The sequence n'hi can contain two weak pronouns: en plus hi. In De cadires, n'hi posarem quatre, en resumes the kind “chairs” and hi resumes the destination. English says simply “we'll put four there,” but Catalan marks both the omitted noun and the omitted place.
Outside a few very frequent patterns, genuine en + hi is less common than either pronoun alone. It is nevertheless fully grammatical when the two pronouns have separate jobs. The difficulty is that the same spelling n'hi also occurs with existential haver-hi and, in some varieties, as an alternative to li'n. Those three analyses must not be confused.
Genuine en plus hi: two constituents, two pronouns
The clearest productive pattern combines partitive en with locative hi. Start from a verb that has a quantified noun phrase and a location or destination:
| Full sentence | en replaces | hi replaces | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Posaré dues ampolles a la nevera. | ampolles | a la nevera | N'hi posaré dues. |
| Guardem tres còpies al núvol. | còpies | al núvol | N'hi guardem tres. |
| No deixis cap capsa al passadís. | capsa | al passadís | No n'hi deixis cap. |
Portarem sis cadires a la terrassa. → N'hi portarem sis.
We'll take six chairs to the terrace. → We'll take six there.
No guardo cap document en aquesta carpeta. → No n'hi guardo cap.
I don't keep any documents in this folder. → I don't keep any there.
The visible numeral or quantifier remains because en replaces the noun, not the amount. Meanwhile, hi replaces a complement introduced by a or en. This semantic decomposition is the safest test: if you cannot identify two distinct missing phrases, you probably do not need both pronouns.
Review partitive en and locative hi separately before combining them; the cluster preserves the restrictions of both pronouns.
En for a de-complement plus locative hi
Partitivity is not the only possibility. En may resume a complement governed by de, while hi independently resumes a place or another eligible prepositional phrase.
Parlen del pressupost a la reunió. → En parlen a la reunió. → N'hi parlen.
They talk about the budget at the meeting. → They talk about it at the meeting. → They talk about it there.
No parlarem d'aquest problema al sopar; no n'hi parlarem gens.
We won't talk about this problem at dinner; we won't talk about it there at all.
Here n' and hi cannot exchange places. En is selected by parlar de; hi is locative. English “about it there” appears after the verb, but Catalan orders the two weak pronouns together before the finite verb.
When a full phrase remains as a detached topic or clarification, punctuation reveals the structure: D'aquest problema, no n'hi parlarem, al sopar. The pronouns occupy their positions inside the clause; the edge phrases merely make the antecedents explicit. Without detachment, repeating both a pronoun and the same integrated complement is normally redundant.
Position and spelling
Before a finite verb, the order is always en + hi, written n'hi: n'hi poso, no n'hi deixis, n'hi hem parlat. The apostrophe belongs between the two pronouns because en elides before vowel-initial hi. It does not move to imitate the surrounding words.
After an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative imperative, the cluster attaches to the verb. The same internal sequence appears as -n'hi:
A la prestatgeria encara hi caben llibres; podem posar-n'hi cinc més.
There is still room for books on the shelf; we can put five more there.
Aquestes plantes necessiten més llum: posa-n'hi dues, al balcó.
These plants need more light: put two of them there, on the balcony.
A la recepció faltaven còpies, i ella anava deixant-n'hi una cada vegada que en trobava.
Reception was running short of copies, and she kept leaving one there whenever she found one.
Forms such as en hi poso and posar-ne-hi wrongly keep a vowel that standard spelling elides. After the verb, a hyphen links the host to the cluster and the apostrophe marks the contact inside n'hi: posar-n'hi.
N'hi with existential haver-hi
The most frequent n'hi occurs in existential haver-hi: n'hi ha. Synchronically, hi is part of the existential construction, while en resumes an indefinite noun, kind, or amount.
Hi ha tres farmàcies al barri. → De farmàcies, n'hi ha tres al barri.
There are three pharmacies in the neighborhood. → As for pharmacies, there are three in the neighborhood.
—Queda cafè? —Sí, encara n'hi ha una mica al termos.
Is there any coffee left? —Yes, there's still a little in the thermos.
The explicit location al barri or al termos may remain because existential hi is not simply a replaceable word meaning “there.” It helps form haver-hi. This is why n'hi ha is extremely common even though freely built en + hi clusters are relatively limited.
Several expressions have become partly lexicalized:
| Expression | Usual meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| n'hi ha prou | there is enough / that is enough | neutral |
| no n'hi ha prou | there is not enough | neutral |
| no n'hi ha per tant | it is not such a big deal | (informal) |
| n'hi ha per llogar-hi cadires | it is outrageous | (informal) |
Amb una disculpa no n'hi ha prou; han de reparar el dany.
An apology isn't enough; they have to repair the damage.
In these expressions, trying to assign a concrete place to every hi obscures the modern grammar. Learn the construction as a whole while recognizing the contribution of partitive en.
A different n'hi: the dialectal alternative to li'n
In some varieties, including much (regional: Central Catalan) informal speech, n'hi can represent singular indirect li plus partitive en: Donaré quatre pomes a la Jana → N'hi donaré quatre. Here hi is not locative. It is the variant that replaces dative li in the cluster.
A la Jana, li'n donaré quatre, de pomes.
I'll give Jana four apples.
A la Jana, n'hi donaré quatre, de pomes.
I'll give Jana four apples. (regional alternative)
Both patterns are accepted in the varieties that use them, but (formal) edited language more commonly chooses li'n because its two functions remain transparent. (regional: Valencian) standard usage normally preserves li'n. Do not use this dialectal n'hi as proof that hi always means “there.”
No impossible duplicates
The same constituent cannot normally generate two copies of one pronoun. Catalan rejects en en and hi hi. Nor does every verb with a preposition require n'hi: pensar en el viatge becomes pensar-hi, not pensar-n'hi, because there is no separate de-complement or partitive noun for en.
Similarly, do not retain the noun that partitive en has replaced inside the same noun phrase. Say De llibres, n'hi ha tres or simply Hi ha tres llibres, not N'hi ha tres llibres with redundant en.
A dialogue with clear antecedents
—Quantes ampolles d'aigua poso a la nevera? —Posa-n'hi dues; les altres deixa-les al rebost.
How many bottles of water should I put in the fridge? —Put two there; leave the others in the pantry.
In posa-n'hi dues, en retrieves ampolles d'aigua, dues supplies the quantity, and hi retrieves a la nevera. No inference about either antecedent is needed.
Common Mistakes
1. Omitting en because English keeps only the number.
❌ A l'armari hi posaré tres.
Incorrect for ‘I'll put three shirts there’ when the omitted noun must be resumed.
✅ De camises, a l'armari n'hi posaré tres.
As for shirts, I'll put three in the wardrobe.
2. Omitting hi because English leaves the destination implicit.
❌ —Quantes carpetes deixo al despatx? —Deixa'n dues.
Incorrect if the intended reply explicitly resumes ‘at the office’ as well as ‘folders.’
✅ —Quantes carpetes deixo al despatx? —Deixa-n'hi dues.
How many folders should I leave at the office? —Leave two there.
3. Reversing the cluster or separating its elided form.
❌ A la caixa forta, hi en guardem quatre.
Incorrect—the order is en + hi, and en elides.
✅ A la caixa forta, n'hi guardem quatre.
We keep four of them in the safe.
4. Adding Spanish-style personal a to a quantified direct object.
❌ —Portarem a tres alumnes al laboratori? —Sí, hi en portarem tres.
Incorrect—tres alumnes is an ordinary direct object without automatic personal a, and the cluster order is en + hi.
✅ —Portarem tres alumnes al laboratori? —Sí, n'hi portarem tres.
Are we taking three students to the laboratory? —Yes, we'll take three there.
5. Adding en when there is only one prepositional complement.
❌ Penses en la proposta? Sí, n'hi penso sovint.
Incorrect—en la proposta is one complement, represented by hi alone.
✅ Penses en la proposta? Sí, hi penso sovint.
Do you think about the proposal? Yes, I think about it often.
Key Takeaways
Use genuine n'hi when en and hi represent two different elements: an omitted kind plus a place, or a de-complement plus a place. Recognize the special behavior of n'hi ha and the regional dative use of n'hi beside formal li'n. Write n'hi before the verb and -n'hi after a licensed postverbal host; never manufacture en en, hi hi, or an extra pronoun without a separate syntactic function.
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Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- En as a Partitive PronounB1 — Use partitive en to resume indefinite nouns, mass nouns, and counted sets while keeping quantities and agreement visible.
- En for De-ComplementsB1 — Use en to replace complements selected by de after verbs, adjectives, and nouns, while respecting focus and extraction limits.
- Hi for LocationsB1 — Use hi for static places, destinations, and paths, and keep obligatory hi in the existential verb haver-hi.
- Combining En with Other PronounsB1 — Form and place me'n, te'n, se'n, ens en, us en, li'n, and els en while preserving the function encoded by en.
- Combining Hi with Other PronounsB1 — Build and interpret clusters such as m'hi, s'hi, l'hi, and la hi while keeping each pronoun's function distinct.
- Redundant and Lexicalized Weak PronounsC1 — Distinguish meaningful resumption and lexicalized hi or en from nonstandard duplication of a weak pronoun.