Catalan commonly uses the present subjunctive in a time clause when its event is still pending: Truca'm quan arribis “Call me when you arrive.” The present form arribis points to the future because the main clause and the time conjunction supply that perspective. The subjunctive presents the arrival as the unrealized point that will trigger the call.
English uses an ordinary present form after “when,” “until,” and “as soon as,” so the tense translation can look deceptively simple. Catalan mood makes a further contrast between a repeated or established time relation and one that has not yet occurred.
Quan: habitual event or pending event
With habits and repeated present-time relationships, quan normally takes the indicative. With a particular later event that remains unrealized, the present subjunctive is very common.
Quan arriba a casa, sempre es treu les sabates.
When he gets home, he always takes off his shoes.
Quan arribis a casa, envia'm un missatge.
When you get home, send me a message.
Quan tenim temps, dinem plegats.
When we have time, we have lunch together.
Quan tinguem temps, anirem a veure l'àvia.
When we have time, we'll go see Grandma.
The indicative examples describe a recurring pattern. The subjunctive examples locate a future action relative to a particular arrival or future availability. The choice is not based on whether the speaker doubts that the event will happen: even a confidently expected arrival is still pending and can be presented in the subjunctive.
Contemporary standard Catalan also allows the future indicative after quan in future reference: Quan arribaràs a casa, en parlarem. The subjunctive alternative Quan arribis a casa, en parlarem is more usual in contemporary usage, but the two need not differ in certainty or scheduling. The future can also prevent ambiguity where an ending could otherwise be read as present indicative: Quan entrarem nosaltres, sortireu vosaltres. Do not import a Spanish rule that bans the future indicative categorically.
Fins que: the endpoint has not been reached
Fins que introduces the event marking the endpoint of a situation. When that endpoint is still ahead, the present subjunctive is usual.
No marxarem fins que acabi la reunió.
We won't leave until the meeting ends.
Guarda el rebut fins que et tornin els diners.
Keep the receipt until they refund your money.
M'esperaré aquí fins que em truquis.
I'll wait here until you call me.
Write fins que before a finite clause, without a. The preposition appears before a noun or infinitive—fins a les sis, fins a acabar la feina—but it reduces to fins before complementizer que.
Once the endpoint is narrated as an actual past event, the indicative is natural:
Ahir vam esperar fins que va arribar l'ambulància.
Yesterday we waited until the ambulance arrived.
The difference is viewpoint. Fins que arribi looks toward an endpoint not yet realized; fins que va arribar reports the endpoint as part of a completed narrative.
Tan bon punt: immediate succession
Tan bon punt means “as soon as” and introduces the first event in a tight sequence. For a pending future event, use the present subjunctive.
Tan bon punt sàpigues el resultat, avisa'ns.
As soon as you know the result, let us know.
Tan bon punt obrin les inscripcions, hi apuntarem els nens.
As soon as registration opens, we'll sign the children up.
The expression is neutral and fully current. Així que and tan aviat com can express a similar temporal relation, also with a subjunctive when the event is pending: Així que puguis, truca'm; Tan aviat com ho sàpigues, digues-m'ho. A completed narrative instead uses an appropriate indicative past: Tan bon punt ho va saber, em va trucar.
Abans que: the later event remains outside the main event
Abans que is followed by a finite subjunctive because its clause identifies an event relative to which the main action comes first. With present or future perspective, use the present subjunctive.
Hem de sortir abans que comenci a ploure.
We have to leave before it starts raining.
Torna els llibres abans que tanqui la biblioteca.
Return the books before the library closes.
Enviarem la proposta abans que s'acabi el termini.
We'll send the proposal before the deadline expires.
If the two actions share a subject, abans de + infinitive is usually more economical: Revisa el correu abans de sortir “Check your email before leaving.” With distinct subjects, abans que + subjunctive makes the relationship explicit: Revisa el correu abans que surti la directora.
Catalan can insert an expletive no after abans que without giving the dependent clause negative meaning: Marxem abans que no plogui can mean “Let's leave before it rains,” not “before it doesn't rain.” This use is established, especially in careful writing (formal/written), but because it can confuse learners and sometimes creates ambiguity, the version without no is the clearest default.
Present perfect subjunctive for a completed first step
Use the present perfect subjunctive when the event inside the time clause must be completed before the future main event. Compare an event viewed as occurring and one viewed as already finished:
Quan arribis, soparem.
When you arrive, we'll have dinner.
Quan hagis acabat de treballar, soparem.
When you've finished working, we'll have dinner.
No publiquis res fins que ho hàgim revisat tots.
Don't publish anything until we have all reviewed it.
The compound form does not make the time clause more doubtful. It makes the action anterior and completed relative to the later reference point. See the present perfect subjunctive for its formation.
Time clause or indirect question?
Not every clause introduced by quan is an adverbial time clause. In an indirect question, quan means “at what time,” and the clause reports missing information rather than setting a trigger. Such clauses normally use the indicative.
No sé quan arribarà el tècnic.
I don't know when the technician will arrive.
Quan arribi el tècnic, li ensenyarem la caldera.
When the technician arrives, we'll show him the boiler.
The first sentence asks for an unknown time; arribarà is future indicative. The second establishes the technician's arrival as the point that triggers another action; arribi is present subjunctive. English uses “when” in both, so learners must identify the clause's function.
Weak pronouns and agreement
Weak pronouns precede the finite subjunctive in these clauses. They do not attach to it as they would to an affirmative imperative or infinitive.
Quan hi arribis, truca'ns des de l'entrada.
When you get there, call us from the entrance.
No ho decideixis fins que te n'hagis informat bé.
Don't decide until you've found out about it properly.
The endings identify the subject: informal singular arribis, first-person plural arribem, second-person plural arribeu, polite singular arribi, and third-person or polite plural arribin. Central forms are the baseline. Valencian standard has arribes, arribe, and arriben (regional: Valencian); its use of mood in these time clauses follows the same principles.
Mini-dialogue: meeting at the station
—Quan arribis a l'estació, espera'm al costat de la cafeteria. —D'acord; no compraré els bitllets fins que hi siguis.
—When you arrive at the station, wait for me beside the café. —All right; I won't buy the tickets until you're there.
—I si el tren ja és a l'andana? —Tan bon punt ho vegis al panell, truca'm.
—What if the train is already at the platform? —As soon as you see it on the board, call me.
All three subjunctives refer to later trigger points. None implies serious doubt; each event is simply viewed before it becomes actual.
Common Mistakes
1. Copying English will after abans que.
❌ Acaba-ho abans que marxaràs.
Incorrect—abans que requires a finite subjunctive here.
✅ Acaba-ho abans que marxis.
Finish it before you leave.
2. Keeping a before a finite que-clause.
❌ No sortirem fins a que pari de ploure.
Incorrect—fins a reduces to fins before que.
✅ No sortirem fins que pari de ploure.
We won't go out until it stops raining.
3. Using subjunctive in an indirect question about time.
❌ No sabem quan comenci el concert.
Incorrect for the meaning 'at what time'—this is an indirect question.
✅ No sabem quan començarà el concert.
We don't know when the concert will start.
4. Using a future-oriented subjunctive in a completed past narrative.
❌ Ahir em vaig quedar fins que acabin de netejar.
Incorrect—the endpoint is part of a completed past narrative.
✅ Ahir em vaig quedar fins que van acabar de netejar.
Yesterday I stayed until they finished cleaning.
5. Attaching a weak pronoun to the finite subjunctive.
❌ Quan arribis-hi, avisa'm.
Incorrect—weak pronouns precede a finite verb in a subordinate clause.
✅ Quan hi arribis, avisa'm.
When you get there, let me know.
Key Takeaways
- Use the present subjunctive to present a later event as a pending trigger or endpoint.
- Contrast habitual quan + indicative with future-oriented quan + subjunctive.
- Future indicative after future quan is also standard Catalan; it often presents the event as more firmly projected.
- Use fins que, not fins a que, before a finite clause, and distinguish completed-past indicative from pending-future subjunctive.
- Use present perfect subjunctive when the first future step must be completed, and indicative in indirect questions such as No sé quan arribarà.
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