Breakdown of Cal adjuntar el currículum; si no, perdràs l'oportunitat.
perdre
to lose
caldre
to be necessary
si no
otherwise
l'oportunitat
the opportunity
Questions & Answers about Cal adjuntar el currículum; si no, perdràs l'oportunitat.
What does cal mean here, and why isn’t there a subject like you or one?
Cal is an impersonal verb form, from caldre, and it means something like it is necessary, one must, or it’s required.
In this sentence, cal adjuntar el currículum means that attaching the CV is necessary, without saying exactly who must do it. That is very common in Catalan for instructions, rules, and formal notices.
So:
- Cal adjuntar... = It is necessary to attach...
- Has d’adjuntar... = You have to attach...
The first version sounds more general and impersonal.
Why is adjuntar in the infinitive?
After cal, Catalan often uses an infinitive to express what is necessary.
So the pattern is:
- cal + infinitive
Examples:
- Cal esperar. = It is necessary to wait.
- Cal signar el document. = The document must be signed / It is necessary to sign the document.
- Cal adjuntar el currículum.
This works a lot like English it is necessary to + verb.
Why does it say el currículum and not just currículum?