Questions and negation
Question words, Catalan word order, no, res, ningú, mai, tampoc, and cap.
Catalan questions need no English do-support
Keep the conjugated verb as the real verb: On vius?, not an equivalent of “Where do you live?”. Intonation marks yes/no questions; question words occupy the position required by their function, often at the front.
Question words
| Catalan | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| què | what | Què vols? |
| qui | who | Qui ve? |
| com | how / what ... like | Com funciona? |
| on | where | On treballes? |
| quan | when | Quan arriben? |
| per què | why | Per què marxes? |
| quant/a/s/es | how much/many | Quantes entrades necessites? |
| quin/a/s/es | which / what | Quin dia et va bé? |
Per què is the question “why”; perquè introduces “because/so that”. Què is a pronoun; quin selects a noun or one from a set.
Word order and echo questions
Neutral yes/no order can match a statement, distinguished by intonation: Tens reserva?. A focused subject often follows the verb: Quan arriba la Marta?. Prepositions remain before the question word in careful style: Amb qui vens? De què parleu?.
Negation and negative concord
| Item | Meaning | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| no | not | No ho sé. |
| res | nothing / anything | No vull res. |
| ningú | nobody / anybody | No ha vingut ningú. |
| mai | never / ever | No hi vaig mai. |
| tampoc | neither / not either | Jo tampoc no ho sé. |
| cap | no / not any | No tinc cap pregunta. |
| gens | not at all / no amount | No és gens fàcil. |
When a negative-polarity word follows the verb, no is required: No ve ningú; no diu res. Before the verb, traditional and formal Catalan normally retains no: Ningú no ho sap; mai no arriba tard. Contemporary usage may omit it in some preverbal contexts, so “double negative is mandatory” is too broad; the safe learner rule is to retain it.
Examples in context
On puc comprar una targeta de transport?
Where can I buy a transport card?
Quina línia de metro hem d’agafar?
Which metro line do we have to take?
Per què aprens català?
Why are you learning Catalan?
Amb qui has quedat per sopar?
Who are you meeting for dinner?
No trobo les claus enlloc.
I can’t find the keys anywhere.
Ningú no m’ha explicat el canvi.
Nobody explained the change to me.
No tenim cap habitació lliure aquesta nit.
We don’t have any free rooms tonight.
La Jana tampoc no pot venir.
Jana can’t come either.
No és gens car si reserves abans.
It isn’t expensive at all if you book early.
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