Conjugation of moure | Catalan Grammar

Moure means “to move”: to change something's position, set a mechanism in motion, stir a mixture, or prompt people to act. Its pronominal form moure's means “to move oneself, get around, or take action.” English often uses the same unmarked verb in both roles, but Catalan normally distinguishes transitive moure una cadira from intransitive moure's de lloc.

The useful principal parts are moc – movia – moguí – mouré – mogui – mogut. The family looks irregular only if every form is forced directly from the infinitive: mov- serves the imperfect and gerund, mogu- serves the simple past and subjunctive, and mou- serves the future. The verb is not incoative.

For the wider pattern behind moc and mogui, see velar-stem verbs.

💡

Learn the short chain moc – moguí – mogui – mouré – mogut. The written u in mogu- keeps g hard before e/i; it is not a new spoken vowel.

Nonfinite forms

Form	Catalan	English guide
Infinitive	moure	to move
Perfect infinitive	haver mogut	to have moved
Gerund	movent	moving
Perfect gerund	havent mogut	having moved
Participle	mogut; moguda, moguts, mogudes	moved

The gerund is movent, not moguent. In compound tenses mogut remains invariable: les peces que hem mogut. Its agreeing forms are adjectival or passive: una peça moguda amb molta cura.

Indicative: simple and periphrastic tenses

Tense	jo	tu	ell / ella / vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres	ells / elles / vostès
Present	moc	mous	mou	movem	moveu	mouen
Imperfect	movia	movies	movia	movíem	movíeu	movien
Periphrastic past	vaig moure	vas moure	va moure	vam moure	vau moure	van moure
Simple past	moguí	mogueres	mogué	moguérem	moguéreu	mogueren
Future	mouré	mouràs	mourà	mourem	moureu	mouran
Conditional	mouria	mouries	mouria	mouríem	mouríeu	mourien

The completed past normally heard in conversation is vaig moure. The synthetic moguí, mogueres... is particularly (formal/literary) in much Central Catalan, while retaining more spoken use in some Valencian and Balearic areas (regional). Unlike verbs such as tenir, moure keeps its full infinitive in the future: mouré, not moveré or modré.

Moc la taula una mica perquè tothom pugui passar.

I'm moving the table a little so everyone can get through.

Quan bufava tramuntana, les branques es movien tota la nit.

When the north wind blew, the branches moved all night.

Ahir vam moure els armaris abans que arribessin els pintors.

Yesterday we moved the cupboards before the painters arrived.

La notícia mogué el consistori a revisar el protocol.

The news prompted the council to review the protocol. (formal/literary)

Indicative compounds and subjunctive

All compound forms use haver + mogut. Catalan does not select a different auxiliary when moure's is pronominal: ens hem mogut, not som moguts.

Indicative tense	jo	tu	ell / ella / vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres	ells / elles / vostès
Present perfect	he mogut	has mogut	ha mogut	hem mogut	heu mogut	han mogut
Pluperfect	havia mogut	havies mogut	havia mogut	havíem mogut	havíeu mogut	havien mogut
Past anterior	haguí mogut	hagueres mogut	hagué mogut	haguérem mogut	haguéreu mogut	hagueren mogut
Future perfect	hauré mogut	hauràs mogut	haurà mogut	haurem mogut	haureu mogut	hauran mogut
Conditional perfect	hauria mogut	hauries mogut	hauria mogut	hauríem mogut	hauríeu mogut	haurien mogut

Subjunctive tense	jo	tu	ell / ella / vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres	ells / elles / vostès
Present	mogui	moguis	mogui	moguem	mogueu	moguin
Imperfect	mogués	moguessis	mogués	moguéssim	moguéssiu	moguessin
Present perfect	hagi mogut	hagis mogut	hagi mogut	hàgim mogut	hàgiu mogut	hagin mogut
Pluperfect	hagués mogut	haguessis mogut	hagués mogut	haguéssim mogut	haguéssiu mogut	haguessin mogut

(Regional: Valencian) the present subjunctive is commonly moga, mogues, moga, moguem, mogueu, moguen, and the imperfect also has moguera.... General Central forms use mogui and mogués. These are coherent regional paradigms, not interchangeable endings to scatter through one text.

No sembla que hagin mogut cap document de l'arxiu.

It doesn't look as though they have moved any document from the archive.

Si et moguessis una mica cap a la finestra, hi cabríem tots.

If you moved a little toward the window, we'd all fit.

The following rows complete the reference. The latter subjunctive series are (regional/formal), not default Central conversation.

Periphrastic tense	jo	tu	ell / ella / vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres	ells / elles / vostès
Indicative past anterior	vaig haver mogut	vas haver mogut	va haver mogut	vam haver mogut	vau haver mogut	van haver mogut
Subjunctive past	vagi moure	vagis moure	vagi moure	vàgim moure	vàgiu moure	vagin moure
Subjunctive past anterior	vagi haver mogut	vagis haver mogut	vagi haver mogut	vàgim haver mogut	vàgiu haver mogut	vagin haver mogut

Imperative, objects, and pronominal meaning

Addressee	Affirmative	Negative
tu	mou	no moguis
vostè	mogui	no mogui
nosaltres	moguem	no moguem
vosaltres	moveu	no mogueu
vostès	moguin	no moguin

With a direct object, an affirmative command takes an enclitic: mou-lo, moveu-les. Negative commands place it before the verb: no el moguis. With moure's, se is part of the pronominal meaning: mou-te, moveu-vos; no et moguis, no us mogueu.

Mou-la amb les dues mans, que la pantalla és fràgil.

Move it with both hands; the screen is fragile.

No us mogueu d'aquí fins que torni la guia.

Don't move from here until the guide returns.

Transitive moure algú a + infinitive means “prompt someone to do”: the goal takes a. Pronominal moure's per can describe a sphere or environment (moure's per la ciutat; moure's bé en cercles acadèmics). High-frequency collocations include moure fils “pull strings,” moure cel i terra “move heaven and earth,” and no moure ni un dit “not lift a finger.”

Va moure cel i terra perquè reobrissin l'ambulatori del barri.

She moved heaven and earth to get the neighborhood clinic reopened.

💡

Plain moure changes something else's position; moure's presents the subject as moving or operating. Keep that contrast visible when English leaves “move” unmarked.

Common Mistakes

❌ Estan moguent les cadires al passadís.

Incorrect—the gerund uses the regular stem mov-.

✅ Estan movent les cadires al passadís.

They're moving the chairs into the corridor.

❌ Ja hem movut el sofà dues vegades.

Incorrect—the irregular participle is mogut.

✅ Ja hem mogut el sofà dues vegades.

We've already moved the sofa twice.

❌ No mou-te fins que acabi la prova.

Incorrect—a negative command takes a preverbal pronoun and subjunctive form.

✅ No et moguis fins que acabi la prova.

Don't move until the test is over.

❌ La queixa va moure el director de convocar una reunió.

Incorrect—the person prompted to act is followed by a + infinitive.

✅ La queixa va moure el director a convocar una reunió.

The complaint prompted the director to call a meeting.

❌ Cada matí em moc la persiana del despatx.

Incorrect if the meaning is simply moving an external object; the reflexive pronoun changes the argument structure.

✅ Cada matí moc la persiana del despatx.

Every morning I move the office blind.

Key Takeaways

Retain moc, movia, moguí, mouré, mogui, and mogut. Use movent rather than moguent, form compounds with haver, and distinguish transitive moure una cosa from pronominal moure's. In commands, compare mou-lo with no el moguis and mou-te with no et moguis.

Now practice Catalan

Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.

Start learning Catalan →