A Catalan verb tells you much more than the English infinitive translation suggests. Its ending can identify the subject, place an event in time, present it as complete or ongoing, and mark it as a statement, possibility, wish, or command. That information is why Catalan often omits subject pronouns: parlem already means “we speak” or “we are speaking.”
This page is a map, not a list of every tense. The central idea is that a verb form combines a lexical stem with person, number, tense, aspect, and mood. Auxiliaries and weak pronouns add further layers, but they still follow predictable positions.
Three conjugations
The infinitive usually tells you which main conjugation a verb belongs to:
| Conjugation | Infinitive ending | Regular model | Nonfinite forms |
|---|---|---|---|
| first | -ar | parlar “speak” | parlar, parlant, parlat |
| second | -er, -re | perdre “lose” | perdre, perdent, perdut |
| third | -ir | dormir “sleep” | dormir, dormint, dormit |
The second conjugation has two main infinitive spellings, -er and -re, but they belong to one broader class; a few very common irregulars, notably dir and dur, are also assigned to it. The third conjugation divides further into pure verbs such as dormir and incoative verbs such as servir (serveixo, serveixes... in the Central standard). Those details have their own page; for now, learn the infinitive with its conjugation.
The patterns and their principal subtypes are developed in The Three Conjugations.
A complete present-tense model
The present indicative shows how endings encode person and number. These are regular Central Catalan model paradigms:
| Person | parlar | perdre | dormir |
|---|---|---|---|
| jo | parlo | perdo | dormo |
| tu | parles | perds | dorms |
| ell / ella / vostè | parla | perd | dorm |
| nosaltres | parlem | perdem | dormim |
| vosaltres | parleu | perdeu | dormiu |
| ells / elles / vostès | parlen | perden | dormen |
Stress belongs to the paradigm too. In parlo, parles, parla, and parlen, the stem is stressed; in parlem and parleu, the ending is stressed. Spelling changes in other verbs often protect pronunciation when endings are added.
Treballo des de casa els dijous.
I work from home on Thursdays.
Tu no menges carn, oi?
You don't eat meat, right?
La Jana dorm poc quan té exàmens.
Jana sleeps little when she has exams.
Nosaltres perdem el tren si no sortim ara.
We will miss the train if we don't leave now.
Vosaltres parleu massa de pressa per a mi.
You all speak too fast for me.
Els meus veïns no treballen els caps de setmana.
My neighbors don't work on weekends.
The endings make jo, nosaltres, and vosaltres unnecessary unless they are contrastive. English requires an explicit subject in these sentences; Catalan normally does not.
Regional standards may select different endings. For example, (regional: Valencian) uses parle for first-person singular where Central Catalan has parlo, and (regional: Balearic) commonly uses parl. These forms belong to coherent regional paradigms. They do not change the underlying categories of person, tense, and mood.
Finite and nonfinite forms
A finite verb carries tense or mood and normally agrees with a subject: parlo, parlàvem, parlaran, parlis. A nonfinite form does not carry person agreement:
| Form | Model | Main role |
|---|---|---|
| infinitive | parlar | names the event; follows many verbs and prepositions |
| gerund | parlant | presents an event in progress or as a simultaneous circumstance |
| participle | parlat | combines with haver or behaves like an adjective |
Vull parlar amb tu després de sopar.
I want to talk to you after dinner.
Only vull identifies first-person singular and present time. Parlar stays infinitive. In a compound tense, the finite auxiliary carries agreement:
Ja hem parlat amb la propietària i li hem explicat el problema.
We have already spoken to the landlady and explained the problem to her.
Hem marks first-person plural; the participles parlat and explicat remain invariable with haver. When a participle is adjectival, it agrees: La porta està tancada; les portes estan tancades.
Mood: assertion, possibility, and direction
Catalan has three central mood domains:
- The indicative normally presents information as asserted or located in the speaker's model of reality: Sé que ve avui.
- The subjunctive places a situation inside a wish, evaluation, doubt, purpose, or other nonasserted frame: Vull que vingui avui.
- The imperative directs someone to act: Vine avui.
Sé que la Núria ve avui, però dubto que arribi abans de les sis.
I know Núria is coming today, but I doubt that she will arrive before six.
The verbs after sé and dubto do not differ because one expression appears on a memorized trigger list. Ve is asserted as known; arribi is held inside doubt. That difference in assertion status is the logic behind mood choice.
Negative commands use a subjunctive form rather than the affirmative imperative:
Obre la finestra, però no obris la porta.
Open the window, but don't open the door.
Tense and aspect: time plus viewpoint
Tense locates an event relative to speaking time; aspect shows how the speaker views its internal shape. Catalan therefore has several ways to discuss the past:
| Form | Example | Viewpoint |
|---|---|---|
| present | treballo | current, habitual, or scheduled |
| imperfect | treballava | ongoing, habitual, or background past |
| periphrastic past | vaig treballar | bounded completed past event |
| present perfect | he treballat | prior event connected to the current time frame |
| future | treballaré | future event or prediction |
| conditional | treballaria | hypothetical or future viewed from a past point |
Quan vivia a Girona, anava a la feina amb bicicleta; ahir hi vaig tornar per primera vegada.
When I lived in Girona, I used to cycle to work; yesterday I went back there for the first time.
Vivia and anava build the background habit. Vaig tornar presents one completed return. A word-for-word English tense label cannot predict this contrast; the speaker's viewpoint does.
Auxiliaries and periphrases
Catalan uses a small group of verbs to build larger verbal meanings:
- haver + participle: compound tenses—he menjat, havíem sortit;
- the special past auxiliary forms of anar + infinitive: vaig menjar, vam sortir;
- estar + gerund: an event explicitly in progress—estem sopant;
- haver de + infinitive: obligation—he de marxar;
- ser + participle: eventive passive—(formal) la proposta va ser aprovada.
Ara sopem; després acabarem l'informe.
We're having dinner now; afterward we'll finish the report.
English naturally uses “are having,” but Catalan often uses the simple present for an action occurring now. Estem sopant is possible when the ongoing phase itself is important—for example, “don't call now; we're eating.” Do not turn every English be + -ing into estar + gerund.
The periphrastic past has no preposition:
Ahir vaig parlar amb l'Arnau; ara vaig a parlar amb la directora.
Yesterday I spoke with Arnau; now I am going to speak with the director.
Vaig parlar is past auxiliary + infinitive. Vaig a parlar contains motion vaig plus a and expresses going in order to speak. That single a changes the construction.
Weak pronouns around verbs
Weak pronouns normally precede an ordinary finite verb but attach after an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative imperative:
La carta? La llegeixo ara, vull llegir-la amb calma i demà te la tornaré.
The letter? I'm reading it now, I want to read it carefully, and tomorrow I'll return it to you.
With an affirmative command, say Llegeix-la. With a negative command, put the pronoun before the verb: No la llegeixis encara. The pronoun's antecedent and function stay the same; only the host changes.
Mini-dialogue
—Què feu aquest vespre? —Nosaltres sopem a casa i després veurem una pel·lícula. La Marta no ve perquè ha de treballar.
—What are you doing this evening? —We're having dinner at home and then we'll watch a film. Marta isn't coming because she has to work.
The dialogue moves from second-person plural feu to first-person plural sopem/veurem and third-person singular ve/ha. The subject nosaltres is stated for contrast; the other endings identify their subjects without repeated pronouns.
Common Mistakes
1. Assuming the subject pronoun can replace agreement.
❌ Jo treballa aquí i visc al costat.
Incorrect—jo still requires first-person singular treballo.
✅ Treballo aquí i visc al costat.
I work here and live nearby.
2. Overusing the progressive.
❌ Cada dilluns estic treballant des de casa.
Unnatural for a regular habit—the simple present is the normal choice.
✅ Cada dilluns treballo des de casa.
Every Monday I work from home.
3. Adding a to the periphrastic past.
❌ Ahir vaig a comprar pa.
Incorrect for a completed past—the a turns the sequence into motion/purpose.
✅ Ahir vaig comprar pa.
Yesterday I bought bread.
4. Copying the Spanish obligation periphrasis.
❌ Tinc que acabar l'informe aquest matí.
Incorrect—standard Catalan expresses this obligation with haver de, not tenir que.
✅ He d'acabar l'informe aquest matí.
I have to finish the report this morning.
5. Choosing the subjunctive from a word alone rather than the asserted meaning.
❌ Sé que vingui demà.
Incorrect—sé presents the proposition as known and asserted.
✅ Sé que ve demà. / Vull que vingui demà.
I know she is coming tomorrow. / I want her to come tomorrow.
Key Takeaways
The infinitive identifies one of three conjugations; finite endings mark person, number, tense, and mood; and nonfinite forms depend on a finite verb or another construction. Indicative and subjunctive differ in assertion status, not simply English translation. Auxiliaries build compound, periphrastic, progressive, and modal meanings, while weak pronouns follow the position of their verbal host. Learn each form as a viewpoint on an event, not as a one-to-one English tense.
Now practice Catalan
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
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.
- Stems, Theme Vowels, and EndingsA1 — Break Catalan verb forms into reusable pieces and distinguish predictable allomorphy and spelling repair from genuine irregularity.
- Finite and Nonfinite Verb FormsA1 — Distinguish person-marked indicative, subjunctive, and imperative forms from infinitives, gerunds, and participles and use each to build clauses.
- Forming the Periphrastic PastA2 — Build Catalan’s ordinary past with the auxiliary forms vaig, vas, va, vam, vau, van and an unchanged infinitive.
- 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.