Catalan has a special solution when singular third-person dative li “to him/her” meets a definite direct-object pronoun el, la, els, or les. In the Central standard and most other varieties, li becomes hi and follows the direct object: l'hi, la hi, els hi, les hi. In the Valencian standard, li remains li and comes first: li'l, li la, li'ls, li les.
Both systems are grammatical and systematic. The real errors come from mixing them, losing one of the two arguments, or using colloquial collapsed forms in formal writing without noticing what information they hide. For the larger hierarchy that contains both systems, see ordering two weak pronouns.
Why li changes to hi in the Central pattern
Begin with the two complements separately:
La mare dona l'esmorzar a en Pau. → La mare el dona a en Pau. / La mare li dona l'esmorzar.
The mother gives breakfast to Pau. → The mother gives it to Pau. / The mother gives Pau breakfast.
The direct object l'esmorzar gives masculine singular el. The recipient a en Pau gives singular dative li. When both are replaced in the Central pattern, the dative changes to hi and follows the direct object:
La mare dona l'esmorzar a en Pau. → La mare l'hi dona.
The mother gives breakfast to Pau. → She gives it to him.
The spelling l'hi contains two pronouns: l' represents the breakfast, while hi represents Pau as the singular recipient. It is not an elided spelling of single li, even though li and l'hi are pronounced alike in many varieties.
The four Central standard combinations
The direct-object pronoun keeps the gender and number of the thing transferred. The recipient is singular in every row.
| Direct object | Full phrase | Central cluster | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine singular el | el dossier a la Marta | l'hi | L'hi donaré. |
| feminine singular la | la clau al porter | la hi | La hi deixaré. |
| masculine plural els | els paquets a la veïna | els hi | Els hi portaré. |
| feminine plural les | les arracades al joier | les hi | Les hi duré. |
Deixaré la clau a la portera. → La hi deixaré abans de les vuit.
I'll leave the key with the concierge. → I'll leave it with her before eight.
Vull portar els regals a la Mònica demà. → Els hi vull portar demà.
I want to take the presents to Mònica tomorrow. → I want to take them to her tomorrow.
Portaré les arracades al joier dijous. → Les hi portaré dijous.
I'll take the earrings to the jeweler on Thursday. → I'll take them to him on Thursday.
The cluster does not show the recipient's gender: l'hi dono can mean “I give it to him” or “I give it to her.” Only the direct object controls the visible l'-, la, els, or les distinction.
La hi and informal l'hi
In spontaneous speech, (informal) la hi is very often reduced to l'hi. Thus L'hi deixaré may stand for either masculine el + hi or feminine la + hi. This reduction is accepted, but (formal) writing prefers la hi because it preserves the feminine direct-object form.
(informal)
La clau? L'hi deixaré jo, a la portera.
The key? I'll leave it with the concierge.
(formal)
La documentació original, la hi lliurarà la secretària.
The secretary will deliver the original documentation to him or her.
The labels describe register, not meaning. Both sentences contain a feminine singular direct object and a singular recipient. Formal la hi simply makes that structure visible.
Before and after the verb
Before a normal finite verb, write the cluster as a separate preverbal unit: l'hi dono, la hi poso, els hi porto, les hi envio. Negation precedes the entire cluster.
No les hi enviïs encara; el joier és fora fins dilluns.
Don't send them to him yet; the jeweler is away until Monday.
After an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative imperative, attach the entire cluster with the required apostrophe and hyphens:
| Preverbal | Postverbal | Example |
|---|---|---|
| l'hi dono | donar-l'hi / dona-l'hi | Dona-l'hi ara. |
| la hi deixo | deixar-la-hi / deixa-la-hi | Deixa-la-hi. |
| els hi porto | portar-los-hi / porta'ls-hi | Porta'ls-hi. |
| les hi envio | enviar-les-hi / envia-les-hi | Envia-les-hi. |
El dossier ja està revisat: pots donar-l'hi quan arribi.
The file has been reviewed: you can give it to her when she arrives.
Aquestes mostres són per al tècnic; porta-les-hi abans de dinar.
These samples are for the technician; take them to him before lunch.
The direct object and recipient remain adjacent. Dona-li el is not a valid way to attach two weak pronouns, and hi la donaré reverses the Central order.
The Valencian standard pattern
(regional: Valencian) li does not change to hi in this environment. It remains first, and the direct-object pronoun follows:
| Central standard | Valencian standard | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| l'hi dona | li'l dona | gives it (masc. sg.) to him/her |
| la hi dona | li la dona | gives it (fem. sg.) to him/her |
| els hi dona | li'ls dona | gives them (masc.) to him/her |
| les hi dona | li les dona | gives them (fem.) to him/her |
(regional: Valencian)
Les tasses són per a la mestra; pots portar-li-les?
The cups are for the teacher; can you take them to her?
El pare vol els petards abans de la festa; li'ls agafaré de l'armari demà.
Dad wants the firecrackers before the party; I'll get them from the cupboard for him tomorrow.
The second example follows the normative form li'ls; its exact beneficiary/source interpretation comes from the verb and context. Central and Valencian orders should each be kept internally consistent: Central la hi, Valencian li la, never hybrid li hi la or hi li la.
What els hi can and cannot mean
In formal Central usage, els hi on this page means masculine plural direct object + one singular recipient: Els regals, els hi donaré “I'll give the gifts to him/her.” It does not transparently mean “to them.”
For a plural recipient, formal writing retains plural dative els plus the direct object: els el, els la, els els, els les.
Donaré el mapa als excursionistes. → Els el donaré abans de sortir.
I'll give the map to the hikers. → I'll give it to them before leaving.
(informal, regional: much of the Central area) speakers often generalize els hi for plural dative els and for several clusters: els hi donaré may mean “I'll give it/them to them.” This is natural colloquial Catalan but hides number and gender distinctions, so it is not the preferred solution in (formal) writing.
Li versus l'hi
Use li when only the recipient is pronominalized and the direct object remains overt. Use l'hi when a masculine singular definite object and the recipient are both pronominalized.
Li donaré el contracte demà, però no l'hi donaré sense una còpia signada.
I'll give her the contract tomorrow, but I won't give it to her without a signed copy.
The contrast is visible in writing even when the forms sound alike: li + el contracte versus l'hi with both arguments replaced.
Common Mistakes
1. Keeping li but putting a Central direct-object clitic after it.
❌ Li el donaré aquesta tarda.
Incorrect hybrid—use the Central l'hi or the Valencian li'l.
✅ L'hi donaré aquesta tarda. / Li'l donaré aquesta vesprada.
I'll give it to him or her this afternoon. The second form is Valencian.
2. Reversing the Central order.
❌ Hi la deixaré, la clau, a la portera.
Incorrect—the definite direct object precedes dative hi.
✅ La hi deixaré, la clau, a la portera.
I'll leave the key with the concierge.
3. Dropping hi because English has no separate word for it.
❌ La clau? La deixaré demà.
Incomplete for the intended meaning 'I'll leave it with her'—the recipient is missing.
✅ La clau? La hi deixaré demà.
The key? I'll leave it with her tomorrow.
4. Using en for a complete definite object.
❌ El dossier? Li'n donaré demà.
Incorrect for the whole identified file—en would be partitive or resume a de-complement.
✅ El dossier? L'hi donaré demà.
The file? I'll give it to him tomorrow.
5. Treating Spanish personal a as proof of an indirect object.
❌ Veig a la Marta i li saludo.
Incorrect in the neutral standard pattern—Marta is a direct object here.
✅ Veig la Marta i la saludo.
I see Marta and greet her.
Key Takeaways
For one third-person recipient plus a definite object, Central standard Catalan uses l'hi, la hi, els hi, and les hi; Valencian standard uses li'l, li la, li'ls, and li les. Keep both pronouns, keep one regional system at a time, and distinguish single li from two-pronoun l'hi in writing.
Related Topics
- Indirect-Object Weak PronounsA2 — Use em, et, li, ens, us, and els for recipients, addressees, experiencers, and other indirect objects.
- Direct-Object Weak PronounsA2 — Replace definite direct objects with em, et, el, la, ens, us, els, and les, and place them correctly before a finite verb.
- Ordering Two Weak PronounsB1 — Build two-pronoun clusters by grammatical role, with the standard Central order, spelling, and placement before and after the verb.
- 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.
- Apostrophes and Hyphens in Pronoun ClustersB2 — Spell preverbal and postverbal pronoun clusters by choosing full, reinforced, elided, and reduced forms in the right order.
- Li or Els?B1 — Choose li for one third-person indirect object and els for more than one, while keeping gender, spoken leveling, and clitic clusters separate.