Barreja-ho bé al bol i tasta-ho abans de servir-ho.

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Breakdown of Barreja-ho bé al bol i tasta-ho abans de servir-ho.

• a: in
• i: and
• abans de: before

Questions & Answers about Barreja-ho bé al bol i tasta-ho abans de servir-ho.

What does -ho mean in barreja-ho, tasta-ho, and servir-ho?

Ho is a direct object pronoun. Here it means something like it, referring to the mixture, dish, or preparation.

Catalan often uses ho for something unspecified or for a whole idea/result, especially when English would just say it.

So:

• barreja-ho = mix it
• tasta-ho = taste it
• servir-ho = serve it

In this sentence, the same thing is being mixed, tasted, and served, so ho appears with all three verbs.

Why is ho attached to the verb instead of written separately?

Because in Catalan, object pronouns are often attached to:

• affirmative commands: barreja-ho, tasta-ho
• infinitives: servir-ho
• some other verb forms too

These attached pronouns are called clitic pronouns.

So with affirmative imperatives, Catalan says:

• Fes-ho = do it
• Mira'l = look at him / it
• Barreja-ho = mix it

But with many other verb forms, the pronoun goes before the verb:

• Ho barreges = you mix it
• No ho barregis = don’t mix it