Present-subjunctive endings often begin with i or e, and those vowels can change how a preceding consonant letter would normally be pronounced. Catalan therefore changes the spelling to preserve the stem sound: tocar → toqui, pagar → pagui, començar → comenci, menjar → mengi. The alternation is orthographic, not an extra tense marker.
Vowel-final stems present a second challenge. Forms such as canviï and creï need a diaeresis to show that adjacent vowels belong to different syllables. English has no comparable conjugational spelling system, so the safest habit is to learn each alternation as a sound-to-spelling relationship.
For the endings themselves, begin with the regular -ar paradigm and the second- and third-conjugation paradigms. This page explains only what happens when those endings meet particular stems.
Four consonant alternations
Catalan c and g have different values before a/o/u and before e/i. The subjunctive ending changes the following vowel, so the spelling must adjust.
| Infinitive pattern | Change | Model pair | What remains stable |
|---|---|---|---|
| -car | c → qu before e/i | tocar → toqui | hard /k/ |
| -gar | g → gu before e/i | pagar → pagui | hard /g/ |
| -çar | ç → c before e/i | començar → comenci | soft consonant |
| -jar | j → g before e/i | menjar → mengi | the stem's palatal sound |
In qu and gu here, the u is not pronounced; it protects the hard consonant value. Conversely, ç is unnecessary before e/i, because c already has the required soft value there. Likewise, g before e/i represents the sound written j before a/o/u.
No vull que toquis aquest endoll amb les mans mullades.
I don't want you to touch this socket with wet hands.
La propietària demana que paguem abans de divendres.
The landlord is asking us to pay before Friday.
Quan comencin les vacances, marxarem uns dies al Pirineu.
When the holidays begin, we'll go away to the Pyrenees for a few days.
La infermera recomana que mengis alguna cosa abans de prendre el medicament.
The nurse recommends that you eat something before taking the medicine.
Complete model paradigms
The spelling alternation appears in every cell whose following vowel requires it. Central Catalan has stem stress in the singular and third-person plural, but ending stress in nosaltres and vosaltres. Spelling follows the vowel, not the location of stress.
| Person | tocar | pagar | començar | menjar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| jo | toqui | pagui | comenci | mengi |
| tu | toquis | paguis | comencis | mengis |
| ell / ella / vostè | toqui | pagui | comenci | mengi |
| nosaltres | toquem | paguem | comencem | mengem |
| vosaltres | toqueu | pagueu | comenceu | mengeu |
| ells / elles / vostès | toquin | paguin | comencin | mengin |
The alternation is not confined to the singular. Since both -i and -e affect consonant spelling, all six cells use qu, gu, c, or g in these models. Compounds and prefixed verbs normally preserve their base pattern: aparcar → aparqui, encarregar → encarregui, avançar → avanci, barrejar → barregi.
Convé que aparqueu al carrer de baix perquè aquí no hi ha espai.
You should park on the street below because there is no room here.
Espero que encarreguin el material avui mateix.
I hope they order the materials today.
Diaeresis: preserving separate syllables
The diaeresis does a different job from qu or gu: it marks that a vowel is pronounced as a separate syllable rather than absorbed into a diphthong. In the stem-stressed forms of verbs such as canviar, estudiar, copiar, and crear, write ï:
| Infinitive | Stem-stressed forms | Ending-stressed forms |
|---|---|---|
| canviar | canviï, canviïs, canviï, canviïn | canviem, canvieu |
| estudiar | estudiï, estudiïs, estudiï, estudiïn | estudiem, estudieu |
| copiar | copiï, copiïs, copiï, copiïn | copiem, copieu |
| crear | creï, creïs, creï, creïn | creem, creeu |
Dubto que estudiïn prou per a l'examen.
I doubt they're studying enough for the exam.
La tutora prefereix que estudiïs en un lloc tranquil.
The tutor prefers you to study somewhere quiet.
Volem un disseny que no copiï el de l'any passat.
We want a design that doesn't copy last year's.
The diaeresis is obligatory: canviin, estudiis, and crein are misspellings in these forms. It disappears from canviem, estudieu, and creem because ordinary spelling and stress already yield the intended syllabification.
A related pattern appears in verbs in -uir. In the Central incoative model, traduir has tradueixi, tradueixis, tradueixi, traduïm, traduïu, tradueixin. Here the diaeresis occurs in the ending-stressed plural forms. The position is not chosen by analogy; it follows the actual vowel sequence and syllable structure.
Agreement, clitics, and mood
Spelling changes do not alter person agreement. Toqui can be first-person singular, third-person singular, or formal vostè; toquin is third-person plural or vostès. The surrounding subject and discourse resolve the shared forms.
Weak pronouns stand before a finite subjunctive in an ordinary subordinate clause, and negation precedes the pronoun cluster:
No crec que m'ho expliqui avui.
I don't think she'll explain it to me today.
La mare vol que no te'l mengis tot de cop.
Your mother doesn't want you to eat it all at once.
Negative commands use the same present-subjunctive spelling: No ho toquis; no te'l mengis. Affirmative commands attach the pronoun and may use a different person form: Toca-ho; menja-te'l. Orthography, mood, and clitic placement must each be handled separately.
Nor does correct spelling license the mood. Compare asserted Sé que paga avui with nonasserted Dubto que pagui avui. Both are correctly formed; only context selects between them.
Regional standard endings
The sound-preserving spelling principles are shared, although regional subjunctive endings differ. (regional: Valencian) first-conjugation forms include toque, toques... toquen; pague... paguen; comence... comencen; and menge... mengen. The same qu/gu, c, and g relationships remain visible. Central toqui and Valencian toque are not errors competing for one slot; they belong to different standard paradigms.
Spelling should therefore be coherent with the variety being written. Do not combine a Central ending with a Valencian series at random. Balearic, Northwestern, Northern, and Alguerese speech has additional morphological variation, but that does not suspend shared orthographic requirements such as qu before i/e or an obligatory diaeresis.
Mini-dialogue: last-minute instructions
—Vols que aparqui davant de casa? —No; val més que aparquis al pàrquing i que paguis amb l'aplicació.
—Do you want me to park in front of the house? —No; you'd better park in the garage and pay with the app.
—I quan comenci la reunió? —Escriu-me abans que apaguin els mòbils.
—And when the meeting starts? —Text me before they switch off their phones.
The spellings preserve the stem sounds, while future-oriented quan comenci and abans que apaguin require subjunctive because the events are still pending.
Do not let English choose Catalan aspect or tense
Spelling the subjunctive correctly solves only one layer. English progressive wording does not automatically require estar + gerund: Espero que estudiï demà is a normal future wish, while Espero que estigui estudiant quan arribis deliberately presents the studying as ongoing. Likewise, Catalan periphrastic past va començar contains no a; va a començar has the separate structure anar a + infinitive. After a past evaluation, a past subjunctive may be needed: Em va sorprendre que comencés tan aviat.
Common Mistakes
1. Keeping c or g before i and changing the sound.
❌ No deixis que aparcin aquí.
Incorrect spelling—the hard stem sound requires qu.
✅ No deixis que aparquin aquí.
Don't let them park here.
2. Keeping ç or j where c or g is required.
❌ Espero que començin aviat i que menjin abans.
Incorrect—before i, write comencin and mengin.
✅ Espero que comencin aviat i que mengin abans.
I hope they start early and eat beforehand.
3. Omitting the diaeresis.
❌ No crec que canviin el contracte.
Incorrect for third-person plural of canviar—the separate vowel requires canviïn.
✅ No crec que canviïn el contracte.
I don't think they'll change the contract.
4. Selecting subjunctive merely because que appears.
❌ Sé que pagui sempre puntualment.
Incorrect—the payment habit is asserted as known.
✅ Sé que paga sempre puntualment.
I know she always pays on time.
5. Importing an English progressive.
❌ Vull que estiguis pagant la factura demà.
Unnatural for a simple requested payment; it adds an unwanted ongoing viewpoint.
✅ Vull que paguis la factura demà.
I want you to pay the bill tomorrow.
Key Takeaways
- Use qu/gu to preserve hard consonants and c/g to preserve the soft or palatal sounds before e/i.
- A diaeresis marks a real syllable boundary: canviï, estudiïs, creïn, traduïm.
- Stress shifts between the stem and -em/-eu, but spelling always follows sound and syllable structure.
- Correct formation does not choose mood: assertion status and temporal viewpoint still control the verb form.
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Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- Present Subjunctive of Regular -ar VerbsB1 — Form the Central Catalan -i present subjunctive of regular -ar verbs, with correct stress, spelling changes, agreement, and regional -e variants.
- Present Subjunctive of -er, -re, and -ir VerbsB1 — Build present-subjunctive forms of regular second- and third-conjugation verbs, including pure and incoative -ir patterns and regional standards.
- Velar and Irregular Subjunctive StemsB1 — Build Catalan present-subjunctive forms such as digui, tingui, vingui, pugui, and conegui from their irregular velar stems.
- Present-Tense Spelling ChangesA2 — Keep a Catalan verb stem's consonant or vowel sequence stable by alternating c/qu, g/gu, ç/c, j/g, and diaeresis spellings.
- What the Subjunctive ContributesB1 — Understand the Catalan subjunctive as a mood of dependent, nonasserted situations—not simply uncertainty.
- Negative ImperativesA2 — Build Catalan prohibitions with no plus the present subjunctive, placing weak pronouns correctly for every command person.