Reformulation lets a speaker present an idea again in words that are more exact, more accessible, or closer to what they intended. Catalan és a dir commonly gives an equivalent explanation, o sigui clarifies or reacts in conversation, vull dir openly repairs the speaker's own wording, and dit d'una altra manera restates a proposition from a new angle. All four can resemble English “I mean” or “in other words,” but they assign different roles to the speaker and the reformulated material.
A reformulation is not simply an example. It asks the listener to reinterpret the first expression through the second. If the second item is only one member of a larger class, use an exemplifier such as per exemple or com ara; if it is meant as an equivalent or correction, a reformulation marker is appropriate. The guide to giving examples develops that distinction.
Four routes to a clearer formulation
| Marker | Core job | Typical setting | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| és a dir | definition, explicit equivalence, logical clarification | speech and writing | neutral to formal |
| o sigui | conversational clarification, inference, or reaction | especially interaction | neutral informal; avoid repetitive filler in formal prose |
| vull dir | speaker-owned self-repair or qualification | spontaneous speech | informal to neutral |
| dit d'una altra manera | deliberate restatement from another perspective | explanation and argument | neutral to formal/academic |
La renovació és tàcita, és a dir, es produeix automàticament si ningú no denuncia el contracte.
The renewal is tacit; that is, it happens automatically if nobody terminates the contract.
—Diuen que no hi ha cap taula fins a les deu. —O sigui, que soparem tard.
—They say there are no tables until ten. —So, in other words, we'll be having dinner late.
Arribaré al migdia... vull dir, cap a dos quarts de dues.
I'll arrive at noon... I mean, around half past one.
Dit d'una altra manera, el descompte només compensa si utilitzes el servei cada setmana.
Put another way, the discount only pays off if you use the service every week.
The first example explains a technical term. The second speaker draws out the practical meaning of new information. The third repairs an overprecise time. The fourth preserves the proposition but changes its perspective.
És a dir: explicit equivalence
És a dir presents the following expression as what the previous one means in the present context. It is common in definitions, instructions, explanatory journalism, and ordinary clarifications. It is usually parenthetical and therefore separated by commas, dashes, a colon, or a sentence boundary.
Cal presentar una còpia compulsada, és a dir, una còpia que un organisme autoritzat hagi confrontat amb l'original.
A certified copy must be submitted; that is, a copy that an authorized body has checked against the original.
Només atendrem urgències —és a dir, casos que no poden esperar fins dilluns— durant el cap de setmana.
Over the weekend we will handle emergencies only—that is, cases that cannot wait until Monday.
The second formulation narrows the intended meaning; it does not merely provide a random emergency as an example. A pause before és a dir tells the listener that a clarification is coming. In careful speech the marker receives light stress, while the genuinely new explanation carries the main prominence.
Because és a dir belongs comfortably to planned language, it can sound didactic if used to correct a friend repeatedly. In personal interaction, vull dir or a question can be less imposing.
O sigui: clarification and conversational inference
In Central Catalan, o sigui is extremely common in speech. It may reformulate the speaker's own words, spell out a consequence, or launch a listener's understanding check. The form is fixed in this use: it is not adjusted to the gender or number of any noun.
No és que no vulgui venir; o sigui, hi vindria encantada, però treballa fins tard.
It's not that she doesn't want to come; I mean, she'd love to, but she works late.
—La garantia no cobreix els cops. —O sigui que, si em cau, hauré de pagar la reparació?
—The warranty does not cover impact damage. —So if I drop it, will I have to pay for the repair?
With o sigui que, the following clause often states an inferred consequence. A rising contour turns it into a check; a falling contour may sound like a firm conclusion or even a reproach. This is a clear example of grammatical form not fixing communicative force on its own.
(regional: Valencian) O siga is the standard Valencian form corresponding to Central o sigui. Both are legitimate within their varieties. Do not “correct” a Valencian speaker's o siga to o sigui, and do not mix regional verb paradigms merely to sound broadly Catalan.
Vull dir: own the correction
Vull dir literally means “I mean,” and its first-person form makes the source of the repair explicit. It is ideal for replacing a mistaken word, weakening an overstatement, or specifying an intention while keeping the floor.
La proposta és inviable... vull dir, inviable amb el pressupost que tenim ara.
The proposal is unworkable... I mean, unworkable with the budget we have now.
Ens veiem divendres; vull dir dissabte, que divendres tinc guàrdia.
See you Friday—I mean Saturday, because I'm on call Friday.
Before a repair, speakers often pause, lengthen the preceding word, or use no, vull dir.... That timing signals that the first formulation is being withdrawn. Frequent vull dir with no identifiable repair becomes a filler; it is natural in spontaneous conversation, but editing it out usually improves formal prose.
Dit d'una altra manera: preserve the idea, change the view
Dit d'una altra manera announces a deliberate restatement. It is more planned than vull dir and is useful when the second formulation exposes a consequence, analogy, or simpler interpretation. It normally begins a sentence or clause and takes a comma.
La mesura redueix el cost inicial però allarga el període de manteniment. Dit d'una altra manera, estalviem ara i paguem durant més temps.
The measure reduces the initial cost but lengthens the maintenance period. Put another way, we save now and pay for longer.
El sistema prioritza la continuïtat del servei; dit d'una altra manera, una avaria local no hauria d'aturar tota la xarxa.
The system prioritizes service continuity; in other words, a local failure should not stop the whole network.
Do not stack it with another full reformulator: És a dir, dit d'una altra manera, tells the reader twice that a restatement is coming. Select the marker that matches the genre and the kind of repair.
Direct and softened clarification
A reformulation can rescue understanding, but it can also imply that the other person expressed themselves badly. Compare a bare correction with a cooperative understanding check.
O sigui, no tens raó i hem de refer-ho tot.
So, in other words, you're wrong and we have to redo everything. (direct and potentially confrontational)
Si t'he entès bé, vols dir que hauríem de revisar aquesta part abans de continuar, oi?
If I've understood you correctly, you mean that we should review this part before continuing, right? (softened)
The second version attributes the interpretation to the listener's own understanding—si t'he entès bé—and uses a conditional. Neither o sigui nor és a dir automatically mitigates disagreement.
Informal and formal exchanges
—Al final vindrem quatre... bé, cinc; vull dir, la Joana també s'hi ha apuntat. —Ah, perfecte, doncs reservo per a cinc.
—In the end there'll be four of us... well, five; I mean, Joana has joined too. —Oh, perfect, then I'll book for five. (informal)
The pause, bé, and vull dir make a natural online repair. The correction is integrated into the same turn without pretending that the original number remains valid.
—L'informe parla d'un risc residual. Ens podria precisar el terme? —És a dir, el risc que es manté un cop aplicades totes les mesures preventives.
—The report refers to residual risk. Could you clarify the term? —That is, the risk that remains once all preventive measures have been applied. (formal)
The question maintains vostè with ens podria. The answer uses an impersonal definitional marker. A sudden t'ho explico would switch to tu and be pragmatically inconsistent.
Repairing an interaction
—Podeu portar eines, per exemple, només tornavisos. —Llavors les alicates no estan permeses?
—You may bring tools, for example, only screwdrivers. —Then are pliers not allowed? (example and restriction conflict)
The speaker combines per exemple, which opens a category, with només, which closes it. The listener cannot tell whether screwdrivers illustrate the permitted tools or define them.
—M'he expressat malament: podeu portar eines manuals, és a dir, eines que no necessitin corrent. Els tornavisos i les alicates en són exemples. —Ara sí, gràcies.
—I put that badly: you may bring hand tools, that is, tools that do not require electricity. Screwdrivers and pliers are examples. —That's clear now, thank you.
The repair first defines the category with és a dir and then identifies examples separately. Good reformulation makes the semantic relation explicit rather than using a marker as verbal decoration.
Regional and multilingual context
És a dir, vull dir, and dit d'una altra manera are pan-regional standard forms. O sigui is strongly associated with Central and other eastern usage; o siga is the corresponding standard Valencian form. Balearic, Northwestern, Northern, and Alguerese speakers have their own frequency patterns and conversational repertoires. A guide can name those differences without treating one rhythm of repair as universal.
Spanish contact encourages spellings such as osea and indiscriminate use modeled on Spanish o sea. Standard Catalan writes o sigui or Valencian o siga as two words. English can create the opposite problem: learners translate every “I mean” as vull dir even when the relation is an impersonal definition better expressed by és a dir.
Correction task
Choose the marker that best matches each communicative job.
- A regulation defines what “resident” means.
- A speaker corrects dimarts to dimecres mid-turn.
- A lecturer restates a complex conclusion in simpler economic terms.
Es considera resident qui hi viu més de sis mesos l'any, és a dir, més de la meitat de l'any.
A resident is someone who lives there more than six months a year, that is, more than half the year. — definition
La visita és dimarts... vull dir, dimecres a les deu.
The visit is Tuesday... I mean, Wednesday at ten. — self-correction
Dit d'una altra manera, produir cada unitat ens costa més del que n'obtenim amb la venda.
Put another way, each unit costs us more to produce than we obtain from selling it. — deliberate restatement
Common Mistakes
1. Writing o sigui as one word or importing Spanish spelling.
❌ Osea, demà tampoc no obriran.
Incorrect: osea is not the standard Catalan spelling.
✅ O sigui, demà tampoc no obriran.
So, in other words, they won't open tomorrow either.
2. Using an example marker for a true definition.
❌ És un triangle equilàter, per exemple, té tres costats iguals.
Wrong relation: having three equal sides defines the term here; it is not one optional example.
✅ És un triangle equilàter, és a dir, té tres costats iguals.
It is an equilateral triangle; that is, it has three equal sides.
3. Stacking reformulators.
❌ És a dir, o sigui, vull dir que ens falta una signatura.
Overloaded: three markers compete for the same repair.
✅ Vull dir que ens falta una signatura abans d'enviar-ho.
I mean that we're missing a signature before sending it.
4. Mixing tu and vostè in a clarification.
❌ Si l'he entès bé, vols que li enviï la còpia avui?
Incorrect address agreement: l'he and li point to vostè, while vols addresses tu.
✅ Si l'he entès bé, vol que li enviï la còpia avui?
If I have understood you correctly, do you want me to send you the copy today? (formal address)
Key Takeaways
Choose és a dir for definitions and explicit equivalence, o sigui—or Valencian o siga—for conversational clarification and inference, vull dir for a repair owned by the speaker, and dit d'una altra manera for a deliberate restatement. Punctuation and pauses mark the boundary between the original wording and its replacement. A reformulation claims a closer relation than an example, and its tone can either support mutual understanding or sharpen disagreement.
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