Catalan makes a basic statement negative by placing no before the predicate: Treballo becomes No treballo. Unlike English, Catalan does not add an auxiliary equivalent to do, does, or did, and the tense of the verb does not change. This small word therefore carries the negative force that English often spreads across an auxiliary and not.
The apparent simplicity hides an important principle: no stands at the left edge of the verbal unit it negates. Clitic pronouns belong inside that unit, and an embedded infinitive can have its own negation. Learning where the negative unit begins will help you place no correctly even in sentences longer than the A1 patterns.
The basic decision table
| What is negative? | Catalan pattern | Model |
|---|---|---|
| A finite predicate | no + finite verb | No treballo avui. |
| A predicate with clitics | no + clitic(s) + verb | No m'ho crec. |
| A compound tense | no + clitic(s) + auxiliary + participle | No l'he vist. |
| An infinitive | no + infinitive, with attached postverbal clitics | Va decidir no dir-ho. |
| A short answer | No, or No, no + predicate | No, no puc. |
Before a finite verb
In a neutral finite clause, no immediately precedes the verb, apart from any clitic pronouns discussed below. It works the same way in the present, past, future, conditional, indicative, and subjunctive. There is no change comparable to English works → does not work or went → did not go.
Avui no dino a casa perquè tinc una reunió.
I'm not having lunch at home today because I have a meeting.
La setmana passada no vam obrir dilluns.
Last week we didn't open on Monday.
Demà no plourà, segons la previsió.
It won't rain tomorrow, according to the forecast.
The time phrase or subject can appear before the negative unit, but it does not come between no and the verb. This produces the practical frame subject/time/topic + no + verb.
La Núria no condueix de nit.
Núria doesn't drive at night.
A l'agost, nosaltres no obrim a la tarda.
In August, we don't open in the afternoon.
The second sentence contains a reordered time phrase and an explicit subject. Catalan often omits subject pronouns because the verb identifies the person, so A l'agost no obrim a la tarda is normally more economical. An explicit nosaltres is appropriate when contrasting “we” with somebody else.
Clitics stay between no and the verb
Unstressed object and reflexive pronouns attach closely to a finite verb. Negation does not move them: no comes first, then the clitic or clitic group, then the verb. See the full pronoun-placement guide for all combinations.
No et sento bé; pots acostar-te al micròfon?
I can't hear you well; can you move closer to the microphone?
No me'n recordo, però ho puc mirar al calendari.
I don't remember, but I can check it in the calendar.
No l'hem convidada perquè la trobada és molt petita.
We haven't invited her because the gathering is very small.
No els ho expliquis fins que arribem tots.
Don't explain it to them until we all arrive.
The sequence no + clitics + verb forms one continuous block: no me'n recordo, not me no'n recordo or no recordo-me'n with a finite indicative. With a compound tense, no precedes the auxiliary and the participle remains in its ordinary position: no l'hem convidada.
Which predicate does no negate?
A sentence with two verbs may contain two possible sites for negation. Compare the following minimal pair:
No va decidir venir a la festa.
She did not decide to come to the party.
Va decidir no venir a la festa.
She decided not to come to the party.
In the first sentence, no negates the finite predicate va decidir: no decision to come was made. In the second, the decision happened, but its content was no venir. English also distinguishes these meanings, but Catalan word order makes the boundary especially visible.
With an infinitive, clitics normally follow the infinitive and are joined with a hyphen or apostrophe as required. Negation precedes the whole infinitival unit.
Ens han demanat de no fer-ne cap còpia.
They have asked us not to make any copies of it.
Per no despertar-la, he tancat la porta a poc a poc.
So as not to wake her, I closed the door slowly.
The nonfinite-negation page develops these patterns. At this stage, the useful test is simple: ask whether the speaker denies the main event or the embedded action, and place no directly before that predicate.
Subjects and focused word order
The neutral order with an explicit subject is La Marta no ve. English learners sometimes copy question-like inversion after a negative expression, but Catalan no does not trigger inversion. A subject can appear after the verb for information structure, however, especially when it is the new or contrasted element.
No vindrà la Marta; vindrà el seu germà.
Marta isn't the one who will come; her brother will.
Here the postverbal subject corrects an assumption about the visitor. This is not an automatic “negative word order.” The neutral answer to La Marta vindrà? is still No, la Marta no vindrà or simply No, no vindrà.
Short answers: one no or two
As an answer particle, No can stand alone. If the answer continues with a negative clause, Catalan normally has two occurrences: the first answers the question; the second negates the verb.
—Tens un carregador? —No, ho sento.
—Do you have a charger? —No, sorry.
—Vens a sopar? —No, avui no puc.
—Are you coming to dinner? —No, I can't today.
The comma matters. No, avui no puc contains an answer plus a negative statement. By contrast, No, avui puc means “No—today I can,” correcting some other assumption. Catalan cannot replace the repeated predicate with bare English-style do: use No, no vinc; No, no en tinc; No, no ho sé.
A natural dialogue
—No vens amb nosaltres? —No, avui no em trobo gaire bé. —Vols que et portem res? —No, gràcies; només necessito descansar.
—Aren't you coming with us? —No, I don't feel very well today. —Do you want us to bring you anything? —No, thanks; I just need to rest.
The first question is negative and may express surprise or confirm an expectation. The answer No confirms the negative proposition: the person is not coming. Because English negative questions can make yes/no interpretation confusing, listen to the full Catalan reply when the context matters.
Register and regional guidance
Preverbal no is the neutral standard throughout Central, Valencian, Balearic, Northwestern, Northern, and Alguerese Catalan. Rapid informal speech can weaken its pronunciation, and some negative environments show regional patterns, but learners should retain it clearly in ordinary production. Constructions with pas or negative words add expectations and polarity; they are not replacements to apply mechanically. The basic pattern on this page is appropriate in both conversation and formal prose.
Short correction task
Correct each sentence, then identify which predicate is negative.
- Jo treballo no els dissabtes.
- He no vist encara la Joana.
- Va no decidir explicar-ho. (intended: the decision was not made)
Jo no treballo els dissabtes.
I don't work on Saturdays.
Encara no he vist la Joana.
I haven't seen Joana yet.
No va decidir explicar-ho.
She did not decide to explain it.
Common Mistakes
❌ Faig no entendre la pregunta.
Incorrect — Catalan does not copy English do-support; no belongs before the conjugated predicate.
✅ No entenc la pregunta; me la pots repetir?
I don't understand the question; can you repeat it to me?
❌ No jo tinc temps ara.
Incorrect as neutral word order — an explicit subject normally precedes the negative unit.
✅ Jo no tinc temps ara, però després sí.
I don't have time now, but I will later.
❌ No he la trucat aquest matí.
Incorrect — a clitic precedes the finite auxiliary, between no and the verb.
✅ No l'he trucada aquest matí perquè era massa d'hora.
I didn't call her this morning because it was too early.
❌ No, puc venir demà.
This means the answer is no but the speaker can come tomorrow; it does not mean No, I can't.
✅ No, no puc venir demà.
No, I can't come tomorrow.
Key Takeaways
- Put no before the finite verb, with clitics between no and the verb.
- Do not add an equivalent of English do/does/did and do not change the tense merely because the clause is negative.
- With two predicates, placement distinguishes No va decidir venir from Va decidir no venir.
- An explicit subject normally precedes no; postverbal subjects express focus rather than a general negative rule.
- In a full negative reply, repeat no: No, no hi vaig.
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
- Negative Words: Ningú, Res, Cap, Mai, and EnllocA1 — How Catalan negative words express nobody, nothing, no, never, and nowhere before or after the verb through negative concord.
- Negating Infinitives, Gerunds, and ParticiplesA2 — Place no with Catalan nonfinite verbs and control its scope around auxiliaries, prepositions, clitics, and compressed formal structures.
- Negation Scope and AmbiguityB2 — Identify what Catalan no negates around constituents, quantifiers, modals, subordinate clauses, and spoken focus, then disambiguate by paraphrasing.
- Pronoun Placement Across Verb FormsB1 — Place weak pronouns before finite verbs, after infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative imperatives, and correctly across verb phrases.
- Yes–No QuestionsA1 — How Catalan asks total questions through intonation and punctuation, without English do-support, and how subject position, tags, and short answers shape the expected response.