Catalan has two large types of third-conjugation verbs in -ir. Pure verbs attach their present endings directly to the stem: dormo, dorms, dorm... Incoative verbs insert an extension in some persons: serveixo, serveixes, serveix... This page covers only the pure pattern, using dormir “to sleep” and sentir “to hear; feel.”
“Pure” describes the absence of the incoative extension; it does not promise that every verb in this class is perfectly regular. Some pure -ir verbs show vowel or consonant changes. Learn the following transparent models first, then check unfamiliar verbs rather than inventing a form from English or Spanish.
The complete present paradigms
Remove infinitive -ir to get dorm- or sent-. In the Central Catalan present, add -o, -s, zero, -im, -iu, -en.
| Person | dormir | sentir | Ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| jo | dormo | sento | -o |
| tu | dorms | sents | -s |
| ell / ella / vostè | dorm | sent | zero |
| nosaltres | dormim | sentim | -im |
| vosaltres | dormiu | sentiu | -iu |
| ells / elles / vostès | dormen | senten | -en |
Dormo amb la finestra oberta fins i tot a l'hivern.
I sleep with the window open even in winter.
Sentiu aquest soroll o només el sento jo?
Can you hear that noise, or am I the only one who hears it?
Els nens dormen al pis de dalt.
The children sleep upstairs.
Catalan usually omits the subject pronoun because the ending identifies the subject. State jo, tu, or another pronoun when it marks contrast—Tu dorms bé; jo, no—or removes ambiguity. The polite vostè uses third-person singular (dorm, sent), and vostès uses third-person plural (dormen, senten).
Stress and predictable stem behavior
The stem is stressed in dormo, dorms, dorm, and dormen, and likewise in sento, sents, sent, and senten. The endings are stressed in dormim, dormiu, sentim, and sentiu. No accent mark is needed because the spelling already predicts the stress.
That stress distribution matters because other pure verbs may alternate vowels between stem-stressed and ending-stressed forms. For example, sortir has surto but sortim. Such a verb is still non-incoative, but it is not a fully transparent model like dormir. See Vowel Alternations rather than extending the dormir spelling mechanically.
La Laia sent olor de fum i obre la finestra.
Laia smells smoke and opens the window.
Quan dormim poc, l'endemà no rendim gens.
When we sleep little, we don't perform well at all the next day.
The verb sentir covers several English verbs according to context: hearing a sound, feeling a sensation or emotion, and detecting a smell. This is lexical meaning, not a change in conjugation: sento música, sento fred, sento olor de cafè.
Uses of the simple present
The present indicative asserts a current perception, a state, a repeated event, a generalization, or a scheduled near-future event. English often chooses a progressive where Catalan naturally keeps the simple present.
No et sento; pots parlar més fort?
I can't hear you; can you speak louder?
Normalment dormim vuit hores, però avui ens llevem d'hora.
We normally sleep eight hours, but today we're getting up early.
Aquesta nit dormiu a casa nostra.
Tonight you're sleeping at our house.
Perception verbs such as sentir especially favor the simple form: Ara sento música is the ordinary equivalent of “I can hear music now.” Estic sentint música is possible only in contexts that deliberately foreground the ongoing experience, and it is much less neutral.
With dormir, both viewpoints occur. El nen dorm simply reports his state; el nen està dormint focuses on the ongoing phase, often because someone must not interrupt it.
No truquis ara: la nena està dormint.
Don't call now: the little girl is sleeping.
Negation and weak pronouns
Place no before the finite verb: no dormo, no senten. Weak pronouns also precede an ordinary present indicative, and no comes before the pronoun: el sento; no el sento. The pronoun is not part of the stem and does not change the person ending.
El volum de la ràdio és molt baix, però encara la sentim.
The radio volume is very low, but we can still hear it.
En aquest hotel no hi dormo bé perquè passa el tren de matinada.
I don't sleep well in this hotel because the train goes by in the middle of the night.
In the second example, hi replaces a place complement. It stands before finite dormo. With an infinitive, attachment is possible: No vull dormir-hi. The difference belongs to pronoun placement, not to the present endings.
Pure and incoative are lexical classes
The contrast between dormo and serveixo is not a difference in meaning. The incoative name is historical and morphological; modern serveixo does not necessarily mean “begin to serve.” A verb belongs to one class because of its conjugation, and some verbs allow more than one pattern with lexical or regional conditions.
| Type | Singular and third plural | First and second plural |
|---|---|---|
| pure dormir | dormo, dorms, dorm, dormen | dormim, dormiu |
| incoative servir | serveixo, serveixes, serveix, serveixen | servim, serviu |
Notice that the incoative extension occupies the same four person-number cells in which a pure verb has stem stress; in serveixo, serveixes, serveix, and serveixen, the extension itself carries the stress. The plural servim, serviu looks like the pure pattern. This distribution is why guessing from one plural form is unreliable.
Regional forms
The main table uses Central Catalan. (regional: Valencian) and (regional: Balearic) commonly use a zero ending in the first-person singular of these models: jo dorm, jo sent. The Central forms are dormo, sento. These are regular regional correspondences, not differences in person or meaning.
(regional: Northern) Catalan may use first-person dormi. Within that regional system, it is present indicative even though the same spelling is a subjunctive form in the Central paradigm.
Pronunciation also varies across the Catalan-speaking area, especially for unstressed vowels. Keep the standard spelling shown here even when your local pronunciation distinguishes or reduces vowels differently. Regional standards are suitable in both everyday and (formal) use when applied consistently.
Mini-dialogue
—Dormiu aquí aquesta nit? —Sí. Nosaltres no sentim gaire el trànsit, però l'Èric es desperta amb qualsevol soroll.
—Are you sleeping here tonight? —Yes. We don't hear the traffic much, but Èric wakes up at any noise.
The dialogue uses present forms for a near-future arrangement (dormiu) and a current/general perception (sentim). Neither value can be predicted simply by matching one English tense label.
Contrast with the periphrastic past and subjunctive
The present dormo presents sleep as current or habitual. The periphrastic past vaig dormir makes it a completed past event: Avui dormo a casa; ahir vaig dormir en un hotel. There is no a in that past construction. Vaig a dormir instead means “I'm going to bed” or literally “I go to sleep.”
The indicative also asserts. Compare Sé que dorms aquí with Vull que dormis aquí. The second verb is subjunctive because the event is desired rather than stated as fact; que alone is not a mechanical trigger.
Common Mistakes
1. Adding the incoative extension to a pure verb.
❌ Cada nit dormeixo vuit hores.
Incorrect—dormir follows the pure pattern.
✅ Cada nit dormo vuit hores.
Every night I sleep eight hours.
2. Using second-conjugation plural endings.
❌ Nosaltres sentem música al carrer.
Incorrect—pure -ir verbs use -im in the first-person plural.
✅ Nosaltres sentim música al carrer.
We hear music in the street.
3. Overusing the progressive for a routine.
❌ Cada dissabte estem dormint fins tard.
Unnatural for a regular habit.
✅ Cada dissabte dormim fins tard.
Every Saturday we sleep late.
4. Adding a to the periphrastic past.
❌ Ahir vaig a dormir molt malament.
Incorrect for a completed past; vaig a dormir has a different meaning.
✅ Ahir vaig dormir molt malament.
I slept very badly yesterday.
5. Copying a Spanish obligation periphrasis.
❌ Tinc que dormir més.
Incorrect in standard Catalan—tenir que is a Spanish calque.
✅ He de dormir més.
I have to sleep more.
Key Takeaways
Transparent pure -ir verbs use -o, -s, zero, -im, -iu, -en in the Central present. The stem is stressed in the singular and third-person plural; -im and -iu are stressed. “Pure” means “without the incoative extension,” not “guaranteed to have no other alternation.” Use present tense, progressive aspect, past tense, and mood according to viewpoint and assertion—not by translating an English form one piece at a time.
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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.
- Regular -er and -re Verbs in the PresentA1 — Form and use the present indicative of regular second-conjugation verbs such as perdre and rebre.
- Incoative -ir Verbs in the PresentA1 — Learn where Central Catalan inserts -eix- in verbs such as servir and how Valencian -isc/-ix forms correspond.
- Present-Tense Vowel AlternationsA2 — Recognize the stress-conditioned and lexical vowel alternations in Catalan presents such as surto/sortim, cullo/collim, and treu/traiem.
- 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.