat, as a learner.
If you want to build Catalan connections from outside Catalonia, the University network for Catalan studies abroad and the Catalan communities abroad organisations can help.
If you are taking or have taken a course at any of the Catalan universities, you can take part in the language exchange or language volunteer activities organised by each university.
If you are not a university student you can take part in the Language volunteer programme, organised by the Directorate-General for Language Policy, as a learner.