Catalan second-conjugation infinitives usually end in -er or -re. Two useful present-tense models are perdre “to lose” and rebre “to receive.” Their endings encode the subject, so Catalan normally says perdo rather than jo perdo unless jo is being contrasted or emphasized.
This pattern is productive, but the second conjugation contains many irregular verbs. Do not assume that every verb in -er or -re follows it: conèixer, córrer, creure, and viure, for example, have additional stem behavior. The present page teaches the regular pattern and one predictable-looking spelling alternation in rebre.
The complete present paradigms
Remove infinitive -re from perdre or rebre to identify the working stem, then add the present endings. In Central Catalan the regular pattern is -o, -s, zero, -em, -eu, -en.
| Person | perdre | rebre | Ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| jo | perdo | rebo | -o |
| tu | perds | reps | -s |
| ell / ella / vostè | perd | rep | zero |
| nosaltres | perdem | rebem | -em |
| vosaltres | perdeu | rebeu | -eu |
| ells / elles / vostès | perden | reben | -en |
Sempre perdo els auriculars dins la motxilla.
I always lose my earphones inside my backpack.
Rebem moltes comandes abans de Nadal.
We receive lots of orders before Christmas.
Vostès reben la factura per correu electrònic.
You receive the invoice by email.
With an -er infinitive, remove -er and use the same pattern: témer gives temo, tems, tem, temem, temeu, temen. The written infinitive ending differs, but the present person endings match those of perdre.
Compared with an -ar verb such as parlar, the contrast is clearest in the singular: parles, parla versus perds, perd. The first-person singular ends in -o in both classes, and the written first- and second-person plural endings are -em and -eu in both, but they attach to different conjugation stems: parlem, parleu versus perdem, perdeu.
Stress and the stem
In perdo, perds, perd, and perden, the stem is stressed. In perdem and perdeu, the ending is stressed. The same alternation applies to rebo/reps/rep/reben versus rebem/rebeu. The spelling requires no written accent because ordinary Catalan stress rules already predict these patterns.
Perdre keeps written d before the zero ending and -s: perd, perds. With rebre, however, the singular forms show p when the consonant is final: reps, rep, while a vowel-initial ending reveals b in rebo, rebem, rebeu, and reben. This reflects the stem-final consonant alternation and Catalan final devoicing. There is no useful rule that lets an English speaker guess every such alternation from an infinitive, so the safe unit to memorize is rebre—rebo—rep.
Tu reps els avisos al mòbil, però jo els rebo per correu.
You get the notifications on your phone, but I receive them by email.
Si no mireu bé el mapa, perdeu molt de temps.
If you don't look at the map carefully, you waste a lot of time.
What the present indicative means
The present indicative presents a situation as part of the speaker's asserted reality. It can describe something happening now, a habit, a general fact, or a scheduled near-future event. English may use either a simple or progressive form, so English wording alone cannot choose the Catalan construction.
Ara no et sento bé; perdem la cobertura.
I can't hear you well now; we're losing reception.
Cada divendres rebem la fruita de l'hort.
Every Friday we receive the fruit from the garden.
Demà rebeu les claus del pis.
Tomorrow you get the keys to the apartment.
The simple present is normal even for an event in progress when no special focus on its unfolding is needed. Perdem la cobertura can correspond to English “we're losing reception.” Use estar + gerund when the ongoing phase itself matters: Estem perdent la cobertura; penjo i et torno a trucar. See The Present Progressive.
Agreement, negation, and weak pronouns
The verb agrees with its grammatical subject, including the polite pronouns vostè and vostès. Vostè takes third-person singular (rep); vostès takes third-person plural (reben). A plural object does not change the verb: La botiga rep moltes comandes because singular la botiga is the subject.
Negation places no immediately before the verb or before a preverbal weak pronoun: no perdem; no el perdem. With an ordinary finite present form, weak object pronouns stand before the verb.
La carta? Encara no l'he rebuda, però normalment la rebo al matí.
The letter? I haven't received it yet, but I normally get it in the morning.
Aquestes dades són importants: no les perdeu.
These data are important: don't lose them.
The final form in the second example is a negative imperative, not an indicative. Like the ordinary finite present, it keeps the pronoun before the verb; an affirmative command attaches it: perdeu-les. In the present indicative, les perdeu and no les perdeu have the same preverbal placement. Pronoun position belongs to the verbal host, not to English word order.
Regional forms
The table gives the Central Catalan teaching baseline. (regional: Valencian) and (regional: Balearic) commonly have no -o in the first-person singular of these models: jo perd, jo rep. Central perdo, rebo and regional perd, rep are parts of different, internally consistent paradigms. Use the standard of the community in which you speak or write; do not randomly alternate them within the same text.
(regional: Northern) Catalan may instead use first-person perdi. This is a present indicative form in that regional system even though perdi is a subjunctive form in the Central paradigm.
These regional endings do not change the uses of the present or the placement of pronouns. (formal) writing accepts the appropriate codified regional standard.
Mini-dialogue
—Rebeu paquets cada dia? —Sí, però de vegades el repartidor perd l'adreça i els rebem l'endemà.
—Do you receive parcels every day? —Yes, but sometimes the courier loses the address and we get them the next day.
The question uses second-person plural rebeu. The reply shifts to third-person singular perd with el repartidor, then first-person plural rebem. English needs an overt subject each time; Catalan endings often make it recoverable.
Contrast with past and mood
The present rebo asserts a current or habitual event. The periphrastic past vaig rebre presents one bounded event as completed: Avui rebo el paquet; ahir vaig rebre la factura. Do not insert a into the past: vaig a rebre contains literal movement or an imminent action, not the ordinary past.
Mood is a separate choice. Sé que reps els missatges asserts the reception and uses the indicative. Vull que rebis els missatges places it inside a desire and uses the subjunctive. The word que itself does not choose the mood; assertion status does.
Do not import Spanish tener que for obligation either. Standard Catalan says He de rebre el paquet avui “I have to receive the parcel today,” not Tinc que rebre el paquet avui.
Common Mistakes
1. Giving an -ar ending to a second-conjugation verb.
❌ Ella reba les notificacions al moment.
Incorrect—rebre does not take the -ar ending -a.
✅ Ella rep les notificacions al moment.
She receives the notifications immediately.
2. Keeping b in the final singular forms of rebre.
❌ Tu rebs el codi i ell el reb.
Incorrect—the standard forms are reps and rep.
✅ Tu reps el codi i ell el rep.
You receive the code and he receives it.
3. Overusing the progressive for a habit.
❌ Cada mes estem rebent una factura en paper.
Unnatural for a regular monthly habit.
✅ Cada mes rebem una factura en paper.
Every month we receive a paper bill.
4. Confusing the periphrastic past with anar a + infinitive.
❌ Ahir vaig a perdre el tren.
Incorrect for a completed past; the preposition a changes the construction.
✅ Ahir vaig perdre el tren.
Yesterday I missed the train.
5. Choosing the subjunctive merely because que appears.
❌ Sé que rebis els meus missatges.
Incorrect—sé que asserts the proposition as known.
✅ Sé que reps els meus missatges.
I know you receive my messages.
Key Takeaways
Regular -er/-re presents use the Central endings -o, -s, zero, -em, -eu, -en. Stem stress appears in the singular and third-person plural; the plural endings -em and -eu are stressed. Learn consonant alternations with the verb, especially rebre—rebo—rep. Above all, select the simple present because of viewpoint and assertion, not because one English form seems to “equal” it.
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Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- The Three Conjugations: -ar, -er or -re, and -irA1 — Use a Catalan infinitive to identify its conjugation, anticipate its endings, and recognize the pure and incoative patterns within the third conjugation.
- Subject–Verb AgreementA1 — Match Catalan finite verbs to six person–number combinations, omit recoverable subjects, and handle coordinated subjects and polite vostè correctly.
- Regular -ar Verbs in the PresentA1 — Form and use the regular Catalan present in -ar for current actions, habits, general truths, and scheduled events.
- Pure -ir Verbs in the PresentA1 — Conjugate non-incoative -ir verbs such as dormir and sentir in the Catalan present indicative.
- Uses of the Present IndicativeA2 — Use the Catalan present indicative for habits, states, current events, performatives, general truths, schedules, narrative, and live commentary.
- Simple Present or Estar plus GerundA2 — Choose between the neutral Catalan simple present and estar plus gerund when an action is unfolding now or over a limited period.