After a preposition, Catalan normally uses an infinitive to name an event: abans de sortir, per ajudar, sense dir res. English often uses an -ing form in exactly this position—“before leaving,” “by helping”—but Catalan does not switch to a gerund merely because a preposition comes first.
The difficult part is usually not the infinitive. It is the preposition: sometimes its meaning chooses the form, and sometimes the preceding verb, adjective, or noun selects a particular preposition that has to be learned with it.
The basic structure
The preposition introduces the whole infinitive clause. The infinitive has no person or number ending, while any weak pronoun belonging to it attaches after it.
Abans de sortir, comprova que totes les finestres estiguin tancades.
Before leaving, check that all the windows are closed.
Ho hem resolt sense haver de trucar al tècnic.
We solved it without having to call the technician.
Gràcies per avisar-me amb temps.
Thanks for letting me know in advance.
In avisar-me, the hyphen and postverbal -me follow the normal rule for an infinitive. Compare finite m'avises “you let me know.” The preposition does not alter the spelling or stress of the infinitive: sortir, conèixer, escriure retain their ordinary forms.
When the understood subject is the same as the subject of the main clause, the infinitive is especially natural: La Jana ha marxat sense acomiadar-se means that Jana both left and failed to say goodbye. If the subjects must be distinct and explicit, Catalan often uses a finite clause: La Jana ha marxat abans que arribéssim nosaltres.
A: selected complements, phases, and purpose
Many predicates select a + infinitive. Common frames include aprendre a, acostumar-se a, començar a, contribuir a, decidir-se a, dedicar-se a, and tornar a.
La meva àvia va aprendre a fer videotrucades durant el confinament.
My grandmother learned to make video calls during lockdown.
Ens hem acostumat a llevar-nos d'hora, fins i tot els caps de setmana.
We've got used to getting up early, even on weekends.
Quan va sentir l'alarma, va començar a córrer cap a la sortida.
When she heard the alarm, she started running toward the exit.
Literal anar also takes a before a purpose: Vaig a la farmàcia a comprar aspirines. That visible a must not be confused with the completed periphrastic past: Ahir vaig comprar aspirines has no preposition and means “Yesterday I bought aspirin.”
De: source, separation, and selected frames
The preposition de appears after many verbs and adjectives: acabar de, deixar de, mirar de, recordar-se de, oblidar-se de, cansar-se de, estar content de. It also forms temporal links such as abans de and després de.
Mira de guardar una còpia abans de tancar el document.
Try to save a copy before closing the document.
No em recordava d'haver-hi estat abans.
I didn't remember having been there before.
Després de parlar-ne amb l'equip, vam canviar el calendari.
After discussing it with the team, we changed the schedule.
The compound infinitive haver-hi estat places the visit before the remembering. Simple ser-hi would not express that anterior relationship by itself. Again, time comes from the whole construction, not from a fixed English translation of the infinitive.
En and amb: two different questions
With en, first distinguish a temporal adjunct from a selected complement. En + infinitive can mean “on/when doing,” especially in careful (formal) prose:
En arribar a l'estació, truca'm i vindré a buscar-te.
When you get to the station, call me and I'll come pick you up.
The alternative al + infinitive is also common, especially in conversation: Al sortir del cinema, ens vam trobar la Carla. The temporal en does not mean the same thing as selected en in pensar en el problema.
Before an infinitive complement, predicates that select en or amb with a noun often allow the preposition to remain, but a or de is generally preferred in formal edited usage. Thus insistir en venir and somiar amb viatjar occur naturally, while formal prose often chooses insistir a venir and somiar de viatjar or simply somiar viatjar. The exact alternative is lexical; there is no rule that turns every en or amb into the same preposition.
La direcció insisteix a revisar totes les dades abans de publicar-les.
Management insists on reviewing all the data before publishing it. (formal)
Sempre havia somiat viure vora el mar.
She had always dreamed of living by the sea.
Some constructions preserve amb because it contributes its own means or sufficiency meaning rather than merely marking verbal government: Amb prémer aquest botó n'hi ha prou “Pressing this button is enough.” Learn such expressions as complete frames instead of applying a blind replacement rule.
Per, per a, and purpose
Per + infinitive can express a motive, a cause, a means, or a purpose. Context identifies the relation.
M'han multat per aparcar davant d'un gual.
They fined me for parking in front of a driveway. (cause)
Hem avançat la reunió per poder agafar l'últim tren.
We moved the meeting forward so that we could catch the last train. (purpose)
There are several coherent standard systems for per/per a. In the Central teaching baseline and other eastern varieties, per + infinitive is normal for purpose. (regional: Valencian, Northwestern, and Alguerese) varieties that maintain the distinction commonly use per a + infinitive for purpose: Aquesta eina serveix per a tallar metall. Both systems are standard; do not mix isolated rules sentence by sentence. See the full per/per a guide.
Sense + infinitive denies an accompanying or prior event and is highly productive:
Se'n va anar sense dir-nos on passaria la nit.
He left without telling us where he would spend the night.
Here se'n va anar is a completed periphrastic past, while sense dir-nos is a nonfinite adjunct. The two infinitives participate in different constructions despite looking alike.
Prepositions do not license a copied obligation periphrasis either. Standard Catalan has haver de + infinitive—demà he de treballar—not Spanish-influenced tenir que + infinitive.
Infinitive or a finite clause?
An infinitive leaves its subject implicit and does not assert tense or mood independently. A finite clause makes person and assertion status visible. Compare Ho faig per ajudar-te with Ho faig perquè puguis descansar. The first purpose has the main-clause subject as helper; the second has “you” as the person who can rest, so perquè + subjunctive is needed.
T'he enviat un missatge perquè no t'oblidis de la cita.
I've sent you a message so that you don't forget the appointment.
The subjunctive is not selected by “purpose” as a magic word. It appears because the finite purpose clause presents a prospective, intended outcome rather than an asserted fact. With a same-subject compact purpose, per + infinitive avoids mood altogether.
Mini-dialogue
—Per què has tornat a l'oficina? —Per recollir el carregador. He marxat sense agafar-lo i demà he de treballar des de casa.
—Why did you go back to the office? —To pick up the charger. I left without taking it, and tomorrow I have to work from home.
Tornar a is a repetition frame, per recollir expresses purpose, and sense agafar-lo denies an accompanying action. The completed past is he marxat, not an invented anar a future or an English-style progressive.
Common Mistakes
1. Using a gerund simply because English has a preposition plus -ing.
❌ Després de parlant amb l'equip, vam canviar el pla.
Incorrect—after de, the event is expressed with an infinitive.
✅ Després de parlar amb l'equip, vam canviar el pla.
After speaking with the team, we changed the plan.
2. Omitting a selected preposition.
❌ La nena està aprenent nedar.
Incorrect in the general standard—aprendre selects a before an infinitive.
✅ La nena està aprenent a nedar.
The girl is learning to swim.
3. Adding a to the completed periphrastic past.
❌ Ahir vaig a comprar les entrades.
Incorrect for a completed purchase—the a changes the construction.
✅ Ahir vaig comprar les entrades.
Yesterday I bought the tickets.
4. Treating en and amb replacement as one automatic formal rule.
❌ La direcció insisteix de revisar les dades.
Incorrect lexical choice here—the established formal frame is insistir a + infinitive.
✅ La direcció insisteix a revisar les dades.
Management insists on reviewing the data.
5. Using an infinitive when a different subject needs to be expressed in a purpose clause.
❌ Us enviaré un mapa per vosaltres trobar l'entrada.
Incorrect in the neutral standard—the different subject requires a finite purpose clause.
✅ Us enviaré un mapa perquè trobeu l'entrada.
I'll send you a map so that you can find the entrance.
Key Takeaways
Use an infinitive—not a gerund—after a preposition when it introduces an event. Learn selected frames such as aprendre a, deixar de, and insistir a/en as units; distinguish selected en from temporal en arribar; and keep a coherent regional system for per/per a. The finite verb or wider context supplies time and assertion, while weak pronouns attach to the infinitive: fer-ho, parlar-ne, anar-hi.
Related Topics
- Infinitive Forms and Conjugation ClassesA2 — Recognize Catalan infinitives, their stress patterns, and the three conjugation classes that organize finite verb forms.
- Infinitives after Modal and Control VerbsA2 — Combine poder, voler, saber, intentar, decidir, and prometre with an infinitive, and identify who performs the infinitive's action.
- Per or Per AA2 — Choose per or per a by separating cause, route, means, duration, and agent from destination, recipient, purpose, and deadline.
- A or En for PlaceA2 — Choose Catalan a or en for destinations and locations by following meaning, determiner type, discourse framing, and regional usage.
- Pronoun Placement Across Verb FormsB1 — Place weak pronouns before finite verbs, after infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative imperatives, and correctly across verb phrases.
- Arguments versus AdjunctsA2 — Distinguish the participants selected by a Catalan head from optional details of time, place, manner, cause, and circumstance.