Catalan weak pronouns normally precede a finite verb—la veig, no li escric—but they attach after an infinitive, a gerund, or an affirmative imperative: veure-la, escrivint-li, truca'm. The pronoun and verb form one written unit, linked by a hyphen or apostrophe.
There are two decisions: first, whether the grammar licenses postverbal placement; second, whether the end of the verb requires a full form such as -me/-lo/-ne or a reduced form such as 'm/'l/'n. English object position answers neither question.
Where postverbal pronouns occur
Use an attached postverbal pronoun with these hosts:
| Host | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| infinitive | infinitive + pronoun | vull comprar-la |
| gerund | gerund + pronoun | estic buscant-la |
| affirmative imperative | imperative + pronoun | compra-la |
He de trucar a la directora abans de les deu. → He de trucar-li abans de les deu.
I have to call the director before ten. → I have to call her before ten.
Els tècnics continuen revisant-lo perquè encara falla de tant en tant.
The technicians are still checking it because it still fails occasionally.
Aquests documents són urgents: envia'ls abans de plegar.
These documents are urgent: send them before you finish work.
The pronoun remains an argument of the lexical verb. In trucar-li, li is the addressee of trucar; in revisant-lo, lo is the direct object of revisant. Attaching the pronoun does not change which preposition or object type the verb selects.
Full forms after a consonant or u
After a verb ending in a consonant or u, use a syllabic full form and join it with a hyphen. Most infinitives end in -r, gerunds end in -nt, and second-person plural imperatives often end in -u, so this pattern is extremely common.
| Pronoun | Full postverbal form | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| em | -me | escoltar-me, escolteu-me |
| et | -te | sentir-te, buscant-te |
| es | -se | rentar-se, rentant-se |
| ens | -nos | ajudar-nos, ajudeu-nos |
| us | -vos | veient-vos, prepareu-vos |
| el | -lo | llegir-lo, llegint-lo |
| els | -los | llegir-los, llegint-los |
| en | -ne | parlar-ne, parlant-ne |
Si no enteneu les instruccions, torneu a llegir-les i després pregunteu-nos-ho.
If you don't understand the instructions, read them again and then ask us about it.
The invariant forms -la, -les, -li, -ho, and -hi also attach with a hyphen: mirar-la, portant-les, escriure-li, fer-ho, anar-hi. They do not acquire an extra vowel merely because they are postverbal.
Reduced forms after a vowel other than u
After a verb ending in a vowel other than u, the forms that can lose their vowel become reduced and attach with an apostrophe on their left: 'm, 't, 's, 'ns, 'l, 'ls, and 'n. The pronoun us has reduced -us, written with a hyphen. The invariant forms remain hyphenated.
| Underlying pronoun | After another vowel | Example |
|---|---|---|
| em | 'm | mira'm |
| et | 't | asseu-te after consonant, but mira't after a |
| es | 's | moure's |
| ens | 'ns | ajuda'ns |
| us | -us | escriure-us |
| el | 'l | mira'l |
| els | 'ls | mira'ls |
| en | 'n | compra'n |
Marta, espera'm cinc minuts i després acompanya'ns fins al metro.
Marta, wait for me for five minutes and then walk us to the metro.
Si les cireres són bones, compra'n un quilo i porta'l a casa dels avis.
If the cherries are good, buy a kilo and take it to the grandparents' house.
The infinitives ending in written -re deserve attention because their final letter is a vowel: veure'l, escriure'ns, escriure-us. By contrast, conèixer ends in written -r and therefore takes the full form in conèixer-te. There is no honest shortcut beyond inspecting the actual end of the written verb. Most other infinitives also end in -r and therefore use full forms: mirar-lo, comprar-ne, ajudar-nos.
The invariant forms stay hyphenated after a vowel: mira-la, porta-les, explica-li, deixa-ho, torna-hi. Never invent mira'la or deixa'ho.
Affirmative and negative commands split
An affirmative imperative takes an attached pronoun. A negative command uses the subjunctive and places the pronoun before the verb, after no.
Obre la finestra. → Obre-la, que aquí fa molta calor.
Open the window. → Open it; it's very hot in here.
No l'obris encara; primer apaga l'alarma.
Don't open it yet; turn off the alarm first.
Digueu-li que passi, però no li expliqueu el motiu.
Tell her to come in, but don't explain the reason to her.
This polarity split is grammatical, not stylistic. (informal) spontaneous speech sometimes shows analogical forms, but the standard opposition is firm: fes-ho / no ho facis; porta-me'l / no me'l portis.
Infinitives inside verb phrases
With many modal and aspectual verb phrases, a weak pronoun can either precede the finite verb or attach to the infinitive. Both options refer to the same antecedent:
La proposta? La podem revisar demà. / Podem revisar-la demà.
The proposal? We can review it tomorrow.
No m'ho vol explicar. / No vol explicar-m'ho.
She doesn't want to explain it to me.
Do not attach a pronoun to a past participle: he vist-la is not the standard compound-tense pattern. Use l'he vista/l'he vist. Nor may the pronoun float between arbitrary words: placement depends on the verbal construction, as explained on Pronoun Climbing with Verb Periphrases.
A replacement dialogue
—Què faig amb la capsa? —Porta-la al magatzem. —I els cables? —Deixa'ls aquí; els hem de provar.
What should I do with the box? —Take it to the storeroom. —And the cables? —Leave them here; we have to test them.
The antecedents are explicit: feminine singular la capsa gives porta-la; masculine plural els cables gives deixa'ls and preverbal els. This contrast shows that the form depends on both agreement and position.
Regional perspective
The attachment system is shared across the standards, but spoken variants exist. (regional: Valencian, Balearic, and some other areas) full vos is vigorous both before and after the verb, while formal cross-regional usage often prefers us where reduction is licensed, as in escriure-us. (regional: Northwestern, Balearic, and Alguerese) colloquial mos can replace ens, producing forms such as explica-mos; this does not normally enter formal prose. Learners should recognize such forms without mixing them randomly into the Central baseline.
Common Mistakes
1. Leaving a space instead of attaching the pronoun.
❌ He de revisar la abans de la reunió.
Incorrect—the postverbal pronoun attaches directly to the infinitive.
✅ He de revisar-la abans de la reunió.
I have to review it before the meeting.
2. Using a full form after a vowel-final imperative.
❌ Espera-me davant de l'entrada.
Incorrect—after final a, em takes the reduced form 'm.
✅ Espera'm davant de l'entrada.
Wait for me in front of the entrance.
3. Using a reduced form after a consonant-final gerund.
❌ Estava mirant'l quan m'has trucat.
Incorrect—after consonant-final mirant, use full -lo.
✅ Estava mirant-lo quan m'has trucat.
I was looking at it when you called me.
4. Keeping enclisis in a negative command.
❌ No obris-la fins que arribem.
Incorrect—a negative imperative places the pronoun before the verb.
✅ No l'obris fins que arribem.
Don't open it until we arrive.
5. Attaching the pronoun to a participle.
❌ Ja he enviat-lo a la clienta.
Incorrect—in a compound tense, the pronoun precedes the finite auxiliary.
✅ Ja l'he enviat a la clienta.
I've already sent it to the client.
Key Takeaways
Attach weak pronouns after infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative imperatives. After a consonant or u, use full forms such as -me, -lo, and -ne; after another vowel, use reduced forms such as 'm, 'l, and 'n where available. Keep -la, -les, -li, -ho, and -hi hyphenated and unchanged. Negative commands switch to preverbal placement: obre-la but no l'obris.
Related Topics
- 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.
- Indirect-Object Weak PronounsA2 — Use em, et, li, ens, us, and els for recipients, addressees, experiencers, and other indirect objects.
- 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.
- Pronoun Placement Across Verb FormsB1 — Place weak pronouns before finite verbs, after infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative imperatives, and correctly across verb phrases.
- Clitic Climbing with Verb PeriphrasesB2 — Choose where a Catalan weak pronoun can stand in modal, obligative, progressive, and closely integrated verb phrases.
- Pronouns with Negative ImperativesB1 — Place Catalan weak pronouns before a negative subjunctive command and contrast that pattern with attachment after affirmative imperatives.