Many Catalan verbs select a preposition before one of their essential complements: dependre de, confiar en, comptar amb, optar per, acostumar-se a. The preposition is not a free description of place or direction; it is part of the verb's lexical pattern. English may use a different preposition—or none—and Spanish often resembles Catalan without matching it consistently.
Learn the whole construction, including whether the verb is pronominal: not simply adonar, but adonar-se de. Unlabelled patterns on this page are neutral in contemporary standard Catalan.
How to recognize a selected complement
A selected complement completes the specific relationship opened by the verb. In Confio en la Laia, the phrase en la Laia identifies the person trusted. A free adjunct such as des de fa anys merely adds time: Confio en la Laia des de fa anys. Remove the adjunct and the core relation remains; change the selected preposition and the construction may become ungrammatical or acquire a different meaning.
L'èxit de la reforma depèn de l'acord entre els tres ajuntaments.
The success of the reform depends on agreement among the three town councils.
Confio en la Laia perquè coneix l'expedient millor que ningú.
I trust Laia because she knows the case file better than anyone.
In dictionaries, look for notation such as dependre de, confiar en, v pron + prep, or an example showing the complement. A label like intr. warns that the following noun is not an ordinary direct object. Good dictionaries split entries when a new preposition creates a new sense.
Core patterns at a glance
| Selected preposition | Frequent verbs | Typical relation |
|---|---|---|
| a | acostumar-se a, accedir a, contribuir a, dedicar-se a, renunciar a | target, practice, or outcome |
| de | adonar-se de, dependre de, dubtar de, oblidar-se de, parlar de | source, topic, or content |
| en | confiar en, consistir en, fixar-se en, insistir en, pensar en | focus, basis, or object of attention |
| amb | avenir-se amb, col·laborar amb, comptar amb, conformar-se amb, topar amb | company, counterpart, or available support |
| per | decidir-se per, interessar-se per, lluitar per, optar per, preocupar-se per | choice, cause, or pursued object |
These semantic tendencies help memory but do not predict every verb. There is no honest shortcut around learning government lexically.
Verbs selecting a
A commonly introduces a target activity or result: acostumar-se a, aprendre a, contribuir a, dedicar-se a, renunciar a. With a noun phrase, it contracts to al/als as usual.
La cooperativa ha renunciat al local del centre perquè el lloguer era inassumible.
The cooperative has given up the downtown premises because the rent was unaffordable.
Ens hem acostumat a treballar amb les finestres obertes.
We've got used to working with the windows open.
For many nonhuman a-complements, the weak pronoun is hi: T'has acostumat al soroll? — Sí, m'hi he acostumat. Do not replace a human recipient with hi; recipients belong to the indirect-object system li/els.
Verbs selecting de
High-frequency de verbs include adonar-se de, dependre de, dubtar de, oblidar-se de, recordar-se de, parlar de and deixar de. Their complement is often pronominalized with en.
No em vaig adonar de l'error fins que la clienta me'l va assenyalar.
I didn't notice the error until the client pointed it out to me.
En depenem massa, d'aquest únic proveïdor, i hauríem de buscar alternatives.
We depend too much on this one supplier, and we should look for alternatives.
The second example is a natural dislocation: en resumes the de-complement, and d'aquest únic proveïdor is added afterward as clarification. A comma separates the detached phrase.
Be careful with recordar. Standard Catalan allows the transitive pattern recordar una data and the pronominal pattern recordar-se d'una data. Mixing them produces recordar de or recordar-se una data, neither of which preserves the standard pattern.
Verbs selecting en
Pensar en, confiar en, consistir en, fixar-se en, insistir en, participar en and centrar-se en all establish a focus or domain. A full nominal complement is commonly replaced by hi: No hi havia pensat; Hi confiem.
Fixa't en la data del peu de pàgina: el document és anterior a la reforma.
Notice the date in the footer: the document predates the reform.
La primera fase consisteix en una entrevista i una prova pràctica.
The first stage consists of an interview and a practical test.
Before an infinitive, current usage may maintain en or alternate with a; formal prose often prefers the change: consisteix a comparar els resultats. This is a syntactic alternation, not permission to swap prepositions before nouns. See preposition change before an infinitive.
Verbs selecting amb and per
Amb identifies a counterpart or something available: col·laborar amb, comptar amb, conformar-se amb, topar amb, casar-se amb. Per appears with choices, concerns, and goals: optar per, decidir-se per, interessar-se per, preocupar-se per, lluitar per.
Comptem amb vosaltres per obrir el casal dissabte al matí.
We're counting on you to open the community center on Saturday morning.
Al final s'han decidit per la proposta que preserva més habitatge públic.
In the end they chose the proposal that preserves more public housing.
The two prepositional phrases in comptem amb vosaltres per obrir… have different status. Amb vosaltres is selected by comptar and identifies the people relied on; per obrir… expresses purpose. English count on you to open does not preserve that Catalan division word for word.
One verb, different prepositions, different meanings
Prepositions can select distinct senses rather than interchangeable styles.
| Pattern | Meaning | Contrast |
|---|---|---|
| parlar amb algú | talk with/to a person | parlar de política = discuss politics |
| pensar en algú | have someone in mind | què penses d'algú? = what opinion do you have of them? |
| comptar els vots | count the votes | comptar amb suport = have/count on support |
| tractar una ferida | treat a wound | tractar de mobilitat = deal with mobility as a topic |
Ahir vaig parlar amb la directora de les goteres que han tornat a sortir.
Yesterday I spoke with the principal about the leaks that have appeared again.
Here amb la directora identifies the interlocutor, while de les goteres identifies the topic. Reversing the prepositions would reverse or destroy those roles.
Penso sovint en l'Arnau, però no sé ben bé què en penso, de la seva decisió.
I often think about Arnau, but I don't quite know what I think of his decision.
The first en is a preposition; the later en in què en penso is a clitic linked to the right-dislocated de la seva decisió. The comma marks that detached clarification; without dislocation, say què penso de la seva decisió and omit the clitic.
Infinitives, finite clauses, and preposition position
An infinitive can fill the selected complement when its understood subject is recoverable: renuncia a presentar-s'hi, s'oblida de tancar, insisteix a/en tornar-ho a provar. A finite clause introduced by que follows a different formal pattern: selected a, de, en, amb are normally omitted before the conjunction, or a bridge such as el fet que is used. See preposition drop before que.
Catalan also keeps the selected preposition before interrogatives and relative forms. It does not normally strand it at the end as English does.
En quin detall del contracte et vas fixar primer?
Which detail of the contract did you notice first?
La persona amb qui col·laborem en el projecte europeu arribarà demà.
The person we collaborate with on the European project will arrive tomorrow.
In the second sentence, amb qui is the selected complement of col·laborem, while en el projecte europeu is an optional domain adjunct with scope over the collaboration. Reordering must not leave amb behind.
A natural dialogue
—Has pensat en la proposta de la Mariona?
—Have you thought about Mariona's proposal?
—Sí, però depèn del pressupost i no podem comptar amb més subvencions.
—Yes, but it depends on the budget and we can't count on any more grants.
—Llavors optem per la versió més curta?
—Then shall we choose the shorter version?
—D'acord. Jo parlaré amb ella dels canvis.
—All right. I'll talk to her about the changes.
Short correction task
Supply or correct the selected preposition.
- No m'he adonat l'avís.
- Confio amb la teva experiència.
- La proposta que vam optar ja està descartada.
- Parlaré dels tècnics del calendari.
Answers: No m'he adonat de l'avís; Confio en la teva experiència; La proposta per la qual vam optar ja està descartada; Parlaré amb els tècnics del calendari. The last answer distinguishes interlocutor amb from topic de.
Common Mistakes
❌ Tot depèn a la data de lliurament.
Incorrect — dependre selects de, not the English- or Spanish-inspired guess a.
✅ Tot depèn de la data de lliurament.
Everything depends on the delivery date.
❌ No vaig adonar de l'errada.
Incorrect — adonar-se is pronominal, so the reflexive clitic cannot be omitted.
✅ No em vaig adonar de l'errada.
I didn't notice the mistake.
❌ La qüestió que insisteixen és secundària.
Incorrect — insistir selects en, which must stay with the relative form.
✅ La qüestió en què insisteixen és secundària.
The issue they insist on is secondary.
❌ Recorda't la cita de demà.
Incorrect mixture of recordar + direct object and recordar-se de.
✅ Recorda't de la cita de demà.
Remember tomorrow's appointment.
❌ Hem parlat amb el nou reglament tota la tarda.
Incorrect if the regulation is the topic rather than an interlocutor.
✅ Hem parlat del nou reglament tota la tarda.
We've talked about the new regulations all afternoon.
Key Takeaways
The selected preposition belongs to the verb's lexical entry. Memorize verb + preposition, preserve pronominal -se, and learn meaning contrasts such as parlar amb versus parlar de. With moved questions and relatives, take the preposition along; with infinitives and finite que clauses, consult the dedicated alternation rules instead of copying the nominal pattern blindly.
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
- The Preposition AA1 — Use Catalan a for destinations, many locations, recipients, clock time, manner, and selected complements, with the contractions al and als.
- The Preposition DeA1 — Use Catalan de for source, possession, material, content, quantity, and selected complements, with the correct elisions and article contractions.
- The Preposition EnA1 — Use Catalan en for selected static locations, transport, time spans, manner phrases, and lexically selected complements, while distinguishing it from a and the clitic en.
- The Preposition AmbA1 — Use Catalan amb for company, instruments, manner, and selected complements, while keeping it distinct from agent, means, and Spanish pronoun patterns.
- 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.
- Why Catalan Does Not Normally Strand PrepositionsC1 — Learn why Catalan moves a preposition together with an interrogative or relative phrase, and how natural colloquial repairs avoid English-style stranding.