Language Lesson · Tue 06/09 · Housekeeping & laundry

Today's dialogue

	ES — Spanish	CA — Catalan	PT — Portuguese
1	You Perdone, ¿hay servicio de lavandería? pehr-DOH-neh · eye sehr-BEE-thyoh · deh lah-bahn-deh-REE-ah Excuse me, is there a laundry service?	You Perdoni, que hi ha servei de bugaderia? pehr-DOH-nee · keh ee ah sehr-BAY · deh boo-gah-deh-REE-uh Excuse me, is there a laundry service?	You Desculpe, há serviço de lavandaria? dohsh-KOOLP · ah sehr-VEE-soo · deh lah-vahn-dah-REE-ah Excuse me, is there a laundry service?
	Reception Sí, deje la bolsa junto a la puerta antes de las nueve. see · DEH-heh lah BOHL-sah · HOON-toh ah lah PWEHR-tah · AHN-tehs deh lahs NWEH-beh Yes, leave the bag by the door before nine.	Reception Sí, deixi la bossa al costat de la porta abans de les nou. see · DAY-shee lah BOH-sah · ahl koos-TAHT deh lah POHR-tah · ah-BAHNS deh lehs NOH Yes, leave the bag by the door before nine.	Reception Sim, deixe o saco à porta antes das nove. seeng · DAY-shuh oo SAH-koo · ah POHR-tah · AHN-tush dahsh NOH-vuh Yes, leave the bag by the door before nine.
2	You ¿Cuánto cuesta por prenda? KWAHN-toh KWEHS-tah · pohr PREHN-dah How much does it cost per item?	You Quant costa per peça? kwahn KOHS-tah · pehr PEH-suh How much does it cost per item?	You Quanto custa por peça? KWAHN-too KOOSH-tah · poor PEH-sah How much does it cost per item?
	Reception Hay una lista de precios dentro del armario. eye OO-nah LEES-tah · deh PREH-thyohs · DEHN-troh dehl ahr-MAH-ryoh There's a price list inside the wardrobe.	Reception Hi ha una llista de preus dins de l'armari. ee ah OO-nah LYEES-tah · deh PREHOOS · deenz deh lahr-MAH-ree There's a price list inside the wardrobe.	Reception Há uma lista de preços dentro do armário. ah OO-mah LEESH-tah · deh PREH-soosh · DEHN-troo doo ahr-MAH-ryoo There's a price list inside the wardrobe.
3	You ¿Podría limpiar la habitación mientras estamos fuera? poh-DREE-ah leem-PYAHR · lah ah-bee-tah-THYOHN · MYEHN-trahs ehs-TAH-mohs FWEH-rah Could you clean the room while we're out?	You Podria netejar l'habitació mentre som fora? poo-DREE-ah neh-teh-ZHAR · lah-bee-tah-SYOH · MEHN-truh som FOH-rah Could you clean the room while we're out?	You Podia limpar o quarto enquanto estamos fora? poo-DEE-ah leem-PAR · oo KWAR-too · eng-KWAHN-too shtah-moosh FOH-rah Could you clean the room while we're out?
	Reception Claro, sobre el mediodía está bien. KLAH-roh · SOH-breh ehl meh-dyoh-DEE-ah · ehs-TAH byehn Of course, around midday is fine.	Reception És clar, cap al migdia va bé. ehs KLAR · kahp ahl meeg-DEE-ah · bah BEH Of course, around midday is fine.	Reception Com certeza, por volta do meio-dia está bem. kong sehr-TEH-zah · poor VOHL-tah doo MAY-oo-DEE-ah · shtah behng Of course, around midday is fine.
4	You Necesitamos más toallas y una manta, por favor. neh-theh-see-TAH-mohs mahs · toh-AH-lyahs ee OO-nah MAHN-tah · pohr fah-BOHR We need more towels and a blanket, please.	You Necessitem més tovalloles i una manta, si us plau. neh-seh-see-TEHM mehs · too-vah-LYOH-lehs ee OO-nah MAHN-tah · see oos PLOW We need more towels and a blanket, please.	You Precisamos de mais toalhas e um cobertor, por favor. preh-see-ZAH-moosh deh maish · too-AH-lyahsh ee oong koo-behr-TOHR · poor fah-VOHR We need more towels and a blanket, please.
	Reception Se las subo enseguida. seh lahs SOO-boh · ehn-seh-GEE-dah I'll bring them right up.	Reception Ara mateix us les pujo. AH-rah mah-TEHSH · oos lehs POO-zhoo I'll bring them right up.	Reception Levo já para cima. LEH-voo zhah · PAH-rah SEE-mah I'll bring them right up.
5	You ¿Dónde puedo lavar la ropa yo mismo? DOHN-deh PWEH-doh · lah-BAHR lah ROH-pah · yoh MEES-moh Where can I do the laundry myself?	You On puc rentar la roba jo mateix? ohn pook rehn-TAR · lah ROH-bah · zhoh mah-TEHSH Where can I do the laundry myself?	You Onde posso lavar a roupa eu mesmo? OHN-deh POH-soo · lah-VAR ah ROH-pah · eh-oo MEHZ-moo Where can I do the laundry myself?
	Reception Hay una lavandería automática a dos calles. eye OO-nah lah-bahn-deh-REE-ah · ow-toh-MAH-tee-kah · ah dohs KAH-lyehs There's a laundromat two streets away.	Reception Hi ha una bugaderia automàtica a dos carrers. ee ah OO-nah boo-gah-deh-REE-uh · ow-too-MAH-tee-kah · ah dohs kah-REHRS There's a laundromat two streets away.	Reception Há uma lavandaria automática a duas ruas. ah OO-mah lah-vahn-dah-REE-ah · ow-too-MAH-tee-kah · ah DOO-ahsh ROO-ahsh There's a laundromat two streets away.

How laundry actually works on the trip

Spain (Madrid/Barcelona): hotel laundry is billed per garment and adds up fast — a few shirts can cost more than a nice dinner. Apartments usually have a washing machine but almost never a dryer; you'll hang clothes on a tendedero (drying rack) on the balcony.

Catalonia: self-service bugaderies (wash-and-dry laundromats) are all over Barcelona neighborhoods like Gràcia and El Raval, and run far cheaper than hotel service — a load is typically €4–6 to wash and the same to dry.

Portugal (Lisbon): a lavandaria often prices wash-and-iron (lavar e engomar) by weight — ao quilo — not per item, so a stuffed bag can be a bargain. Dryers are rare here too.

Rule for the trip: line-drying is the default everywhere — a dryer (secadora) is the exception, not the rule. Pack a small travel clothesline and plan a wash day mid-trip rather than counting on same-day turnaround.

Why "laundry" splits three ways

lavandería / lavandaria vs bugaderia. ES and PT both build the word on Latin LAVĀRE "to wash" (→ lavar), plus the place-of-trade suffix -ería / -aria from Latin -ARIA. Catalan goes its own way: bugaderia comes from bugada "lye-wash," rooted in Vulgar Latin *būcāta — the same ancestor as French buée and Italian bucato. So CA keeps a Germanic-flavored laundry word where its neighbors keep the plain Latin one.

manta vs cobertor. ES and CA share manta, from Late Latin MANTUM "cloak." Portuguese reaches instead for cobertor, from COOPERĪRE "to cover" — the very same root as English cover and Spanish cubrir. It's a recurring pattern: PT often prefers the COOPERĪRE family where ES/CA take MANTUM.

-ción / -ció / -ção. habitación / habitació both descend from Latin HABITĀTIŌNEM. Watch the suffix: ES keeps the full -ción, CA drops the final n to -ció, and PT nasalizes the whole thing into -ção. This three-way fate of Latin -TIŌNEM is the single most reliable sound-correspondence you can lean on across all three languages.

toalla / tovallola / toalha. All three trace to a Germanic word for "towel" borrowed into Vulgar Latin. The middle sound — ES ll, CA ll, PT lh — is the same palatal "ly" consonant inherited from Latin -LI- clusters, just spelled three different ways.