Academic connectors make a text's architecture recoverable: they tell the reader whether a sentence opens one side of a comparison, changes the object under discussion, develops an interpretation, or concedes a counterpoint. They do not make a text academic by themselves. A paragraph full of connectors but lacking a genuine logical relation is harder to read than a plain paragraph with a clear argument.
This page focuses on five high-value patterns: d'una banda, d'altra banda, pel que fa a, en aquest sentit, and no obstant això. All belong to contemporary standard Catalan across the major normative traditions. Editorial preferences and frequency vary, but none should be treated as the private property of one regional variety.
Choose a connector by relation, not prestige
| Connector | Relation it signals | Default register | Typical position |
|---|---|---|---|
| d'una banda ... d'altra banda | Two coordinated perspectives, factors, or sides | (formal), (academic); also neutral in planned speech | At the opening of parallel spans |
| pel que fa a | Limits the current claim to a named topic | Neutral–(formal) | Initial or after a framing clause |
| en aquest sentit | Develops the specific interpretation just established | (formal), (academic) | Usually initial or parenthetical |
| no obstant això | Concedes the previous claim, then introduces a counterweight | (formal), (academic) | Usually after a full stop or semicolon |
D'una banda, l'estudi amplia la mostra; d'altra banda, redueix el període d'observació.
On the one hand, the study expands the sample; on the other hand, it shortens the observation period. (academic balance)
Pel que fa a la mobilitat, les dades només permeten comparar tres municipis.
As for mobility, the data only allow three municipalities to be compared. (formal topic delimitation)
La participació s'entén aquí com una pràctica sostinguda, no com una consulta puntual. En aquest sentit, una única enquesta no és un indicador suficient.
Participation is understood here as an ongoing practice, not as a one-off consultation. In this sense, a single survey is not a sufficient indicator. (interpretive development)
La correlació és estadísticament significativa. No obstant això, l'efecte observat és petit.
The correlation is statistically significant. Nevertheless, the observed effect is small. (formal concession and counterweight)
D'una banda ... d'altra banda: build real parallelism
The pair organizes two spans that have comparable status: advantages and disadvantages, two causal mechanisms, two bodies of evidence, or two analytical perspectives. It does not require opposition; the two sides may complement each other. What matters is structural parallelism.
D'una banda, les entrevistes revelen les motivacions dels participants; d'altra banda, els registres administratius permeten contrastar-ne els records.
On the one hand, the interviews reveal the participants' motivations; on the other, administrative records allow their recollections to be checked. (complementary evidence)
The second member may be de l'altra when the noun banda is understood: d'una banda...; de l'altra.... Keep the two parts visible when the spans are long. A semicolon is especially useful inside one complex sentence; separate paragraphs are appropriate when each side requires development.
Do not open d'una banda and then abandon the pairing. The reader has been promised another side. If you only mean “also,” use an additive connector such as a més; if you mean a simple contrast, use en canvi or tanmateix. See the broader system of contrast connectors.
Pel que fa a: delimit the topic
Pel que fa a + noun phrase does not add evidence or draw a conclusion. It announces the domain within which the following proposition is valid. This is especially useful when a report moves through a stable list of dimensions.
Pel que fa als costos indirectes, l'informe no n'ofereix cap estimació.
As regards indirect costs, the report offers no estimate of them. (formal topic frame)
Els resultats són positius en conjunt. Pel que fa a l'alumnat de primer curs, però, la millora no és significativa.
The results are positive overall. As regards first-year students, however, the improvement is not significant. (nested topic frame and contrast)
The sequence is fixed: pel que fa a. Before the masculine articles el and els, the final a contracts: pel que fa al cost, pel que fa als costos. It remains a before la and les, and appears as a l' before a vowel. Do not build the expression from Spanish por lo que respecta a or English with regard to word by word. Standard near-synonyms include quant a, respecte de and en relació amb, each with its own stylistic rhythm.
Use topic frames sparingly. Repeating pel que fa a at the start of every paragraph makes the document resemble a form rather than a developed argument. Once a topic remains active, pronouns, lexical repetition, and reference chains can maintain it without reopening the frame.
En aquest sentit: continue a defined interpretation
En aquest sentit is often diluted into a generic transition. Its noun sentit should point to an identifiable interpretation, direction, or respect established immediately before. A reader ought to be able to answer “in what sense?”
El model tracta l'habitatge com una infraestructura social. En aquest sentit, l'accés estable té prioritat sobre la rendibilitat a curt termini.
The model treats housing as social infrastructure. In this sense, stable access takes priority over short-term profitability. (the sense is explicit)
La reforma no elimina l'avaluació, sinó que la converteix en un procés continu. En aquest sentit, modifica el paper del tutor.
The reform does not eliminate assessment, but turns it into an ongoing process. In this respect, it changes the tutor's role.
It is not a synonym for per tant. En aquest sentit interprets or develops; per tant presents an inference. If the second claim follows causally rather than analytically, choose the inferential connector.
La mostra no és representativa; per tant, no podem generalitzar els resultats a tota la població.
The sample is not representative; therefore, we cannot generalize the results to the whole population. (inference, not merely 'in this sense')
No obstant això: concede before countering
No obstant això acknowledges the validity of the previous proposition while preventing it from deciding the whole argument. In formal prose, it is usually placed after a full stop or semicolon and followed by a comma.
El corpus inclou textos de cinc dècades; no obstant això, el gruix de les dades prové dels darrers deu anys.
The corpus includes texts from five decades; nevertheless, most of the data come from the last ten years.
As a parenthesis, it takes two commas: La conclusió, no obstant això, és provisional. This position foregrounds the conclusion before inserting the concession and can be rhetorically effective, but repeated interruptions make syntax heavy.
Compared with però, no obstant això is more detached and text-organizing. Compared with tanmateix, it is longer and often more explicitly concessive. The three can express a similar logical contrast, so register and rhythm matter; do not stack them.
La proposta és coherent. Tanmateix, encara no disposa de finançament.
The proposal is coherent. However, it does not yet have funding. (formal, compact contrast)
Direct claims and calibrated claims
Academic caution is not vagueness. A direct claim may be appropriate when evidence warrants it; a softened claim should specify the boundary or evidential status rather than hide behind filler.
Aquest resultat demostra que el programa és ineficaç.
This result proves that the program is ineffective. (direct and very strong; justified only by decisive evidence)
Aquest resultat suggereix que, en aquest context, el programa no assoleix l'efecte previst.
This result suggests that, in this context, the program does not achieve the expected effect. (qualified by evidential strength and scope)
The second version is not “more academic” merely because it is softer. It is better only if one result supports a contextualized inference rather than proof.
Formal and informal interaction
Academic connectors can appear in a thesis defense, committee meeting, or conference question, but conversational alternatives often sound more natural among colleagues.
—Pel que fa al criteri d'exclusió, podria precisar com l'ha aplicat? —Naturalment. L'he aplicat seguint el protocol que figura a l'annex segon.
—Regarding the exclusion criterion, could you clarify how you applied it? —Certainly. I applied it following the protocol in the second appendix. (formal exchange with vostè)
—I això dels participants que van plegar? —Sobre això, encara hem de mirar les dades; però, d'entrada, no sembla que canviï gaire el resultat.
—And what about those participants who dropped out? —We still have to look at the data on that; but at first sight, it doesn't seem to change the result much. (informal exchange)
In the formal exchange, podria and ha aplicat consistently address vostè. In an informal exchange with tu, the corresponding forms would be podries and has aplicat. The connector itself does not license mixing the two systems.
In planned speech, prosody should make the same architecture audible. A short pause after pel que fa a X closes the topic frame, parallel stress on d'una banda and d'altra banda highlights the pairing, and a pause before no obstant això prepares the counterweight. Rushing several equally stressed connectors together makes the reasoning harder, not more formal.
Connector stacking and natural repair
One connector can frame the topic while another expresses the relation, but every item must earn its place. Pel que fa al finançament, no obstant això, ... may be justified because the first delimits the topic and the second contrasts. D'altra banda, a més, així mateix, ... stacks additive moves and sounds mechanical.
❌ D'altra banda, a més, així mateix, en aquest sentit, el cost augmenta.
Overloaded academic prose — the markers do not identify one coherent relation.
✅ D'altra banda, el cost augmenta quan la mostra supera els mil casos.
On the other hand, the cost rises when the sample exceeds one thousand cases. (one explicit relation)
The same problem can surface in speech and be repaired naturally:
—Pel que fa a, d'altra banda, no obstant això, la difusió... —Perdona, quina relació vols marcar? —Ho reformulo: la difusió ha crescut. No obstant això, no ha arribat al públic més jove.
—As for, on the other hand, nevertheless, dissemination... —Sorry, what relation do you want to mark? —Let me rephrase: dissemination has grown. Nevertheless, it has not reached the younger audience. (natural repair)
The repair states two propositions and chooses the single relation between them. That is the editing procedure to apply on the page as well.
Correction Practice
Revise each line before reading the suggested answer.
- D'una banda, el sistema és ràpid. A més, és car. If the intended structure is a two-sided assessment, complete the promised pair: D'una banda, el sistema és ràpid; d'altra banda, és car.
- En aquest sentit, la mostra és petita; per això, no podem generalitzar. If the second clause is a consequence, remove the vague frame: La mostra és petita; per tant, no podem generalitzar.
- Pel que fa a la qualitat, tanmateix, no obstant això, ha millorat. Decide whether the point changes topic or contrasts. One possible repair is: Pel que fa a la qualitat, els indicadors han millorat.
Common Mistakes
❌ D'una mà, cal ampliar la mostra; de l'altra mà, cal reduir el cost.
Literal translation of English on the one hand/on the other hand — Catalan uses banda, not mà, in this connector.
✅ D'una banda, cal ampliar la mostra; d'altra banda, cal reduir el cost.
On the one hand, the sample must be expanded; on the other hand, the cost must be reduced.
❌ Per lo que fa a l'assistència, no tenim dades completes.
Nonstandard calque — use the fixed standard expression pel que fa a.
✅ Pel que fa a l'assistència, no tenim dades completes.
As regards attendance, we do not have complete data.
❌ La mostra és petita. En aquest sentit, no podem generalitzar els resultats.
Imprecise relation — the second sentence is an inference, not an interpretation of a defined sense.
✅ La mostra és petita. Per tant, no podem generalitzar els resultats.
The sample is small. Therefore, we cannot generalize the results.
❌ No obstant això però, l'efecte és mínim.
Double adversative marking — no obstant això and però compete for the same relation.
✅ No obstant això, l'efecte és mínim.
Nevertheless, the effect is minimal.
❌ Pel que fa al formulari, signa'l quan pugui, senyora Costa.
Mixed address — signa'l is tu, while pugui and senyora Costa frame vostè.
✅ Pel que fa al formulari, signi'l quan pugui, senyora Costa.
As for the form, sign it when you can, Ms Costa. (consistent formal address)
Key Takeaways
- D'una banda ... d'altra banda creates parallel spans; opening the first commits you to supplying the second.
- Pel que fa a delimits a topic, en aquest sentit develops an explicit interpretation, and no obstant això introduces a concessive counterweight.
- Punctuation reveals structure: commas detach frames, while a semicolon cleanly balances parallel or contrastive spans.
- Connector stacking is justified only when different markers perform different visible jobs.
- Academic precision comes from naming the exact logical relation and evidential limit, not from maximizing formality.
Now practice Catalan
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- Argumentative RelationsC1 — Structure Catalan arguments by distinguishing claims, evidence, concessions, rebuttals, inferences, and qualifications and marking each relation precisely.
- Maintaining Reference Across ParagraphsC1 — Build clear Catalan reference chains with names, noun phrases, ellipsis, demonstratives, and weak pronouns without overusing ambiguous això.
- Punctuation with Discourse MarkersC1 — Punctuate initial, medial, integrated, and parenthetical Catalan discourse markers according to their scope and prosodic detachment.
- Contrasting: Però, En Canvi, Tanmateix, and Ara BéA2 — Distinguish local opposition, comparison, counterexpectation, and argumentative pivots with natural Catalan contrast markers.
- Reformulating: És a Dir, O Sigui, Vull Dir, and Dit D’una Altra ManeraA2 — Define, repair, clarify, and restate ideas with és a dir, o sigui, vull dir, and dit d’una altra manera across spoken and written Catalan.