Contractions and Elision in Catalan

In Brief

Catalan combines a, de, and per with the masculine articles el and els: a + el = al, de + els = dels, and per + el = pel. Before a vowel sound, however, singular articles and some short pronouns usually lose a vowel and take an apostrophe: l'escola, l'home, m'agrada. These are required written forms, not optional shortcuts.

Overview

Contraction means that two words merge into one. In Catalan, three common prepositions—words such as “to,” “of,” and “through” that connect other parts of a sentence—merge with the masculine definite articles el and els (“the”). That is why Catalan has al cinema rather than a el cinema, and del veí rather than de el veí.

Elision is related but not identical. A vowel at the edge of a short grammatical word disappears before another vowel sound, and an apostrophe marks the missing vowel: la escola becomes l'escola. Several unstressed object and reflexive pronouns (short words placed with a verb) behave similarly: em agrada becomes m'agrada. English uses apostrophes in forms such as “I’m,” but the Catalan apostrophe does not indicate the same set of words, so it is better to learn the Catalan patterns directly.

This is an A1 topic because these forms appear constantly in directions, possession, everyday places, and basic sentences. The beginner rule is compact: memorize the six preposition–article contractions, then check whether a following singular article or pronoun must be apostrophized. Later sections explain the sound-based exceptions and attached pronoun forms you will meet beyond A1.

How It Works

The six core contractions

Only the combinations with masculine el and els contract in this basic system.

Preposition	+ el	Result	+ els	Result	Basic meaning
a	a + el	al	a + els	als	to, at
de	de + el	del	de + els	dels	of, from
per	per + el	pel	per + els	pels	through, along, by, for

The contraction is obligatory when the preposition is immediately followed by el or els:

• Anem al mercat. — “We are going to the market.”
• Torno del centre. — “I am coming back from the city centre.”
• Passegem pels carrers. — “We walk through the streets.”

The feminine articles do not contract:

Combination	Correct form	Example
a + la	a la	a la plaça — at/to the square
a + les	a les	a les vuit — at eight
de + la	de la	de la professora — of/from the teacher
de + les	de les	de les muntanyes — of/from the mountains
per + la	per la	per la finestra — through the window
per + les	per les	per les escales — by way of the stairs

Other articles and determiners remain separate too: a un restaurant, de aquesta ciutat, per uns carrers estrets. A contraction is not simply triggered by any masculine noun; the actual next word must be el or els.

What happens before a vowel

When singular el or la comes before a word beginning with a vowel sound, it normally becomes l':

Underlying words	Written form	Example
el + avi	l'avi	the grandfather
el + home	l'home	the man
la + escola	l'escola	the school
la + àvia	l'àvia	the grandmother

A silent h does not block elision because the following sound is still a vowel: l'hotel, l'hora. By contrast, the plural articles els and les do not elide: els avis, les escoles.

This rule changes what happens after a preposition. If the noun requires l', there is no el left for the preposition to contract with:

Separate elements	Correct phrase	Not
a + l'escola	a l'escola	al escola
de + l'hotel	de l'hotel	del hotel
per + l'avinguda	per l'avinguda	pel avinguda

A useful decision order is therefore:

1. Choose the correct article for the noun: el carrer, la plaça, l'estació, els carrers.
2. Add the preposition.
3. Contract only if the result contains a/de/per + el/els.

For example, estació is feminine but begins with a vowel, so its article is l'. Adding a gives a l'estació, not al estació.

Elision with short pronouns

Several weak pronouns—short, unstressed words used with a verb—drop their vowel before a verb beginning with a vowel or silent h.

Full form before a consonant	Elided form before a vowel	Example	Meaning in the example
em	m'	m'agrada	pleases me / I like
et	t'	t'escolto	I listen to you
es	s'	s'aixeca	gets up
el / la	l' in many contexts	l'entenc	I understand him/it
en	n'	n'agafa dos	takes two of them

Compare em parla (“he/she speaks to me”) with m'escriu (“he/she writes to me”). The apostrophe replaces a letter; do not leave a space after it. Pronouns that do not lose a vowel simply remain separate before the verb: ho entenc, hi anem, li escric.

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Vaig al cinema.	I go to the cinema.	a + el
Portem els nens als jardins.	We take the children to the gardens.	a + els
El cotxe del veí és blau.	The neighbor’s car is blue.	de + el
Parlem dels resultats.	We are talking about the results.	de + els
Caminem pel camí de la platja.	We walk along the road to the beach.	per + el
La llum entra pels balcons.	The light comes in through the balconies.	per + els
Demà anem a la biblioteca.	Tomorrow we are going to the library.	Feminine: no contraction
Torno de les muntanyes diumenge.	I return from the mountains on Sunday.	Feminine plural: no contraction
L'escola és gran.	The school is big.	la → l' before a vowel
Són a l'estació.	They are at the station.	Elision takes priority; no al
Sortim de l'hotel a les nou.	We leave the hotel at nine.	Silent h allows elision
Els avis viuen aquí.	The grandparents live here.	Plural els does not elide
M'agrada aquest barri.	I like this neighborhood.	em → m'
T'espero davant del museu.	I am waiting for you in front of the museum.	et → t'
S'aixeca a les set.	He/She gets up at seven.	Reflexive es → s'

Common Mistakes

Keeping the preposition and masculine article separate

• Wrong: Vaig a el cinema.
• Right: Vaig al cinema.
• Why: a + el must become al. Unlike English “to the,” these words cannot remain separate in standard Catalan.

Contracting with a feminine article

• Wrong: Anem al plaça.
• Right: Anem a la plaça.
• Why: Only el and els participate in the six core contractions. Feminine la and les stay separate.

Using a contraction where the article is elided

• Wrong: Arribem al aeroport.
• Right: Arribem a l'aeroport.
• Why: Before a vowel sound, el becomes l'. The resulting phrase is a l'..., not al .... The same pattern gives de l'aeroport and per l'aeroport.

Omitting the apostrophe or adding a space

• Wrong: La escola és nova. / L' escola és nova.
• Right: L'escola és nova.
• Why: The apostrophe marks the omitted vowel and attaches directly to the following word.

Eliding a plural article

• Wrong: L'avis arriben avui.
• Right: Els avis arriben avui.
• Why: Only singular el and la become l'. Plural els and les keep their full forms.

Treating every initial written vowel alike

• Wrong: l'universitat
• Right: la universitat
• Why: Feminine la is normally retained before an unstressed initial i or u. This is an important refinement to the beginner rule; universitat begins with unstressed u.

Usage Notes

The apostrophe follows pronunciation

The basic pattern is driven by the initial sound, not merely the first written letter. A silent h behaves like no consonant at all: l'hivern (“the winter”), l'habitació (“the room”). A consonant-like initial i or u, however, can block elision: el iogurt (“the yogurt”). Some recent loanwords may vary according to their pronunciation and how established they are, so a dictionary is useful when the initial sound is uncertain.

The feminine article has an additional standard restriction: la usually remains before unstressed initial i or u, whether or not a silent h is written. Common examples include la idea, la història, la humitat, and la universitat. When that vowel is stressed, elision normally occurs: l'Índia, l'ungla. A few conventional exceptions, letter names, and potentially ambiguous forms are best learned as vocabulary rather than forced into the A1 rule.

Contractions belong to neutral standard Catalan

Forms such as al, del, and pel are normal in both speech and writing; they are not slang. Their pronunciation may be reduced in rapid conversation, but the spelling does not change. In carefully edited text, writing a el, de el, or per el where a contraction is required is an error.

An article that belongs to an official title or name may retain its identity, especially when convention or capitalization makes the title visible. This is an editorial edge case, not something a beginner needs for ordinary phrases such as al teatre or del diari.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following patterns at A1, but they explain forms you will soon encounter.

Per a plus an article

Catalan also uses the compound preposition per a, especially to express destination, intended recipient, or purpose. When its final a meets el or els, the regular contraction still applies:

• Aquest regal és per al meu pare. — “This gift is for my father.”
• Hi ha activitats per als nens. — “There are activities for the children.”
• És per a la directora. — “It is for the director.”
• Una guia per a l'usuari. — “A guide for the user.”

The use of per and per a varies somewhat by region and style, but their spelling before articles follows the same logic: per al, not per a el.

Pronouns attached after the verb

With an infinitive (the dictionary form of a verb), a gerund (an -ant/-ent form expressing an ongoing action), or an affirmative command, weak pronouns are commonly attached to the end of the verb. Hyphens and apostrophes show the connection:

• Vull veure'l. — “I want to see him/it.”
• Escolta'm un moment. — “Listen to me for a moment.”
• Pots agafar-ne dos. — “You can take two of them.”
• Va anar-se'n aviat. — “He/She left early.”

The exact attached form depends on the verb ending and on combinations of pronouns. At this stage, notice the direction of the apostrophe: before a vowel-initial verb, it appears in m'agrada; after a vowel-final verb, it appears in mira'm.

Gender can become hidden in l'

Because both el and la can become l', the apostrophized article does not itself reveal gender: l'avi is masculine, while l'àvia is feminine. Agreement elsewhere in the sentence may reveal it: l'avi cansat (“the tired grandfather”), l'àvia cansada (“the tired grandmother”). Learn the noun's gender even when the article looks identical.

Catalan also has familiar location forms derived historically from casa de, including cal, can, and related variants, as in cal metge (“the doctor's place/office”). They are frequent in names and everyday speech but form a separate pattern; do not use them as a general replacement for del.

Practice Tips

1. Build phrases in two steps. First choose el, la, els, les, or l' for the noun; then add a, de, or per. This quickly produces the right contrast: al mercat, a la plaça, a l'estació, als mercats.
2. Sort useful places by their complete article. Record el cinema, la biblioteca, l'escola, l'hotel, and els jardins, not just the bare nouns. Then practice a short route using al, a la, a l', and pels.
3. Listen for pronoun–verb chunks. Treat m'agrada, t'espero, s'aixeca, and n'agafa as rhythmic units. Copy one sentence aloud, then replace the verb while keeping the pronoun pattern.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Prepositions — reviews the meanings and basic uses of a, de, per, and per a before they combine with articles.
• Useful review: Definite Articles — helps you choose el, la, els, les, or l' before applying a contraction.