Expressing Opinions and Preferences in Catalan

In Brief

Use crec que to state what you think, em sembla que to give a more tentative impression, prefereixo to say what you prefer, and (no) estic d'acord to agree or disagree. Catalan normally keeps que before a complete clause and uses amb before the person or idea you agree with: Crec que tens raó and No estic d'acord amb tu.

Overview

Expressing an opinion is not just a matter of knowing words such as “think” and “prefer.” You also need the small connecting words that introduce your opinion or link two alternatives. At A2, four patterns let you handle many everyday conversations: crec que (“I think that”), em sembla que (“it seems to me that”), prefereixo (“I prefer”), and estic d'acord (“I agree”).

These expressions are useful when choosing a restaurant, discussing a film, making plans, or responding politely to another person. They also help you avoid replies that sound too abrupt. Instead of only saying sí or no, you can say Em sembla bé (“That sounds good to me”), Estic d'acord (“I agree”), or No estic gaire d'acord (“I don't really agree”).

English allows “that” to disappear in a sentence such as “I think you're right.” Catalan normally requires que here: Crec que tens raó. On the other hand, Catalan often leaves out the subject pronoun (the word that names who does the action), because the verb ending already identifies the person. That is why crec by itself normally means “I think.”

How It Works

Giving an opinion with crec que

Crec is the first-person singular present form of creure, “to believe” or “to think.” The basic pattern is:

crec que + complete statement

• Crec que la Marta és a casa. — “I think Marta is at home.”
• Crec que aquest llibre és interessant. — “I think this book is interesting.”

The part after que is a clause (a group of words containing its own verb). In Crec que tens raó, the second verb is tens. Do not omit que, even when English naturally omits “that.”

Catalan usually does not need jo before crec. Add it when you want contrast or emphasis:

• Crec que és una bona idea. — “I think it's a good idea.”
• Jo crec que és una bona idea, però ell no. — “I think it's a good idea, but he doesn't.”

Other persons use the corresponding form of creure:

Person	Form	Meaning
jo	crec	I think
tu	creus	you think
ell / ella / vostè	creu	he / she thinks; you think (formal)
nosaltres	creiem	we think
vosaltres	creieu	you all think
ells / elles / vostès	creuen	they think; you all think (formal)

For a direct question, Creus que...? is especially useful: Creus que plourà? (“Do you think it will rain?”). Another common verb is pensar: Penso que tens raó has much the same meaning as Crec que tens raó.

Giving an impression with em sembla que

Em sembla que presents something as your impression or assessment. Literally, it is close to “it seems to me that.” The pronoun em means “to me” here, and sembla is a form of semblar, “to seem.”

em sembla que + complete statement

• Em sembla que el restaurant és tancat. — “It seems to me that the restaurant is closed.”
• Em sembla que avui està cansada. — “She seems tired today, I think.”

Compared with crec que, em sembla que often sounds a little less firm. You are presenting an impression rather than insisting that you know the answer. This distinction is flexible, however; in many conversations either expression is possible.

When what follows is only an evaluation, no que is needed:

• Em sembla bé. — “That seems fine to me / That sounds good.”
• Em sembla massa car. — “It seems too expensive to me.”
• Em sembla una bona idea. — “It seems like a good idea to me.”

To ask someone else's view, change the pronoun:

Expression	Natural English meaning
Què et sembla?	What do you think? / How does that sound to you?
Què us sembla?	What do you all think? / What do you think? (formal singular or plural)
A mi em sembla bé.	It sounds good to me.

The a mi in the last expression adds emphasis; em is still required. This is similar to saying “As for me, it sounds good.”

Stating a preference with preferir

Prefereixo is the first-person singular present form of preferir. Use it directly before a noun (a word for a person, thing, or idea) or an infinitive (the basic “to...” form of a verb).

preferir + noun

• Prefereixo el cafè. — “I prefer coffee.”

preferir + infinitive

• Prefereixo caminar. — “I prefer to walk.”
• Prefereixo quedar-me a casa. — “I prefer to stay at home.”

To compare two nouns, the core pattern is:

preferir X a Y

• Prefereixo el tren a l'avió. — “I prefer the train to the plane.”
• Preferim la platja a la piscina. — “We prefer the beach to the swimming pool.”

Notice the preposition a, which corresponds to English “to” in “prefer X to Y.” Before el, a + el contracts to al: Prefereixo el te al cafè. Before l'avió, there is no contraction: a l'avió.

The common present-tense forms are:

Person	Form	Meaning
jo	prefereixo	I prefer
tu	prefereixes	you prefer
ell / ella / vostè	prefereix	he / she prefers; you prefer (formal)
nosaltres	preferim	we prefer
vosaltres	preferiu	you all prefer
ells / elles / vostès	prefereixen	they prefer; you all prefer (formal)

The forms with -eix- are widespread in central Catalan and in many learning materials. Other standard regional forms also occur; the Usage Notes section explains what to do when you meet them.

Agreeing and disagreeing with estar d'acord

Catalan says “to be in agreement” with estar d'acord. The word acord begins with a vowel, so de acord becomes d'acord.

• Estic d'acord. — “I agree.”
• No estic d'acord. — “I disagree / I don't agree.”

Use amb (“with”) before a person, proposal, or view:

estar d'acord amb + person or thing

• Estic d'acord amb tu. — “I agree with you.”
• No estem d'acord amb aquesta decisió. — “We disagree with this decision.”

Use que before a complete statement:

estar d'acord que + complete statement

• Estem d'acord que cal canviar el pla. — “We agree that the plan needs to be changed.”

Because this expression contains estar, it changes with the person:

Person	Expression
jo	estic d'acord
tu	estàs d'acord
ell / ella / vostè	està d'acord
nosaltres	estem d'acord
vosaltres	esteu d'acord
ells / elles / vostès	estan d'acord

Useful short responses include Tens raó (“You're right”), Exacte (“Exactly”), Jo també (“Me too”), and Jo tampoc (“Me neither”). Tens raó agrees that the other person's statement is correct; estic d'acord explicitly says that you share the person's opinion.

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Crec que tens raó.	I think you're right.	Basic crec que pattern
Jo crec que la primera opció és millor.	I think the first option is better.	Jo emphasizes or contrasts the speaker's view
Creus que tindrem prou temps?	Do you think we'll have enough time?	Asking for an opinion
Em sembla que és massa car.	It seems to me that it's too expensive.	A tentative assessment
Què et sembla aquest barri?	What do you think of this neighborhood?	Asking for someone's impression
A mi em sembla una bona idea.	It seems like a good idea to me.	A mi adds emphasis
D'acord, em sembla bé.	Okay, that sounds good to me.	Accepting a suggestion
Prefereixo el tren a l'avió.	I prefer the train to the plane.	Two nouns linked with a
Prefereixes quedar-te a casa?	Do you prefer to stay at home?	Preferir followed by an infinitive
Preferim sopar una mica més tard.	We prefer to have dinner a little later.	First-person plural
Estic d'acord amb tu.	I agree with you.	Amb introduces the person
No estic d'acord amb aquesta decisió.	I disagree with this decision.	Amb can also introduce an idea or decision
Estem d'acord que cal parlar-ne.	We agree that we need to discuss it.	Que introduces a complete statement
Tens raó, però prefereixo esperar.	You're right, but I prefer to wait.	Partial agreement followed by a different preference
Jo també ho crec.	I think so too.	Ho stands for the idea already mentioned

Common Mistakes

Leaving out que after an opinion verb

• Wrong: Crec tens raó.
• Right: Crec que tens raó.
• Why: English can omit “that,” but Catalan normally needs que before the complete statement.

Using the wrong first-person form

• Wrong: Jo creu que és fàcil.
• Right: Jo crec que és fàcil.
• Why: Creu belongs to ell, ella, or vostè. The “I” form is crec. Because the verb already marks the person, jo is optional.

Copying English than into a preference

• Wrong: Prefereixo el tren que l'avió.
• Right: Prefereixo el tren a l'avió.
• Why: The basic Catalan comparison between two preferred things uses X a Y, like English “prefer X to Y.”

Saying ser d'acord

• Wrong: Soc d'acord amb tu.
• Right: Estic d'acord amb tu.
• Why: Catalan forms this expression with estar, not ser. Learning estic d'acord as one complete phrase makes the choice automatic.

Choosing the wrong preposition after d'acord

• Wrong: No estic d'acord de tu.
• Right: No estic d'acord amb tu.
• Why: Use amb before the person or thing you agree or disagree with. Use que when a complete statement follows.

Dropping the apostrophe in d'acord

• Wrong: Estem de acord.
• Right: Estem d'acord.
• Why: Before a vowel, de is shortened to d' and written with an apostrophe.

Usage Notes

Sounding less absolute

You can soften disagreement without hiding your meaning. No estic gaire d'acord means “I don't really agree,” while No ho veig així means “I don't see it that way.” A useful conversational pattern is to acknowledge part of the other view before disagreeing:

• Entenc què vols dir, però no hi estic gaire d'acord. — “I understand what you mean, but I don't really agree.”
• Tens raó en part, però prefereixo esperar. — “You're partly right, but I prefer to wait.”

The word però (“but”) does important social work here: it lets you connect agreement or understanding with a different conclusion.

Choosing between crec, em sembla, and trobo

Crec que is a neutral, very common way to give a belief. Em sembla que often marks an impression or makes a judgment sound less forceful. In everyday Catalan, trobo que is also common for a personal assessment: Trobo que la sala és massa fosca (“I find the room too dark / I think the room is too dark”).

English “I think” covers all three in many translations, so do not expect a one-to-one match. Listen for the situation: a belief often invites crec que, while a reaction to a plan, price, place, or appearance often fits em sembla or trobo que.

Articles with general preferences

Catalan commonly uses a definite article when comparing categories in general: Prefereixo el te al cafè and Prefereixo la muntanya a la platja. English normally has no article in “I prefer tea to coffee,” so this is an easy detail for an English-speaking learner to miss.

Regional forms of preferir

Catalan has standard regional variation. Alongside prefereixo, prefereixes, prefereix, and prefereixen, you may hear or read forms such as preferisc, preferixes, preferix, preferixen, especially in Valencian usage, as well as other locally standard variants. This is not a difference in meaning. As a learner, use the set taught in your course or in the variety spoken around you, and learn to recognize the others rather than mixing forms at random.

Beyond the Basics

You do not need to master the following points at A2, but they explain forms that you will encounter later.

Negated opinions and the subjunctive

In a positive statement, crec que and em sembla que normally introduce the indicative (the ordinary verb form used to present information as real or asserted):

• Crec que té temps. — “I think she has time.”
• Em sembla que és aquí. — “I think he is here.”

When the opinion is negated and expresses doubt, standard Catalan commonly uses the subjunctive (a verb form used in certain non-asserted, desired, or uncertain clauses):

• No crec que tingui temps. — “I don't think she has time.”
• No em sembla que sigui aquí. — “It doesn't seem to me that he is here.”

At A2, it is enough to produce the positive patterns confidently and recognize that the verb may change after no crec que. The subjunctive deserves its own later lesson.

Preferences involving another person's action

When you prefer to do something yourself, use an infinitive: Prefereixo sortir demà (“I prefer to leave tomorrow”). If your preference concerns what another person should do, Catalan can use preferir que + subjunctive:

• Prefereixo que vinguis demà. — “I'd prefer you to come tomorrow.”

This structure introduces a new subject—“you”—and therefore needs a full clause. It is more advanced than the simple preferir + infinitive pattern.

Softer and more idiomatic alternatives

The conditional preferiria (“I would prefer”) makes a request or preference less direct: Preferiria parlar-ne demà (“I'd prefer to discuss it tomorrow”). You will also hear m'estimo més, an idiomatic Catalan way to say “I prefer / I'd rather”: M'estimo més quedar-me a casa. It is useful to recognize, but prefereixo remains a clear and widely usable choice.

Catalan can refer back to a whole opinion with ho, a pronoun meaning roughly “it” or “so” in this use:

• Jo també ho crec. — “I think so too.”
• No ho crec. — “I don't think so.”

With estar d'acord, the corresponding pronoun is often hi because it replaces a phrase introduced by amb: No hi estic d'acord (“I don't agree with it”). These small pronouns become more important at higher levels.

Practice Tips

1. Build four-line opinion sets. Choose an everyday topic and say one sentence with each core pattern: Crec que..., Em sembla que..., Prefereixo..., and (No) estic d'acord.... For example, use a restaurant menu, a travel plan, or a film.
2. Practice the connector with the expression. Learn crec que and d'acord amb as units rather than isolated words. This prevents the common errors crec... without que and d'acord de... instead of amb.
3. Rehearse polite reactions. When listening to Catalan interviews or conversations, note short responses such as Em sembla bé, Tens raó, Exacte, and No hi estic d'acord. Pause and answer the speaker with your own opinion.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Ser and Estar — review why estar supplies the forms in estic d'acord, estem d'acord, and the rest of the pattern.