Catalan expresses parts in three related but distinct ways: fraction nouns such as un terç, decimal notation such as 0,25, and percentages such as 25 % or vint-i-cinc per cent. They share the cardinal system, but each has its own grammar and editorial conventions.
The highest-value contrasts for an English speaker are visible on the page: Catalan normally uses a decimal comma, writes per cent as two words, and gives mig/mitja adjective agreement. In mathematical language, established denominator names also matter: a transparent invention is not enough.
Fractions: numerator + denominator
The numerator is a cardinal and the denominator is usually related to an ordinal. The denominator functions as a masculine noun and becomes plural when the numerator is greater than one.
| Figure | Catalan | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 | un mig | special form |
| 1/3 | un terç | special noun, not tercer |
| 2/3 | dos terços | plural denominator |
| 1/4 | un quart | same form as the ordinal |
| 3/5 | tres cinquens | plural of cinquè |
| 5/8 | cinc vuitens | plural of vuitè |
| 7/10 | set dècims / set desens | learned and ordinal-based alternatives |
Dues terceres parts del pressupost es destinen a personal.
Two-thirds of the budget is allocated to staff. — Here parts is explicit and feminine: dues terceres parts.
Hem omplert tres quarts del dipòsit abans que s'acabés l'aigua.
We filled three-quarters of the tank before the water ran out.
Why dos terços but dues terceres parts? In the first expression, terços is the masculine fraction noun, so the numerator is masculine dos. In the second, the ordinal adjective terceres modifies the explicit feminine noun parts, and dues agrees with parts as well.
Només han votat cinc vuitens dels membres del consell.
Only five-eighths of the council members have voted.
The spelling terç is lexicalized and essential: tercer means “third in order,” while terç names one of three equal parts. Higher technical fractions use productive forms such as un vint-i-cinquè and dos milionèsims, preserving the required accent and number spelling.
Mig, mitja and la meitat
In everyday quantity expressions, mig is an adjective and agrees with its noun:
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| masculine singular | mig quilo, mig litre |
| feminine singular | mitja hora, mitja poma |
| after a whole quantity | dos quilos i mig, dues hores i mitja |
Compra mig quilo de tomàquets i mitja dotzena d'ous.
Buy half a kilo of tomatoes and half a dozen eggs.
La reunió ha durat dues hores i mitja, molt més del previst.
The meeting lasted two and a half hours, much longer than expected.
After a whole quantity, the adjective agrees with the omitted repeated unit: dos litres i mig [litre], but dues tasses i mitja [tassa]. English invariable “half” hides this agreement.
Use the feminine noun la meitat de for half of a defined whole or set: la meitat del pastís, la meitat dels alumnes. It does not change to match the following noun.
La meitat de les entrades ja s'han venut, però encara queden bones localitats.
Half the tickets have already been sold, but good seats remain.
Some combinations are lexicalized. Mitja pensió is a hotel arrangement that normally includes breakfast and one main meal; it is not merely any improvised “half of a pension.” By contrast, mitja poma is productively “half an apple.” Context and attested use decide where a transparent phrase has become a conventional term.
Mixed numbers and measurements
(formal, mathematical) A mixed number can be read with enter: dos enters i tres quarts (2¾), un enter i dues dècimes (1.2 as place value). Everyday measurements usually name the unit instead: dos metres i tres quarts or, more naturally where appropriate, dos metres setanta-cinc.
La prestatgeria fa dos metres i mig d'alçària.
The shelving unit is two and a half meters high.
Money has an everyday lexical reading. 12,50 € is naturally dotze euros amb cinquanta cèntims; in a precise dictation, dotze coma cinquanta euros is also transparent. The symbol follows the amount after a space in careful typography.
El menú del migdia surt per dotze euros amb cinquanta cèntims, amb l'aigua inclosa.
The lunch menu comes to twelve euros and fifty cents, including water.
Decimal comma
The neutral Catalan decimal separator is a comma:
| Value | Ordinary reading | Place-value reading |
|---|---|---|
| 0,1 | zero coma u | una dècima |
| 0,25 | zero coma vint-i-cinc | vint-i-cinc centèsimes |
| 3,14 | tres coma catorze | tres enters i catorze centèsimes |
| 0,004 | zero coma zero zero quatre | quatre mil·lèsimes |
La temperatura ha baixat fins a menys dos coma cinc graus.
The temperature has fallen to minus 2.5 degrees.
After coma, a short decimal group is often read as a number (3,14: tres coma catorze). Digit-by-digit reading is useful where every zero matters, as in measurements, codes, or dictated data. A place-value reading is more analytical and agrees with the understood feminine noun part: dècima, centèsima, mil·lèsima. The middle dot in mil·lèsima is obligatory.
For digit grouping, scientific and international typography uses spaces: 1 250,75. General continental publishing also commonly uses points: 1.250,75. In either system, the comma marks the decimal part. Do not use an English comma for thousands in the same number.
See cardinal numbers for the words before the comma and ordinal numbers for the forms underlying denominators such as cinquè and vuitè.
La mostra pesa 1 250,75 grams segons la balança del laboratori.
The sample weighs 1,250.75 grams according to the laboratory scale.
Percentages: per cent and %
Write per cent as two words: vint per cent, dotze coma cinc per cent. With figures, the symbol is % and careful typography separates it from the figure with a thin or ordinary space: 20 %, 12,5 %. The symbol is read per cent.
El dotze coma cinc per cent dels participants han demanat una dieta vegetariana.
Twelve and a half percent of the participants requested a vegetarian diet.
Aquest cap de setmana tots els llibres tenen un 20 % de descompte.
This weekend all books have a 20% discount.
The whole percentage expression is conventionally masculine because tant per cent or percentatge is understood: un 20 %, el seixanta per cent. This gender does not force singular verb agreement: with a plural group introduced by de, both grammatical agreement with the percentage and agreement by sense with the group are possible, and the plural is often more natural (El 12,5 % dels participants han demanat...). The noun percentatge names the measure, not a particular value: El percentatge ha augmentat. Do not replace per cent with solid percent.
For thousandths of a total, (technical) use per mil and the symbol ‰: tres per mil, 3 ‰. It is not the same as tres mil “three thousand.”
La taxa és inferior a dos per mil en el conjunt de la mostra.
The rate is below two per thousand across the sample.
Scientific reading
Scientific notation combines the decimal comma with a power of ten. The expression 2,5 × 10⁶ can be read dos coma cinc per deu elevat a sis. Preserve each layer: decimal comma in the coefficient, per for multiplication, and the exponent after elevat a.
La concentració estimada és de dos coma cinc per deu elevat a sis partícules per litre.
The estimated concentration is 2.5 times 10 to the sixth particles per liter. (scientific)
This register favors figures because they expose precision. Spelling out a long decimal in a data table reduces readability; spelling it out in speech ensures that the notation is interpreted correctly.
A realistic lab note
Mostra B: 0,75 g de sal, una puresa del 98,5 % i un marge d'error de tres centèsimes.
Sample B: 0.75 g of salt, 98.5% purity, and a margin of error of three hundredths.
The note uses a decimal comma and a spaced percent sign. Its final expression is written in words because it comments on the magnitude rather than merely displaying a raw measurement.
Correction exercise
Correct 1.5 litres, dos tercera parts i un 12,5% de pèrdua for a Catalan technical report. Preserve the intended values.
1,5 litres, dues terceres parts i un 12,5 % de pèrdua.
1.5 liters, two-thirds, and a 12.5% loss. — Corrected notation and agreement.
The fraction has an explicit understood feminine parts, hence dues terceres. If the noun is omitted and the denominator itself is the fraction noun, write dos terços.
Common Mistakes
1. Using an English decimal point.
❌ El nivell ha pujat 2.75 metres.
Incorrect in ordinary Catalan notation — use the decimal comma.
✅ El nivell ha pujat 2,75 metres.
The level has risen 2.75 meters.
2. Leaving mig invariable.
❌ Hem esperat una hora i mig.
Incorrect — mig agrees with the omitted feminine noun hora.
✅ Hem esperat una hora i mitja.
We waited an hour and a half.
3. Using the ordinal tercer as the fraction noun.
❌ Només queda un tercer del pastís.
Incorrect for the ordinary fraction — one third is un terç.
✅ Només queda un terç del pastís.
Only one-third of the cake remains.
4. Importing solid spelling and English symbol spacing.
❌ El consum ha baixat un quinze percent (15%).
Incorrect — per cent is two words, and careful typography spaces the symbol.
✅ El consum ha baixat un quinze per cent (15 %).
Consumption has fallen by fifteen percent.
Key Takeaways
- Use masculine fraction nouns: un terç, dos terços, tres cinquens; with explicit parts, use feminine agreement.
- Make mig/mitja agree, including after a whole quantity: dos litres i mig, dues hores i mitja.
- Use la meitat de for half of a defined whole or set.
- Write the decimal separator as a comma and pronounce it coma.
- Write per cent as two words; in careful typography, write 15 % with a space.
- Preserve specialist spellings such as terç and mil·lèsima, and use figures where scientific precision makes them clearer.
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