A Catalan yes–no question asks whether an entire proposition is true: Treballes demà? “Are you working tomorrow?” The words can be identical to those in the statement Treballes demà. Speech marks the question chiefly through intonation; writing marks it with a question mark. Catalan does not insert an equivalent of English do, does, or did, and it does not require an auxiliary to swap places with the subject.
The basic pattern: the clause stays intact
Start from a statement, keep the finite verb in its normal tense, and pronounce the clause with interrogative intonation.
| Statement | Yes–no question | English question |
|---|---|---|
| Treballes demà. | Treballes demà? | Are you working tomorrow? |
| La farmàcia és oberta. | La farmàcia és oberta? | Is the pharmacy open? |
| Ja han sopat. | Ja han sopat? | Have they had dinner already? |
| La coneixes. | La coneixes? | Do you know her? |
Tens un carregador que em puguis deixar?
Do you have a charger you can lend me?
Heu reservat taula per a sis persones?
Have you booked a table for six people?
Plourà també a la costa?
Will it rain on the coast too?
English changes the structure: you work becomes do you work? and she knows becomes does she know? Catalan relies on the existing finite verb. Never add fer “do” as a question-building auxiliary. Fas treballar...? is a real Catalan causative meaning “Do you make [someone] work...?”, not a neutral question form.
Intonation and punctuation
In Central Catalan, a neutral information-seeking yes–no question commonly has a final rise. Real contours vary with dialect, sentence length, and attitude: an echo question may rise sharply, while a challenging or already-biased question can end less strongly. Intonation is therefore meaningful, but learners do not need to imitate one rigid melody.
Encara ets a l'oficina?
Are you still at the office?
De debò vols anar-hi caminant?
Do you really want to walk there?
Standard Catalan places ? immediately after the final word, with no preceding space. Unlike Spanish, it does not automatically put ¿ at the start. An opening sign can be used to help readers interpret a very long or structurally complex question that does not begin with an interrogative cue, but it is not the everyday default.
If the question is only part of a larger sentence, the mark closes that part:
Per cert, vindràs al dinar de diumenge?
By the way, are you coming to Sunday's lunch?
A vocative is separated by a comma because it is outside the clause: Júlia, tens un moment? The comma is not a special question marker.
Subject position: omitted, after the verb, or before it
Catalan is a null-subject language. When the verb ending and context identify the subject, a pronoun is normally omitted.
Veniu amb nosaltres a la platja?
Are you coming to the beach with us?
Adding vosaltres is possible but gives it contrast: Veniu vosaltres...? can mean “Are you, rather than someone else, coming?” With a noun subject, both positions can occur, but they do different discourse work.
Vindrà el lampista aquest matí?
Will the plumber come this morning?
El lampista vindrà aquest matí?
The plumber is coming this morning?
The postverbal subject in the first example is a natural way to ask for new information. The preverbal subject in the second is already the topic and may sound like a confirmation or echo. There is no English-style rule that the subject must invert with an auxiliary. See subject position in questions for the full information-structure contrast.
Negative questions carry expectations
Adding no does more than reverse truth conditions. A negative question often signals surprise, an expected positive answer, or a friendly suggestion.
No tens fred sense jaqueta?
Aren't you cold without a jacket?
No et quedes a sopar amb nosaltres?
Aren't you staying for dinner with us?
Compare the minimal pair:
Vols una mica més de cafè?
Would you like a little more coffee?
No vols una mica més de cafè?
Don't you want a little more coffee?
The first is a neutral offer. The second gently suggests that the speaker expected or hopes for sí. This expectation is pragmatic, not part of the dictionary meaning of no.
Short answers must make the polarity clear
The simplest answers are sí and no. After a negative question, repeat the verb when misunderstanding is possible.
| Question | Positive answer | Negative answer |
|---|---|---|
| Vindràs? | Sí. / Sí, vindré. | No. / No, no vindré. |
| No vindràs? | Sí, sí que vindré. | No, no vindré. |
—No hi has estat mai? —Sí, sí que hi he estat; hi vam anar l'estiu passat.
‘Haven't you ever been there?’ ‘Yes, I have; we went last summer.’
The construction sí que + verb firmly affirms the positive proposition. It is especially useful because languages organize answers to negative questions differently. Do not assume a bare English “yes” always communicates enough.
Tags ask for confirmation
A statement can become a check with a short tag. Catalan does not reproduce the changing English auxiliary in isn't it?, haven't they?, won't you?
La reunió és a dos quarts de sis, oi?
The meeting is at half past five, right?
Demà no obren, no?
They aren't open tomorrow, are they?
Oi? and no? are common and invariable. Veritat? is also possible, while eh? is (informal) and depends heavily on tone. The dedicated page on question tags explains their social force; here the important point is that no auxiliary agreement is required.
A decision table
| What you want | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| neutral information | ordinary clause + question intonation | Arribeu avui? |
| identify a new noun subject | verb + subject | Ha trucat la metgessa? |
| confirm an established topic | subject + verb | La metgessa ha trucat? |
| show an expectation or offer | no
| No en vols més? |
| seek quick confirmation | statement + oi? / no? | Ja ho tens, oi? |
A natural dialogue
—Has vist les claus del cotxe? —No eren damunt la taula? —Ara no hi són. Les has agafades tu? —No, però vols que t'ajudi a buscar-les?
‘Have you seen the car keys?’ ‘Weren't they on the table?’ ‘They aren't there now. Did you take them?’ ‘No, but do you want me to help you look for them?’
The questions preserve ordinary Catalan clause structure. Les and hi stay next to their verbs, and the explicit final tu contrasts the addressee with other possible people; it is not auxiliary inversion.
Common Mistakes
❌ Fas tu treballar demà?
Incorrect if you mean ‘Do you work tomorrow?’ Fer is a causative verb, not Catalan do-support.
✅ Treballes demà?
Do you work tomorrow?
❌ ¿Ja heu pagat el compte?
Spanish-style opening punctuation is not the default for this short Catalan question.
✅ Ja heu pagat el compte?
Have you paid the bill already?
❌ És la teva germana vindrà també?
Incorrect word-for-word transfer of an English auxiliary pattern.
✅ La teva germana també vindrà?
Is your sister coming too?
❌ No vindràs? —Sí, no vindré.
Incorrect: sí affirms that the speaker is coming, but no vindré then denies it.
✅ No vindràs? —Sí, sí que vindré.
Aren't you coming? — Yes, I am coming.
Short correction task
Correct the three questions.
- Fas coneixes aquest carrer?
- ¿La biblioteca tanca a les vuit?
- És vindrà el teu cosí amb tren?
Coneixes aquest carrer?
Do you know this street?
La biblioteca tanca a les vuit?
Does the library close at eight?
Vindrà el teu cosí amb tren?
Will your cousin come by train?
Key Takeaways
- A yes–no question normally keeps the Catalan clause intact; there is no do/does/did auxiliary to insert.
- Spoken intonation and final ? mark the question. Initial ¿ is not automatic and is reserved for cases where it helps parse a long question.
- Omit recoverable subject pronouns; use an overt subject when it identifies new information or marks contrast.
- After a negative question, sí que + verb and no, no + verb make the intended answer unambiguous.
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Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- Subject Position in QuestionsA2 — How Catalan places, omits, or postpones a question's subject according to grammatical role, information status, and contrast rather than English auxiliary inversion.
- Question Tags and Confirmation ChecksA2 — How Catalan uses oi, no, veritat, eh, que no, and regional confirmation formulas to seek agreement, check assumptions, and manage politeness.
- Embedded QuestionsA2 — How Catalan places questions inside statements and larger questions with si or an interrogative phrase, declarative punctuation, and non-inverted word order.
- Biased and Negative QuestionsC1 — How Catalan questions encode speaker expectations through no, no pas, que no, tags, tense, and explicit polarity in answers.
- Que and És Que in QuestionsB2 — How unaccented clause-initial que and explanatory és que frame Catalan questions, and how they differ from interrogative què.
- Basic Negation with NoA1 — How Catalan no negates finite and nonfinite predicates, combines with clitics, and answers questions without English-style auxiliary verbs.