Néixer means “to be born” or, figuratively, “to arise.” English packages birth as the passive expression be born; Catalan uses one active, intransitive verb: Vaig néixer a Girona, literally “I born-at Girona.” The verb is irregular, but its forms become manageable when grouped around five principal parts: neixo – naixia – nasquí – naixeré – nascut.
Nonfinite forms and the stem family
| Form | Catalan | English guide |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | néixer | to be born |
| Perfect infinitive | haver nascut | to have been born |
| Gerund | naixent | being born; arising |
| Perfect gerund | havent nascut | having been born |
| Participle | nascut; nascuda, nascuts, nascudes | born |
The participle is not neixut or naixit. In a compound tense it stays in the default masculine singular form: les bessones han nascut, not han nascudes. It agrees only when functioning adjectivally or as a noun: una criatura nascuda abans d'hora; els nascuts el 2001. See irregular participles for the general distinction.
Indicative: simple and periphrastic tenses
| Tense | jo | tu | ell / ella / vostè | nosaltres | vosaltres | ells / elles / vostès |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | neixo | neixes | neix | naixem | naixeu | neixen |
| Imperfect | naixia | naixies | naixia | naixíem | naixíeu | naixien |
| Periphrastic past | vaig néixer | vas néixer | va néixer | vam néixer | vau néixer | van néixer |
| Simple past | naixí / nasquí | naixeres / nasqueres | naixé / nasqué | naixérem / nasquérem | naixéreu / nasquéreu | naixeren / nasqueren |
| Future | naixeré | naixeràs | naixerà | naixerem | naixereu | naixeran |
| Conditional | naixeria | naixeries | naixeria | naixeríem | naixeríeu | naixerien |
The stressed present cells use neix- in the Central baseline, whereas the endings stressed on -em and -eu expose naix-. The IEC also accepts naixes, naix, and naixen beside neixes, neix, and neixen; the table keeps one coherent Central series for learning. This is a vowel alternation, not the incoative suffix -eix-: naixeixo and naixim are impossible. The ordinary spoken completed past is periphrastic. The simple past is most visible in (formal/literary) narration, though it remains conversational in some Valencian and Balearic varieties (regional); both IEC series shown in the table are standard.
Vaig néixer a Reus, però he viscut gairebé sempre a Manresa.
I was born in Reus, but I have lived in Manresa for nearly all my life.
D'aquella conversa neix la idea de compartir el taller.
The idea of sharing the workshop arises from that conversation.
La seva filla naixerà a finals de novembre si tot va bé.
Their daughter will be born in late November if all goes well.
Indicative: compound tenses
Every compound tense uses haver + nascut. Catalan never copies English be born as ser nascut when narrating the event. Ser nascut a X can occur as a marked adjectival description (formal/literary), but ordinary biography uses néixer.
| Tense | jo | tu | ell / ella / vostè | nosaltres | vosaltres | ells / elles / vostès |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present perfect | he nascut | has nascut | ha nascut | hem nascut | heu nascut | han nascut |
| Pluperfect | havia nascut | havies nascut | havia nascut | havíem nascut | havíeu nascut | havien nascut |
| Past anterior | haguí nascut | hagueres nascut | hagué nascut | haguérem nascut | haguéreu nascut | hagueren nascut |
| Future perfect | hauré nascut | hauràs nascut | haurà nascut | haurem nascut | haureu nascut | hauran nascut |
| Conditional perfect | hauria nascut | hauries nascut | hauria nascut | hauríem nascut | hauríeu nascut | haurien nascut |
The past anterior is now chiefly (formal/literary). In everyday narration, the pluperfect or a time clause normally does its work.
Quan van inaugurar l'escola, jo encara no havia nascut.
When they opened the school, I had not been born yet.
Aquest matí han nascut quatre cadells sans a la protectora.
Four healthy puppies have been born at the shelter this morning.
Subjunctive and restricted periphrastic forms
| Tense | jo | tu | ell / ella / vostè | nosaltres | vosaltres | ells / elles / vostès |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | neixi | neixis | neixi | naixem / nasquem | naixeu / nasqueu | neixin |
| Imperfect | naixés / nasqués | naixessis / nasquessis | naixés / nasqués | naixéssim / nasquéssim | naixéssiu / nasquéssiu | naixessin / nasquessin |
| Present perfect | hagi nascut | hagis nascut | hagi nascut | hàgim nascut | hàgiu nascut | hagin nascut |
| Pluperfect | hagués nascut | haguessis nascut | hagués nascut | haguéssim nascut | haguéssiu nascut | haguessin nascut |
The unmarked Central present is neixi, neixis...; nasquem, nasqueu are also standard alongside naixem, naixeu. Notice that naixem can be indicative, subjunctive, or first-person plural imperative. The surrounding syntax—not a different spelling—signals the mood: Naixem en un lloc states a fact; volen que naixem en un lloc presents a desired event.
Esperem que el nadó neixi sense complicacions i que aviat pugui tornar a casa.
We hope the baby is born without complications and can return home soon.
Si haguessis nascut deu anys abans, hauries conegut l'avi.
If you had been born ten years earlier, you would have met Grandad.
For completeness, the periphrastic past anterior is vaig/vas/va/vam/vau/van haver nascut. The periphrastic subjunctive past is vagi/vagis/vagi/vàgim/vàgiu/vagin néixer, and its anterior is the same six forms followed by haver nascut. These are (regional/formal) and are not the default conversational choices.
Imperative, syntax, and weak pronouns
| Addressee | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tu | neix / naix | no neixis |
| vostè | neixi | no neixi |
| nosaltres | naixem / nasquem | no naixem / no nasquem |
| vosaltres | naixeu | no naixeu / no nasqueu |
| vostès | neixin | no neixin |
Literal imperatives are pragmatically rare; metaphorical ones such as Neix de nou belong mainly to (literary) or advertising language. Ordinary néixer is nonpronominal. A clitic may replace a complement, but it is not part of the citation form: Hi vaig néixer means “I was born there,” while em vaig néixer is ungrammatical.
Els pares es van conèixer a Olot i la Mariona hi va néixer molts anys després.
The parents met in Olot, and Mariona was born there many years later.
The most useful frames are néixer a + place, néixer el + date, néixer de + source/cause, néixer amb + characteristic, and néixer per a + purpose. A town takes a, not a Spanish-style en. Figurative néixer de treats an idea or conflict as emerging from a source.
La cooperativa va néixer de la necessitat de mantenir oberta l'única botiga del poble.
The cooperative arose from the need to keep the village's only shop open.
Regional standards
The IEC recognizes substantial systematic variation. (Regional: Valencian) has the infinitive nàixer, first-person nasc, present subjunctive nasca, nasques, nasca, naixem/nasquem, naixeu/nasqueu, nasquen, and an imperfect in -ra such as nasquera. (Regional: Balearic) nesc is standard, with neixi/nesqui variants. Northwestern speech admits naixo, naixes, naix... beside neix- forms. Northern and Alguerese traditions have further local realizations; learners writing general cross-regional Catalan should use the Central baseline table while recognizing these coherent standards rather than mixing isolated cells.
Common Mistakes
❌ La criatura ha naixit aquesta matinada.
Incorrect—the participle is irregular: nascut, not naixit.
✅ La criatura ha nascut aquesta matinada a l'hospital comarcal.
The baby was born early this morning at the district hospital.
❌ Els meus avis es van néixer en Barcelona.
Incorrect—ordinary néixer is not pronominal, and a city normally takes a.
✅ Els meus avis van néixer a Barcelona, al mateix carrer.
My grandparents were born in Barcelona, on the same street.
❌ Cada primavera naixeixen pollets al galliner.
Incorrect—néixer is not an incoative -ir verb and never adds -eix-.
✅ Cada primavera neixen pollets al galliner de l'escola.
Every spring chicks are born in the school's henhouse.
❌ La iniciativa va néixer per una conversa entre veïns.
Incorrect for the source of an idea—the characteristic relation is néixer de.
✅ La iniciativa va néixer d'una conversa entre veïns al mercat.
The initiative arose from a conversation among neighbors at the market.
Key Takeaways
Build the paradigm around neixo, naixia, nasquí, naixeré, and nascut. Use haver in every compound tense, keep nascut invariable there, and use plain—not pronominal—néixer for a birth. The Central forms coexist with well-established Valencian, Balearic, and Northwestern systems; variation is real, but it is patterned.
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