Catalan often packages a relation in a prepositional locution, a fixed multiword unit that functions much like a simple preposition. A causa de introduces cause, arran de a triggering circumstance, pel que fa a and quant a a discourse topic, and en virtut de a rule or authority that licenses a result. Their English translations overlap—because of, following, regarding, under, by virtue of—but their scope and register do not.
The words inside a locution are not freely assembled each time. Articles, contractions, and final prepositions belong to its grammatical shape: pel que fa a, never per que fa a; quant a, not the Spanish-shaped en quant a; arran de, not arrel de when you mean “following.”
A decision table
| Relation intended | Best locution | Register and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Direct or presented cause | a causa de | neutral; often, but not necessarily, an adverse cause |
| Event that triggered a later development | arran de | neutral to journalistic; emphasizes sequence and consequence |
| Topic resumed or delimited | pel que fa a | neutral-formal; common in speech and organized prose |
| Concise topic heading | quant a | formal; compact and frequent in argumentation |
| Rule, office, agreement, or principle that confers authority | en virtut de | formal/legal; stronger than mere cause |
These locutions can all occur initially, but they do not all answer why? Topic setters do not cause the proposition that follows. Legal basis is not identical to a chronological trigger. The locution tells the reader how to integrate its complement into the larger sentence.
A causa de: presenting a cause
A causa de takes a noun phrase, a strong pronoun, or another nominal expression: a causa de la pluja, a causa d'això, a causa d'haver rebut informació incompleta. Before el/els, de contracts: a causa del temporal, a causa dels retards.
El concert es va traslladar al pavelló a causa de la previsió de tempestes.
The concert was moved to the sports hall because of the storm forecast.
A causa d'haver rebut l'avís massa tard, tres famílies no van poder assistir a la reunió.
Because they received the notice too late, three families could not attend the meeting. (formal)
The locution has a broad causal reading. It often introduces an unwelcome circumstance simply because reasons are commonly supplied for problems, but positivity is possible: A causa de l'èxit de la campanya, n'han ampliat el pressupost. If the complement is a full finite clause, ordinary perquè or com que is usually lighter than forcing a causa que.
Arran de: from contact to consequence
The concrete meaning of arran de is “level with” or “almost touching”: l'aigua arran de vorera. From this spatial image comes the abstract meaning “as a consequence of” or “following.” The abstract use presents an event as the point from which another development arose.
Arran de l'avaria de dilluns, l'hospital ha revisat tots els generadors d'emergència.
Following Monday's breakdown, the hospital has inspected all its emergency generators.
Va començar a participar en política municipal arran d'una protesta contra el nou vial.
She began participating in local politics following a protest against the new road.
Compare the minimal pair:
El partit es va suspendre a causa de la boira.
The match was suspended because of the fog. — The fog is the direct cause.
Arran de la suspensió del partit, el club va canviar el protocol meteorològic.
Following the suspension of the match, the club changed its weather protocol. — The suspension triggers a later response.
Write arran de, not arrel de, in this meaning. Arrel is the ordinary noun “root”; contact with Spanish a raíz de makes the calque tempting, but standard Catalan lexicalizes arran de.
Pel que fa a and quant a: setting the topic
Pel que fa a and quant a announce the domain within which the following claim is valid. They are not arguments selected by the verb; they organize discourse. At the beginning of a sentence they are normally followed by a comma because the topical frame sits outside the core clause.
Pel que fa al lloguer, el contracte preveu una revisió anual vinculada a l'índex oficial.
As for the rent, the contract provides for an annual adjustment linked to the official index.
Quant als terminis, la comissió encara no ha publicat cap calendari definitiu.
Regarding the deadlines, the committee has not yet published a definitive calendar. (formal)
Both locutions contract before articles: pel que fa al/a la/als/a les and quant al/a la/als/a les. The first is more expansive and conversational; the second is compact and particularly at home in structured formal prose. Neither licenses the Spanish calque en quant a.
Moving the locution changes information structure, not the basic truth conditions:
La comissió, pel que fa a l'obertura nocturna de la biblioteca, encara no ha pres cap decisió.
As regards late-night library opening, the committee has not yet made a decision. — Parenthetical topic, marked by commas.
The parenthetical placement is possible, but initial Pel que fa a l'obertura nocturna, la comissió… is usually clearer. Do not use pel que fa a merely as a decorative synonym for every sobre; it promises a topic contrast, often explicit or implicit: rents have been settled, but as for deadlines…
En virtut de: authority, entitlement, and operative basis
En virtut de means that a rule, agreement, office, or principle supplies the legal or logical basis for what follows. It is (formal/legal), not an inflated substitute for ordinary per or a causa de.
En virtut de l'article 12 del reglament, la presidència pot convocar una sessió extraordinària.
Under article 12 of the regulations, the chair may convene an extraordinary session. (formal/legal)
L'entitat queda exempta de la taxa en virtut del conveni signat amb l'ajuntament.
The organization is exempt from the fee under the agreement signed with the town council. (formal/legal)
The first example contains an embedded relationship: the article does not physically cause the meeting; it confers authority on the chair. Replacing en virtut de with a causa de would wrongly recast a legal ground as an ordinary cause.
In everyday speech, choose a plainer expression when no institutional force is intended: Segons l'acord, no hem de pagar la taxa or Gràcies a l'acord…, depending on meaning.
How to test whether a sequence is a prepositional locution
No single test is perfect, but several diagnostics converge:
- One relational function. The whole sequence introduces one complement and can often be paraphrased by a simpler preposition or relation: a causa del soroll ≈ pel soroll.
- A fixed internal shape. The internal noun or verb resists normal alteration: a les causes de is an ordinary noun phrase, not a plural version of a causa de.
- A stable final link. The final de or a introduces the complement: arran d'això, quant a aquesta qüestió.
- Replacement of the complement. A full noun phrase can be replaced by això/allò while the locution remains: en virtut d'això, pel que fa a allò que proposes.
- Contraction and elision at the boundary. Normal phonology applies where the locution meets its complement: a causa del tall, arran d'aquell anunci, quant als costos.
These tests distinguish a lexicalized locution from a chance string of words. In Ho va fer en virtut de presidenta, for example, the intended meaning is probably “in her capacity as chair,” for which com a presidenta is natural; en virtut de ordinarily requires the authority-bearing rule or circumstance, not merely a job title.
Scope and punctuation
Initial causal and basis phrases commonly take a comma when they frame the entire proposition, especially if long. Short integrated phrases need no comma: Ho van tancar a causa del vent. Topic locutions are more consistently detached.
A causa de les obres que començaran dilluns a la plaça, els autobusos que venen del nord s'aturaran davant del mercat.
Because of the works beginning Monday in the square, buses coming from the north will stop in front of the market.
Scope matters. A causa de la pluja, només es van cancel·lar els tallers exteriors says the rain caused the limited cancellation. Només a causa de la pluja es van cancel·lar els tallers says the rain was the sole cause. Moving només changes what is restricted.
A natural dialogue
—Per què han reobert l'expedient? —Arran d'una denúncia anònima. Pel que fa a la decisió final, encara no se'n sap res.
‘Why have they reopened the case?’ ‘Following an anonymous complaint. As for the final decision, nothing is known yet.’
The answer uses arran de for the initiating event and pel que fa a to switch from that event to a new topic. Substituting one for the other would not simply alter style; it would change the relation between the phrases.
Short correction task
Correct the locution in each sentence: 1) En quant al pressupost, falten dues signatures. 2) Van revisar el protocol arrel de l'incident. 3) La directora va actuar a causa de l'article 9, que li atribuïa aquella competència.
Quant al pressupost, falten dues signatures abans de poder-lo aprovar.
Regarding the budget, two signatures are missing before it can be approved.
Van revisar el protocol arran de l'incident de la setmana passada.
They reviewed the protocol following last week's incident.
La directora va actuar en virtut de l'article 9, que li atribuïa aquella competència.
The director acted under article 9, which granted her that power. (formal/legal)
Common Mistakes
❌ En quant a les pràctiques, encara no tenim tutor.
Incorrect — en quant a is a Spanish-shaped calque in this topic-setting use.
✅ Quant a les pràctiques, encara no ens han assignat cap tutor.
Regarding the placements, we still haven't been assigned a supervisor. (formal)
❌ L'empresa va canviar el sistema arrel de les queixes.
Incorrect — arrel means root; the consequence-trigger locution is arran de.
✅ L'empresa va canviar el sistema arran de les queixes reiterades dels usuaris.
The company changed the system following repeated complaints from users.
❌ El tren va arribar tard en virtut d'una avaria.
Wrong relation and inflated register — an ordinary mechanical failure causes the delay but does not authorize it.
✅ El tren va arribar tard a causa d'una avaria a la senyalització.
The train arrived late because of a signaling failure.
❌ Pel que fa els ajuts, el termini acaba divendres.
Incorrect — the fixed locution ends in a, which contracts with els.
✅ Pel que fa als ajuts, el termini de sol·licitud acaba divendres al migdia.
As for the grants, the application deadline is Friday at noon.
Complex locutions earn their place when they make the relation precise. A causa de explains, arran de traces a development back to its trigger, pel que fa a/quant a manage topics, and en virtut de invokes operative authority. Their internal form is fixed, but their placement controls scope and discourse emphasis. The formal and administrative prepositions page shows when plainer alternatives improve official prose.
Key Takeaways
- Use a causa de for cause and arran de for an event that triggers a later development.
- Use pel que fa a or quant a to delimit a topic, not to express cause.
- Reserve en virtut de for a rule, agreement, or principle that supplies operative authority.
- Preserve each locution's fixed form and normal contractions: arran del, quant als, pel que fa al.
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