Catalan pronoun clusters compress several unstressed words around a verb, and the spelling records that compression with spaces, apostrophes, and hyphens. Compare me'l porta, me l'ha portat, and porta-me'l: the same two pronouns appear in the same order, but their written form changes with the cluster's position and its neighboring sounds.
The central principle is mechanical: establish the pronouns and their order first; then choose the forms and place the punctuation. An apostrophe marks an omitted vowel. A hyphen attaches a syllabic pronoun to a preceding verb or to another postverbal pronoun. Neither mark indicates syntactic function by itself.
For the one-pronoun foundation, see Elided Weak-Pronoun Forms; this page explains what changes when several forms meet.
The four shapes behind the system
Traditional descriptions distinguish full, reinforced, elided, and reduced forms. These labels explain why one pronoun appears as me, em, m', or 'm.
| Pronoun | Full form | Reinforced form | Elided form | Reduced form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| first singular | me | em | m' | 'm |
| second singular | te | et | t' | 't |
| reflexive third person | se | es | s' | 's |
| masculine singular direct object | lo | el | l' | 'l |
| en | ne | en | n' | 'n |
| first plural | nos | ens | — | 'ns |
| masculine plural direct object | los | els | — | 'ls |
Full forms occur after many consonant- or semivocalic-u-final hosts and before another pronoun where the cluster requires them: mirar-me, me'l dona, compreu-me-la. Reinforced forms typically stand before a consonant-initial finite verb: em mira, el porta, en parla. Elided forms lean rightward before a vowel: m'escolta, l'obre, n'agafa. Reduced forms lean leftward after a suitable vowel: mira'm, porta'l, compra'n.
The pronouns li, hi, and ho never apostrophize. Forms such as la, les, and us also have their own restricted patterns rather than fitting every cell of this table. There is no honest one-line formula that replaces learning the inventory.
La Júlia em porta el llibre. → La Júlia me'l porta.
Júlia brings me the book. → Júlia brings it to me.
La Júlia m'ha portat el llibre. → La Júlia me l'ha portat.
Júlia has brought me the book. → Júlia has brought it to me.
The second sentence does not preserve the apostrophe of me'l. Once vowel-initial ha follows the cluster, the last eligible pronoun elides with the verb: me l'ha.
Before the verb: put the apostrophe as far right as possible
In a preverbal cluster, pronouns are written as separate words unless elision joins adjacent forms. When two vowels meet, standard spelling places the apostrophe as far to the right as the forms permit.
| Before consonant | Before vowel or silent h | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| me'l dona | me l'envia | el elides with the verb |
| te'n porta | te n'ofereix | en elides with the verb |
| se'ls mira | se'ls endú | els has no elided form |
| m'ho diu | m'ho explica | ho never elides |
| s'hi queda | s'hi ha quedat | hi never elides |
La directora me'l revisa avui, però no me l'enviarà fins demà.
The director is reviewing it for me today, but she won't send it to me until tomorrow.
Si te n'ofereixen una altra, no te l'enduguis sense mirar la garantia.
If they offer you another one, don't take it away without checking the warranty.
There is one famous orthographic exception to the “far right” tendency: the combination el + en is written l'en, not le'n, because le is not a Catalan weak-pronoun form.
El tècnic treu el disc dur de l'ordinador. → El tècnic l'en treu amb molta cura.
The technician removes the hard drive from the computer. → The technician removes it from there very carefully.
Here l' is the masculine direct object and en resumes the source introduced by de.
La hi, li ho, and other sequences that resist apostrophes
Feminine singular la normally elides before a vowel, but it remains full before unstressed i/u. Since hi begins with unstressed i, careful (formal) writing uses la hi: la hi poso, la hi donaré. The reduction l'hi for la hi is widespread and accepted, especially (regional: Central Catalan) in less formal use, but it neutralizes the feminine distinction.
La factura, la hi posaré demà, a la carpeta compartida.
I'll put the invoice there tomorrow, in the shared folder.
The invariant pronouns li, hi, and ho do not take apostrophes: li ho diré, li hi portaré els documents, deixa-ho, torna-hi. A pronunciation that compresses li ho in rapid speech does not authorize the spelling l'ho. Some accepted syntactic alternatives use l'hi, but that is a different pronominal analysis, not free punctuation.
A la cap de projectes, li ho explicaré quan acabi la reunió.
I'll explain it to the project manager when the meeting ends.
After the verb: hyphens plus at most one apostrophe
After an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative imperative, there are no spaces inside the verb-pronoun unit. Syllabic forms attach with hyphens: explicar-me-la, recordant-se'n, digueu-li-ho. If the cluster needs an apostrophe, it is placed as far right as possible. A postverbal cluster never contains more than one apostrophe.
| Host and cluster | Correct spelling | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| dona + me + el | dona-me'l | apostrophe moves inside the cluster |
| compra + te + en | compra-te'n | te + en → te'n |
| deixar + nos + ho | deixar-nos-ho | consonant-final host; syllabic forms |
| escriure + ens + ho | escriure'ns-ho | reduced 'ns after final vowel |
| posa + el + hi | posa-l'hi | one apostrophe between l' and hi |
| agafa + me + el + en | agafa-me-l'en | three-pronoun cluster; one apostrophe |
Aquest és el carregador que em vas demanar; enduu-te'l abans que me n'oblidi.
This is the charger you asked me for; take it with you before I forget.
Les claus són a recepció: passa a buscar-les i torna-me-les abans de les sis.
The keys are at reception: stop by to collect them and return them to me before six.
Notice dona'm with one pronoun but dona-me'l with two. Keeping dona'm-el would strand a second apostrophe or create the wrong division. Likewise, a consonant-final infinitive takes full forms—explicar-te-la—whereas vowel-final escriure can take reduced 'ns in escriure'ns-ho. A final u that is the second element of a diphthong blocks reduction: compreu-me-la, not compreu'm-la.
The syntax comes before the typography
Correct punctuation cannot rescue the wrong pronoun. First determine whether the missing phrase is definite (el/la/els/les), partitive or introduced by de (en), locative or another eligible prepositional complement (hi), or neutral (ho). English “it” does not make that choice.
—On poso la jaqueta? —Penja-la-hi, al penjador de l'entrada.
Where should I put the jacket? —Hang it there, on the coat rack by the entrance.
The dialogue gives feminine la for la jaqueta and hi for al penjador. The careful form penja-la-hi makes both antecedents visible.
Regional pronunciation may differ substantially from careful spelling. (regional: Valencian, Balearic, Northwestern, Northern, and Alguerese) systems preserve various full forms or combinations that belong to their own standard or colloquial patterns. (formal) cross-regional prose should not create a hybrid by spelling a Central reduction inside a Valencian cluster or by adding apostrophes to imitate casual pronunciation.
Common Mistakes
1. Freezing the apostrophe in the before-consonant form.
❌ La Carla me'l ha deixat aquest matí.
Incorrect spelling—the last eligible pronoun elides with vowel-initial ha.
✅ La Carla me l'ha deixat aquest matí.
Carla lent it to me this morning.
2. Leaving two apostrophes in a postverbal cluster.
❌ Dona'm-el abans de marxar.
Incorrect—postverbal clusters allow at most one apostrophe, placed as far right as possible.
✅ Dona-me'l abans de marxar.
Give it to me before you leave.
3. Apostrophizing invariant ho.
❌ Això és important: explica-l'ho avui mateix.
Incorrect in careful standard spelling—li and ho remain li ho.
✅ Això és important: explica-li-ho avui mateix.
This is important: explain it to him today.
4. Omitting hi because English has no overt equivalent.
❌ Jo m'he acostumat al soroll, però la Jana encara no s'ha acostumat.
Incorrect for ‘hasn't got used to it’—the a-complement must be resumed by hi.
✅ Jo m'he acostumat al soroll, però la Jana encara no s'hi ha acostumat.
I've got used to the noise, but Jana still hasn't got used to it.
5. Importing Spanish personal a before an ordinary direct object.
❌ He vist a la Marta i te l'he presentada.
Incorrect—the ordinary human direct object does not automatically take personal a in Catalan.
✅ He vist la Marta i te l'he presentada.
I saw Marta and introduced her to you.
Key Takeaways
Order the pronouns before spelling them. Before a finite verb, use spaces except where elision creates an apostrophe, and move that apostrophe rightward when a following vowel permits: me'l dona but me l'envia. After a licensed host, attach the whole cluster with hyphens and at most one apostrophe: dona-me'l, escriure'ns-ho, posa-l'hi. Keep li, hi, and ho unapostrophized, and treat careful la hi as distinct from its common spoken reduction l'hi.
Related Topics
- Elided Weak-Pronoun FormsA2 — Choose m', t', l', s', and n' before vowel-initial verbs, including the feminine la exception before unstressed i and u.
- Postverbal Pronouns with Infinitives, Gerunds, and ImperativesA2 — Attach weak pronouns after infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative imperatives with the correct full or reduced form.
- Ordering Two Weak PronounsB1 — Build two-pronoun clusters by grammatical role, with the standard Central order, spelling, and placement before and after the verb.
- Three-Pronoun ClustersB2 — Decode and build three-pronoun clusters by function, normative order, placement, and register.
- Pronoun Placement Across Verb FormsB1 — Place weak pronouns before finite verbs, after infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative imperatives, and correctly across verb phrases.
- The ApostropheA2 — Use the Catalan apostrophe with articles, de, and weak pronouns, including the vowel and clitic contexts that block elision.