"Do you know what bread with tomato is?": Express Catalan lessons on board the French TGV

Barcelona— Do you understand Catalan?

— A bit

— A little, in Catalan.

An announcement over the PA system has announced free language classes in the dining car of the high-speed train from Paris to Barcelona, ​​and a honeymooning couple from Tunisia approaches. Oumayma learned Spanish at the French Lycée and is curious to learn some basic Catalan vocabulary after spending five days in Barcelona. Jordi de la Vega acts as their impromptu teacher, and they review the basics: "Good morning," "goodbye," "please," "thank you." Oumayma comments that "it's similar to Spanish," but Jordi tells them that it's actually "more like French."

The French state-owned railway company SNCF has launched a pilot program to offer language classes atop the TGV high-speed train on the Paris-Barcelona route, operated exclusively by TGV INOUI. This year, the pilot program will run a total of twenty times from summer until the end of the year, and in 2026, the frequency of the two daily trains connecting the two capitals will be assessed. According to a survey conducted by the same company, interviewing 1,500 people, 30% of French people have never heard Catalan spoken, and 31% are unaware that it is an official language in Catalonia. "We see ourselves as ambassadors for our destinations and, therefore, it seems natural to us to present the language and the region to travelers," says Sébastien Gaussot, representative of SNCF Voyageurs, which funds the classes "in Catalan, Spanish, and French." Thanks to an agreement with the Institut Ramon Llull, Jordi de la Vega, a Catalan lecturer at Paris 8 University, offers ten- or fifteen-minute sessions to tourists traveling on this route. "These are practical conversation classes so that travelers have some background knowledge, focusing on Catalan. We talk about language and culture, but also about gastronomy and monuments," she explains. 70% of French people who know Catalan say they can understand a few words. The idea behind the classes is to cultivate these neighborly connections. While it will clearly have a minor impact on the linguistic landscape of tourists in Catalonia, it can "spark their interest and encourage them to learn more," says De la Vega, who adds: "In fact, when I return to Paris, I have many people who have heard Catalan and ask me questions that piqued their curiosity."

Halima is a bank employee who lives near Paris and is currently on leave to travel with her family. She speaks fluent Spanish, but since she often visits Catalonia as a tourist, she's eager to try speaking Catalan. With her, Jordi can delve a little deeper; they practice introductions, and he asks her questions focused on what she needs to get around. "Do you know pa amb tomàquet? Do you like escalivada?" he asks. They talk about cities she's visited and foods she enjoys. "I can read a little Catalan, but speaking it is very difficult for me because it gets mixed up with my Spanish. I can't make the leap," Halima explains.

De la Vega says she spends the entire journey, about six and a half hours, talking to different people. "Most people ask me about Catalan. Think about it: Barça sells a lot, Rosalía sells a lot, and Oques Grasses sells a huge amount, more than we realize. Gaudí and Dalí are what everyone knows, of course," says the professor. That's why the Catalan Tourism Agency also has someone on the train to promote the region beyond the typical tourist spots. What they present to French and international visitors is the Grand Tour of Catalonia, a 3,000-kilometer road trip that covers the entire region.