Catalan normally keeps a preposition before a noun—adonar-se de l'error, confiar en l'equip, estar d'acord amb la proposta, oposar-se al canvi—but the traditional formal pattern drops a, de, en or amb when the complement is a finite clause introduced by the conjunction que. Thus M'adono de l'error becomes M'adono que m'he equivocat, not m'adono de que… in edited prose.
This is not random deletion. A noun phrase is introduced by its selected preposition, whereas finite que marks a clause directly. Contemporary spontaneous Catalan sometimes maintains the preposition, especially where dropping a or en sounds forced; the standard formal solutions are omission or a natural restructuring with el fet que, an infinitive, or a noun.
The core alternation
The preposition remains visible with a nominal complement but has no overt form before the corresponding finite clause:
| Governor | Noun phrase | Finite que-clause (formal) |
|---|---|---|
| adonar-se de | S'ha adonat de l'errada | S'ha adonat que s'havia equivocat |
| confiar en | Confio en la seva paraula | Confio que complirà la promesa |
| estar d'acord amb | Estem d'acord amb el canvi | Estem d'acord que cal canviar-ho |
| oposar-se a | S'oposen a l'ampliació | S'oposen que s'ampliï l'aparcament |
M'he adonat que havia deixat les claus posades al pany.
I've realized that I had left the keys in the lock.
Confiem que l'avaria quedarà resolta abans del vespre.
We trust that the breakdown will be fixed before evening.
The exact mood comes from the governor's meaning, negation, and the status of the proposition—not from preposition drop itself. Adonar-se presents its clause as a fact and normally takes the indicative. Oposar-se concerns an unwanted possible action and normally takes the subjunctive. Negated confiar often makes fulfilment uncertain and therefore favors the subjunctive.
L'associació s'oposa que enderroquin l'únic cinema del barri.
The association opposes the demolition of the neighborhood's only cinema.
No confio que ens tornin els diners sense reclamar-los.
I don't trust that they'll refund us unless we press them.
A decision table that works
| Complement after the governor | Recommended form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun or strong pronoun | Keep the selected preposition | Es recorda d'aquell hivern |
| Infinitive | Keep a/de; check possible change of en/amb | S'ha oblidat de tancar |
| Finite conjunction que, formal | Drop a/de/en/amb | S'ha oblidat que veníem |
| Finite clause where dropping sounds strained | Use preposition + el fet que, an infinitive, or a noun | S'oposa al fet que tanquin el centre |
| Relative or interrogative què | Keep the preposition | No sé de què parlen |
That last row prevents a major overgeneralization. The conjunction que has no accent and introduces a complete clause. Interrogative or relative què is stressed, bears a grave accent, and is itself the complement of the preposition. Only the former triggers the pattern discussed here.
Ja sé que discrepeu, però no sé de què discrepeu exactament.
I know you disagree, but I don't know exactly what you disagree about.
Natural restructuring instead of forced omission
Dropping de often sounds effortless: M'alegro que hagis vingut; Estic segur que ho entendrà. With selected a, and sometimes en or amb, the bare sequence can be grammatical yet stylistically stiff. Formal Catalan has several better tools.
Use preposition + el fet que when the fact itself matters. Because el fet is a noun, it legitimately supports the preposition:
La direcció s'oposa al fet que les dades es conservin sense termini.
Management objects to the fact that the data are kept indefinitely. (formal)
Use an infinitive when the understood subject is recoverable and the meaning permits it:
La direcció s'oposa a conservar les dades sense termini.
Management objects to keeping the data indefinitely. (formal)
Or nominalize the event:
La direcció s'oposa a la conservació indefinida de les dades.
Management objects to the indefinite retention of the data. (formal)
These alternatives do not always say exactly the same thing. El fet que foregrounds a proposition treated as a fact; an infinitive presents an action more compactly; a deverbal noun creates the densest and most administrative version. Choose by meaning, not merely to avoid a difficult junction.
Formal and informal usage
(Formal IEC/AVL) Omit the governed preposition before conjunction que, or restructure. This is the expected pattern in edited journalism, academic prose, administration, and examinations.
(Informal) Maintaining de, en or amb, and especially a where omission feels unnatural, occurs in speech and writing close to spontaneous conversation. Current descriptions recognize this variation; that does not make every maintained sequence equally suitable in formal prose. Forms such as m'adono de que or s'oposa a que should be revised in a formal document.
—Estàs d'acord que ajornem el dinar? —Sí, però aviseu la mare abans de les dotze.
‘Do you agree that we postpone lunch?’ ‘Yes, but tell Mum before twelve.’
En la reunió informal, un veí va insistir en que tornéssim a votar.
At the informal meeting, a resident insisted that we vote again. (informal maintained en; revise in formal prose)
A polished version of the second sentence is va insistir que tornéssim a votar. Another possible restructuring is va insistir en una nova votació, with en retained because its complement is nominal.
There is no useful territorial rule saying that Central, Valencian, Balearic, Northwestern, Northern, or Alguerese Catalan categorically keeps or drops the preposition. Speaker preference varies across and within regions. The register distinction is more reliable: omission or restructuring belongs to careful formal usage throughout the standard domain.
Dequeisme is not the same as legitimate government
Dequeisme means adding de before a finite que-clause when the governor does not select de at all. English does not show this error directly, but Spanish contact can reinforce it.
❌ Penso de que la reunió s'allargarà.
Incorrect — pensar takes a direct finite complement here; de has no role.
✅ Penso que la reunió s'allargarà fins a les vuit.
I think the meeting will last until eight.
The substitution test is helpful. Replace the clause with això: Penso això, not penso d'això, so write penso que. By contrast, m'adono d'això reveals the lexical de of adonar-se de—but formal Catalan still writes m'adono que before a finite clause. The test diagnoses the underlying government; it does not cancel the special formal rule before que.
Queisme is careless omission of a preposition where syntax still needs it. Do not mislabel standard m'adono que… as queisme: that is precisely the formal finite-clause pattern. Genuine errors appear when a noun, pronoun, relative, or infinitive loses the preposition: s'ha adonat l'error, no sé què depèn la decisió for de què depèn la decisió, or s'ha oblidat tancar for s'ha oblidat de tancar.
Scope, negation, and punctuation
Position changes whose proposition falls under negation. No confio que vingui denies confidence in the person's coming; Confio que no vingui expresses confidence that the person will not come. The preposition is absent in both, but the scope of no reverses the practical expectation.
No estic segur que la Núria hagi rebut el missatge.
I'm not sure that Núria has received the message.
Estic segur que la Núria no ha rebut el missatge.
I'm sure that Núria has not received the message.
A selected complement clause is normally not separated from its governor by a comma: M'adono que falta una pàgina, not M'adono, que falta una pàgina. Commas may enclose a genuinely parenthetical constituent inside the clause.
La cap va admetre que, quan van reobrir l'expedient, ningú no s'havia adonat que hi faltava una signatura.
The manager admitted that, when they reopened the file, nobody had realized that a signature was missing.
Here quan van reobrir l'expedient is embedded and parenthetical; neither comma separates admetre or adonar-se from its required content.
Short correction task
Correct these for formal Catalan: 1) Ens hem adonat de que falta un annex. 2) El consell s'oposa a que canviïn el traçat. 3) No recorda que depèn la decisió.
Ens hem adonat que falta un annex.
We have realized that an appendix is missing. — Drop de before conjunction que.
El consell s'oposa al fet que canviïn el traçat.
The council objects to the route being changed. — Give a the nominal host el fet.
No recorda de què depèn la decisió.
He doesn't remember what the decision depends on. — Keep de before interrogative què.
Common Mistakes
❌ M'han assegurat de que el paquet arribarà avui.
Incorrect — assegurar takes a direct que-clause in this meaning; this is dequeisme.
✅ M'han assegurat que el paquet arribarà avui abans de les sis.
They've assured me that the parcel will arrive today before six.
❌ No s'adona de que tothom l'està esperant.
Avoid this maintained de in formal prose.
✅ No s'adona que tothom l'està esperant al vestíbul.
He doesn't realize that everyone is waiting for him in the lobby.
❌ L'entitat s'oposa a que eliminin la ruta d'autobús.
Avoid a + conjunction que in formal prose; omission can sound forced here.
✅ L'entitat s'oposa al fet que eliminin la ruta d'autobús.
The organization objects to the bus route being eliminated.
❌ No sé que es basa aquesta conclusió.
Incorrect — this is an embedded question, so què is stressed and en must remain.
✅ No sé en què es basa aquesta conclusió tan rotunda.
I don't know what such a categorical conclusion is based on.
The durable contrast is de la notícia / que vindrà / del fet que vindrà / de què parla: noun, finite content clause, nominalized fact, and embedded question. Once those four structures are kept apart, preposition drop stops being a memorized exception and becomes a predictable part of Catalan clause structure. Compare the separate alternation before nonfinite clauses on the preposition change before an infinitive page.
Key Takeaways
- Keep the selected preposition before nouns and pronouns, but omit a, de, en, amb before conjunction que in formal prose.
- If omission sounds forced, use preposition + el fet que, an infinitive, or a noun.
- Què in a question or relative is not conjunction que: keep the preposition in de què, en què, amb què.
- Adding an unselected de is dequeisme; standard m'adono que… is not queisme.
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Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- Prepositions Selected by VerbsB1 — Learn high-frequency Catalan verb–preposition patterns, the meaning contrasts they encode, and how to read and remember dictionary government.
- Preposition Change before an InfinitiveB2 — Understand why selected en and amb may change to a or de before Catalan infinitives, and when current standard usage permits them to remain.
- The Complementizer QueA2 — Use que to introduce finite Catalan complement clauses after speech, thought, perception, emotion, and evaluation, without copying English omission or Spanish prepositions.
- Prepositions before QueB2 — Repair retained, missing, and intrusive prepositions before Catalan que by distinguishing conjunctions from relatives and embedded questions.
- Complement ClausesB1 — Embed statements and events with finite que clauses or infinitives, choosing mood, control, and clause order by meaning.