Catalan
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Catalan
Relating to Catalonia, an autonomous community in Spain, its culture, its inhabitants, or its language.
Die katalanische Flagge mit ihren gelben und roten Streifen ist weithin bekannt.
The Catalan flag, with its yellow and red stripes, is widely known.
The ending '-isch' is a typical ending for adjectives that describe origin, affiliation, or a language. You find it with many countries and regions, such as 'spanisch' (Spanish) or 'europäisch' (European).
Er interessiert sich sehr für die europäische Geschichte.
He is very interested in European history.
When talking about the language itself, the adjective is often capitalized and used as a noun: 'das Katalanische' (Catalan). To express that something is in this language, you use the preposition 'auf'.
Sie lernt seit einem Jahr Katalanisch.
She has been learning Catalan for a year.
The adjective is often combined with nouns that describe culture, geography, or politics. Typical examples are 'die katalanische Küche' (Catalan cuisine), 'eine katalanische Stadt' (a Catalan city), or 'die katalanische Regierung' (the Catalan government).
Wir haben im Urlaub die katalanische Küche genossen.
We enjoyed Catalan cuisine on vacation.
Spanish
'spanisch' and 'katalanisch' can easily be confused because Catalonia is part of Spain. 'spanisch' refers to Spain in general or to the Spanish language. 'katalanisch' refers specifically to Catalonia, its culture, its people, or the Catalan language. The difference is especially important with languages: Catalan is not simply Spanish, but a language of its own. If you are talking about Spain in general, 'spanisch' fits. If you mean Catalonia specifically, 'katalanisch' is more precise.
In Barcelona hören wir auf der Straße oft katalanische Wörter.
In Barcelona, we often hear Catalan words on the street.
Ich lese gerade ein spanisches Buch über das Leben in Madrid.
I am currently reading a Spanish book about life in Madrid.