Catalan impersonal expressions often introduce a situation without naming a person who thinks, wants, or recommends it: Cal que hi anem “We need to go there,” És possible que plogui “It may rain.” The dependent clause is subjunctive when the impersonal frame presents it as necessary, advisable, possible, or evaluated rather than as an independently asserted fact.
The construction is not simply impersonal expression + subjunctive. És evident que plou takes the indicative because it declares the rain evident. You must read what the frame does to the speaker's commitment.
Necessity with cal que
Cal que + subjunctive says that a particular person or thing needs to carry out an action. Caldre remains third-person singular in this construction; the verb in the dependent clause carries the relevant person and number.
Cal que arribis deu minuts abans.
You need to arrive ten minutes early.
Cal que actualitzem les dades de contacte.
We need to update the contact details.
Cal que els informes estiguin signats abans de divendres.
The reports need to be signed before Friday.
The endings of arribis, actualitzem, and estiguin identify different subordinate subjects; cal does not change. English often uses a personal verb—“you need,” “we need”—so learners are tempted to invent personal forms of caldre. Catalan instead presents the necessity impersonally and marks the person inside the que-clause.
If no separate subject needs to be identified, use cal + infinitive:
Cal guardar el rebut durant dos anys.
The receipt must be kept for two years.
Cal que guardis el rebut en un lloc segur.
You need to keep the receipt in a safe place.
The infinitive gives a general instruction; the finite clause directs it toward a particular subject. For the full behavior of caldre, see Cal, Caldre, and Cal Que.
Advice and appropriateness with convé que
Convé que + subjunctive presents an action as advisable, suitable, or in someone's interest. Like cal, impersonal convé stays singular while the dependent verb agrees with the person expected to act.
Convé que comparis les dues ofertes abans de decidir-te.
It would be wise for you to compare the two offers before deciding.
Convé que no ens hi quedem fins gaire tard.
It would be best if we didn't stay there too late.
Convé que els nens dormin una mica abans del viatge.
It would be good for the children to sleep a little before the trip.
Convé sortir d'hora gives general advice; convé que sortim d'hora includes the speakers as the people concerned. This contrast resembles English “it is advisable to leave” versus “it is advisable that we leave,” but English more often paraphrases the second as “we should leave.”
Possibility: és possible que and pot ser que
És possible que, és probable que, and pot ser que suspend full commitment to the dependent proposition and therefore take the subjunctive.
És possible que la reunió s'allargui fins a les vuit.
The meeting may go on until eight.
Pot ser que demà no hi hagi servei de metro.
There may be no metro service tomorrow.
És probable que ens responguin aquesta tarda.
They will probably reply to us this afternoon.
Do not confuse the verbal expression pot ser que with the single adverb potser. Their meanings overlap, but their syntax is different:
Potser demà no hi haurà servei de metro.
Perhaps there will be no metro service tomorrow.
Standard Catalan normally uses the indicative after potser. This arbitrary-looking split must be learned: semantic uncertainty alone does not determine mood; the grammatical construction also matters.
Evaluation versus assertion
Impersonal adjectives divide according to how they present the complement. Necessity and evaluation frames such as és necessari que, és important que, és millor que, and és estrany que normally take the subjunctive. Affirmative truth and evidence frames such as és cert que, és clar que, és evident que, and és veritat que normally take the indicative.
| Speaker's operation | Typical frame | Mood |
|---|---|---|
| necessity or recommendation | cal que, és necessari que, és millor que | subjunctive |
| possibility or probability | és possible que, pot ser que, és probable que | subjunctive |
| emotional or social evaluation | és estrany que, és una llàstima que | subjunctive |
| affirmed truth or evidence | és cert que, és clar que, és evident que | indicative |
És millor que ajornem la sortida si continua plovent.
It is better that we postpone the outing if it keeps raining.
És clar que avui no podem sortir amb aquest temps.
It is clear that we can't go out in this weather today.
Negation can reverse commitment: No és clar que puguem sortir no longer presents the possibility as clear, so the subjunctive is natural. Again, the real question is whether the proposition is asserted, not whether one memorized adjective appears.
Weak pronouns, word order, and tense
Weak pronouns go immediately before the finite subjunctive; no precedes the cluster. Clitics do not alter person agreement.
Cal que me'l tornis abans de dilluns.
You need to return it to me before Monday.
És possible que no se'n recordin.
They may not remember it.
The present subjunctive describes a simultaneous or later situation after a present impersonal frame. If the dependent event is already completed, use the present perfect subjunctive: És possible que se n'hagin oblidat “They may have forgotten.” If the frame is shifted into the past or made hypothetical, an imperfect subjunctive may be required: Calia que hi anéssim “We had to go there.”
Central forms are the baseline here. Valencian standard uses forms such as tornes, puga, and recorden where Central has tornis, pugui, and recordin (regional: Valencian). These are morphological differences; the syntax of cal que and és possible que is shared across standards.
Mini-dialogue: changing a booking
—Pot ser que arribem després de les deu. —Doncs cal que aviseu l'hotel.
—We may arrive after ten. —Then you need to notify the hotel.
—És possible que no ens guardin l'habitació? —Sí; convé que els truqueu ara mateix.
—Is it possible they won't hold the room for us? —Yes; you should call them right now.
Each subordinate clause is nonasserted in a different way: an arrival is possible, notification is required, losing the room is possible, and calling is advisable.
Common Mistakes
1. Conjugating impersonal cal for the person who must act.
❌ Calem que enviem el formulari avui.
Incorrect—impersonal cal remains singular.
✅ Cal que enviem el formulari avui.
We need to send the form today.
2. Using an infinitive when the sentence needs a different explicit subject.
❌ Cal arribar els tècnics abans de les nou.
Incorrect—the infinitive cannot carry the explicit subject els tècnics here.
✅ Cal que els tècnics arribin abans de les nou.
The technicians need to arrive before nine.
3. Using the indicative after pot ser que.
❌ Pot ser que la botiga està tancada.
Incorrect—pot ser que frames the state as a possibility.
✅ Pot ser que la botiga estigui tancada.
The shop may be closed.
4. Using the subjunctive after affirmative evidence.
❌ És evident que el servidor no funcioni.
Incorrect—the sentence presents the failure as evident.
✅ És evident que el servidor no funciona.
It is obvious that the server isn't working.
5. Treating potser like pot ser que.
❌ Potser la Carla arribi més tard.
Avoid this in standard Catalan—potser normally takes the indicative.
✅ Potser la Carla arribarà més tard.
Perhaps Carla will arrive later.
Key Takeaways
- Use cal que and convé que with a subjunctive carrying the responsible person's agreement.
- Prefer cal/convé + infinitive for a general or same-agent instruction.
- Pot ser que takes subjunctive, but potser normally takes indicative.
- Evaluations and possibilities favor subjunctive; affirmative declarations of truth or evidence favor indicative.
- Mood depends on commitment, not on the mere presence of an impersonal expression.
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Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- What the Subjunctive ContributesB1 — Understand the Catalan subjunctive as a mood of dependent, nonasserted situations—not simply uncertainty.
- Subjunctive after Emotion and EvaluationB1 — Use the present subjunctive when a Catalan clause is reacted to, judged, or presented through an emotional response.
- Subjunctive after Doubt, Denial, and RejectionB1 — Choose the subjunctive when a speaker withholds commitment to a proposition through doubt, denial, or rejection.
- Purpose Clauses with PerquèB1 — Distinguish purpose perquè with the subjunctive from causal perquè with the indicative, and choose finite or infinitival purpose clauses by subject reference.
- Cal, Caldre, and Cal QueA2 — Express impersonal necessity with caldre before a noun, an infinitive, or a subjunctive clause, including its common weak-pronoun patterns.
- Indicative or Subjunctive?B1 — Choose Catalan indicative or subjunctive by deciding whether a clause is asserted or placed inside desire, evaluation, nonidentification, or another nonassertive frame.