Object pronouns
Direct and indirect clitics, en, hi, combinations, and placement.
Clitics come before a finite verb and replace recoverable information
Catalan object pronouns are short unstressed forms attached to the verb phrase. Choose them by grammatical function—direct object, indirect recipient, quantity/source (en), or location/prepositional complement (hi)—not by English word order.
Direct and indirect objects
| Person/number | Direct object | Indirect object | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | em / m’ | em / m’ | Em veu. · Em dona el llibre. |
| 2nd singular | et / t’ | et / t’ | Et truco. · T’explico el pla. |
| 3rd singular | el / la / l’ | li | La conec. · Li escric. |
| 1st plural | ens | ens | Ens conviden. · Ens porten cafè. |
| 2nd plural | us | us | Us espero. · Us dic la veritat. |
| 3rd plural | els / les | els | Els veig. · Els envio el document. |
Unlike Spanish, standard Catalan indirect plural is els: Als clients els enviem la factura.
En: quantity, de-complement, and source
- Replace a noun introduced by a number/quantity: Tens germans? En tinc dos.
- Replace de + thing/topic: Parles del projecte? Sí, en parlo sovint.
- Replace movement from a place: Quan surts de la feina? En surto a les sis.
- In pronominal verbs: me’n recordo, se’n va, ens n’adonem.
Hi: place and other prepositional complements
- Replace a place not introduced by de: Vas al mercat? Sí, hi vaig.
- Replace a/en/amb + thing: Penses en la proposta? Hi penso.
- In the fixed existence expression: Hi ha una farmàcia aquí a prop.
- Do not normally use hi for a person: repeat the stressed phrase or use the appropriate indirect pronoun.
Two pronouns together
| Meaning | Combination | Example |
|---|---|---|
| it to me | me’l / me la | Me’l pots deixar? |
| them to you | te’ls / te les | Te’ls envio ara. |
| some away / of it | se’n | Se’n va. · Se’n recorda. |
| to us there/about it | ens hi | Ens hi porten. |
| it to him/her, central standard | l’hi / la hi | L’hi donaré demà. |
| them to him/her | els hi / les hi | Els hi explicaré. |
The broad order is reflexive/1st/2nd person → indirect → direct → en/hi, but third-person combinations are dialect-sensitive. Valencian preserves forms such as li’l, li la, li’ls; central Catalan commonly uses l’hi, la hi, els hi, les hi.
Position with tenses and commands
Before a finite verb or periphrastic past: no me’l dona; me’l va donar. With an infinitive, attach it or place it before the governing verb: vull comprar-lo / el vull comprar. Attach to affirmative commands: compra’l, dona-me’l. Put before negative commands: no el compris, no me’l donis.
Examples in context
Has vist la Laia? No, avui no l’he vista.
Have you seen Laia? No, I haven’t seen her today.
Aquest llibre ja l’he llegit.
I have already read this book.
Quants cafès vols? En vull dos.
How many coffees do you want? I want two.
Vas sovint a la biblioteca? Sí, hi vaig cada setmana.
Do you often go to the library? Yes, I go there every week.
No me’n recordo del seu cognom.
I don’t remember their surname.
Les claus? Te les vaig deixar damunt la taula.
The keys? I left them for you on the table.
Quan tingui l’informe, l’hi enviaré.
When I have the report, I’ll send it to him/her.
No els ho expliquis fins demà.
Don’t explain it to them until tomorrow.
Ens hi podem trobar a les vuit.
We can meet there at eight.
Agafa’n un i deixa la resta aquí.
Take one and leave the rest here.
Your progress stays privately in this browser.