Breakdown of Vam demanar el compte després de les postres.
després de
after
les postres
the desserts
demanar
to ask for
el compte
the bill
Questions & Answers about Vam demanar el compte després de les postres.
Why is the past tense vam demanar made with two words?
This is the periphrastic past, one of the most common ways to talk about completed past actions in Catalan.
It is formed with:
- a present-tense form of anar (to go)
- plus an infinitive
So:
- vam = the we form used in this past construction
- demanar = to ask / to order
Together, vam demanar means we asked or we ordered, depending on context.
Even though vam comes historically from anar, in this structure it does not mean we go. It simply marks the past.
What person is vam, and where is the word for we?
Vam is first person plural, so it means we.
Catalan often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear. So:
- Vam demanar = We asked / ordered
- Nosaltres vam demanar = also possible, but more emphatic
So the subject we is understood from vam.
Why is it vam demanar instead of a one-word past tense?