Catalan normally expresses verbal “again” with tornar a + infinitive: he tornat a perdre les claus “I've lost my keys again,” la calefacció torna a funcionar “the heating works again.” The construction can repeat a bounded event or restore an earlier state. English uses the same adverb again for both meanings, but Catalan makes the repetition part of the verbal structure.
The finite form of tornar agrees with the subject and carries tense and mood. The preposition a is obligatory, and the following infinitive never agrees: tornem a començar, tornaven a discutir, dubto que torni a passar. The construction is neutral and current throughout the Catalan-speaking area.
If the division of labor between the two verbs is unfamiliar, review infinitives after prepositions: tornar provides the finite viewpoint, while a + infinitive identifies the event repeated.
Form and agreement
| Person | Present model | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| jo | torno a provar | I try again |
| tu | tornes a provar | you try again |
| ell / ella / vostè | torna a provar | he / she / you tries again |
| nosaltres | tornem a provar | we try again |
| vosaltres / vós | torneu a provar | you try again |
| ells / elles / vostès | tornen a provar | they / you try again |
The forms are regular: stress falls on the stem in torno, tornes, torna, and tornen, and on the ending in tornem and torneu. The a stays separate before any infinitive; unlike de, it is not apostrophized before a vowel.
Si la contrasenya no funciona, torna a provar-ho d'aquí a cinc minuts.
If the password doesn't work, try again in five minutes.
Aquest hivern hem tornat a veure neu a la costa.
This winter we've seen snow on the coast again.
Després de la reparació, l'ascensor torna a funcionar amb normalitat.
After the repair, the elevator is working normally again.
Repeating an event
With a bounded action, tornar a says that another occurrence of the same relevant event takes place. The previous event can be stated, inferred from context, or shared knowledge.
Aquest mes m'han tornat a cobrar una quota que ja havia pagat.
This month they charged me again for a fee I had already paid.
Ahir em va tornar a trucar el mateix número desconegut.
Yesterday the same unknown number called me again.
Quan tinguis les dades correctes, torna a enviar el formulari.
When you have the correct information, submit the form again.
The periphrastic past example has two layers: va tornar is the past of tornar, and a trucar is the repeated event. Va tornar a trucar means “called again.” Do not insert another a after va: Catalan forms the periphrastic past as va + infinitive, not va a + infinitive.
Repetition is defined by the discourse. Va tornar a obrir la finestra may mean that the same person opened the same window on another occasion. It need not imply an identical physical action in every detail.
Restoring a state
With a state or a change that has an observable result, the construction often means “become true again” or “return to the earlier state.”
Quan van reiniciar el servidor, la pàgina va tornar a estar disponible.
When they restarted the server, the page became available again.
Amb la pluja, el riu ha tornat a portar aigua.
With the rain, the river has water in it again.
Després d'uns dies de descans, ja torno a tenir energia.
After a few days of rest, I have energy again.
Here the construction does not count separate acts of estar, portar, or tenir. It restores a state that held before an interruption. Context decides between event repetition and state restoration; the grammar is the same.
Tornar a versus de nou
De nou is an adverbial phrase meaning “again” or “anew.” It can overlap with tornar a, but it is less tightly tied to the verb and can emphasize doing something afresh. Una altra vegada is neutral and explicit; un altre cop is common (informal); novament is frequent (formal); de bell nou is elevated (literary).
| Form | Typical focus |
|---|---|
| Hem tornat a redactar l'acord. | the drafting event was repeated |
| Hem redactat l'acord de nou. | we drafted it again, often afresh |
| Hem redactat l'acord una altra vegada. | explicit second or further occasion |
| L'acord s'ha redactat novament. | formal report of repetition |
L'arxiu estava malmès i l'he hagut de crear de nou.
The file was corrupted, and I had to create it again from scratch.
In a formal report:
El comitè es reunirà novament dimarts.
The committee will meet again on Tuesday.
There is no universal rule that de nou always means “from scratch,” but that interpretation is easier to evoke than with tornar a. Use the periphrasis for the safest everyday expression of a repeated verbal event.
Negation and its scope
Putting no before tornar normally denies any further occurrence: no ho tornaré a fer means that another instance will not happen. It does not deny the earlier one.
No tornarem a reservar en aquell hotel.
We won't book that hotel again.
Després de les obres, no va tornar a entrar aigua al soterrani.
After the renovation, water did not get into the basement again.
Negating the lower event gives a different, more marked reading: tornar a no + infinitive means that nonperformance itself happens again.
En Marc va tornar a no contestar cap dels missatges.
Once again, Marc didn't answer any of the messages.
Compare en Marc no va tornar a contestar “Marc did not answer again,” which says there was no later answer. Word order changes which part of the structure no takes scope over.
In an imperative, no tornis a + infinitive is a strong warning not to repeat an action.
No tornis a deixar la porta oberta quan marxis.
Don't leave the door open again when you go out.
Tense, mood, and assertion
The construction appears in all ordinary tenses. A present can describe restoration now, an imperfect can mark recurring repetition in the past, and a future can promise or predict a later recurrence.
Cada vegada que canviaven l'horari, tornàvem a perdre clients.
Every time they changed the schedule, we would lose customers again.
Quan acabi la reforma, tornareu a treballar a la planta baixa.
When the renovation is finished, you'll work on the ground floor again.
Mood comes from assertion status. Sé que tornarà asserts a return; dubto que torni does not.
Dubto que tornin a ajornar la reunió després de tantes queixes.
I doubt they'll postpone the meeting again after so many complaints.
The subjunctive tornin is licensed by doubt, not by the meaning “again.” Conversely, és clar que ho tornaran a intentar takes the indicative because the attempt is presented as certain.
Weak-pronoun placement
A weak pronoun that belongs to the infinitive can usually precede the finite verb or attach to the infinitive: ho torno a explicar / torno a explicar-ho; ens la van tornar a enviar / van tornar a enviar-nos-la.
La factura, te la tornaré a enviar ara mateix. / Tornaré a enviar-te-la ara mateix.
I'll send you the invoice again right now.
No en tornis a parlar davant de la canalla. / No tornis a parlar-ne davant de la canalla.
Don't talk about it again in front of the children.
The two positions do not change repetition. Keep clusters intact and preserve the hyphens and apostrophes of attached pronouns.
Mini-dialogue
—La impressora torna a fallar? —Sí. L'he reiniciada i ha tornat a imprimir, però al cap de cinc minuts s'ha aturat de nou. —Doncs no la tornis a tocar; trucaré al tècnic.
—Is the printer acting up again? —Yes. I restarted it and it began printing again, but five minutes later it stopped again. —Then don't touch it again; I'll call the technician.
The first use repeats a failure, while the second restores the printer's earlier operation. De nou marks another change in the sequence, and negative no la tornis a tocar prohibits a further instance.
Regional and contact notes
Tornar a + infinitive is standard across Central, Valencian, Balearic, Northwestern, Northern, and Alguerese Catalan, though finite endings and preferred adverbs vary regionally. Spanish has the parallel volver a + infinitivo, but Catalan does not replace tornar with Spanish volver. The similarity of the constructions is not a reason to import Spanish vocabulary or pronoun placement.
Common Mistakes
1. Omitting the preposition.
❌ Demà tornarem parlar del pressupost.
Incorrect—the repetition construction requires a.
✅ Demà tornarem a parlar del pressupost.
Tomorrow we'll talk about the budget again.
2. Using a gerund instead of an infinitive.
❌ Ha tornat a plovent aquesta tarda.
Incorrect—after tornar a, use the infinitive.
✅ Ha tornat a ploure aquesta tarda.
It has rained again this afternoon.
3. Copying the Spanish lexical verb.
❌ Va volver a trucar al cap d'una hora.
Incorrect in Catalan—use tornar, not Spanish volver.
✅ Va tornar a trucar al cap d'una hora.
She called again an hour later.
4. Misplacing negation.
❌ Va tornar a no venir després d'aquell dia.
Incorrect for 'He didn't come again after that day'—this says that his failure to come was repeated.
✅ No va tornar a venir després d'aquell dia.
He didn't come again after that day.
5. Choosing the subjunctive mechanically.
❌ És evident que torni a funcionar.
Incorrect in the factual reading—és evident asserts the restored state.
✅ És evident que torna a funcionar.
It is evident that it works again.
Key Takeaways
Use tornar a + infinitive for another occurrence or the restoration of an earlier state. Use de nou when an adverbial “again” or “afresh” better matches the intended focus. Place no before tornar to deny a later occurrence, but before the lower infinitive to repeat a negative event. Tense and mood remain properties of the finite verb and the larger discourse.
Related Topics
- Començar a, Posar-se a, and Arrencar aA2 — Choose the Catalan inchoative periphrasis that presents a beginning neutrally, as a deliberate or sudden onset, or as an energetic outburst.
- Acabar de and Deixar deA2 — Use acabar de for a just-completed event or incomplete attainment, and deixar de for stopping an activity, with precise control of tense and negation.
- Infinitives after PrepositionsA2 — Choose the preposition that expresses or is selected by the relationship, then use an infinitive—not an English-style gerund—when it introduces an event.
- Forming the Periphrastic PastA2 — Build Catalan’s ordinary past with the auxiliary forms vaig, vas, va, vam, vau, van and an unchanged infinitive.
- Negation Scope and AmbiguityB2 — Identify what Catalan no negates around constituents, quantifiers, modals, subordinate clauses, and spoken focus, then disambiguate by paraphrasing.
- Clitic Climbing with Verb PeriphrasesB2 — Choose where a Catalan weak pronoun can stand in modal, obligative, progressive, and closely integrated verb phrases.