Quan arribo al pis, encenc la llum de la cuina.

the kitchen

Breakdown of Quan arribo al pis, encenc la llum de la cuina.

• a: at
• quan: when
• arribar: to arrive

Questions & Answers about Quan arribo al pis, encenc la llum de la cuina.

Why is it Quan arribo... with the present tense, not a future form?

Catalan often uses the present tense for things that happen regularly, typically, or as part of a sequence.

So Quan arribo al pis, encenc la llum de la cuina can mean something like Whenever I get to the apartment, I turn on the kitchen light.

This is very natural in Catalan, just as English can also say When I get home, I turn on the kitchen light.

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Why is there no word for I before arribo and encenc?

Catalan usually drops the subject pronoun when it is clear from the verb ending.

• arribo = I arrive
• encenc = I turn on / light

Because the endings already show the subject is first person singular, jo is not necessary.

You could say Quan jo arribo al pis..., but that would usually add emphasis or contrast.

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What does al mean, and why isn’t it just a el pis?

Al is the contraction of:

• a = to / at
• el = the

So:

• a + el = al

This is very common in Catalan.