Impersonal Constructions in Catalan

In Brief

Catalan often expresses necessity, possibility, or generally reported information without naming a person as the subject. Use cal + infinitive for a general necessity, cal que + subjunctive when someone specific must act, es + verb for “one,” “people,” or an impersonal passive, and fa falta for something that is needed.

Overview

An impersonal construction presents an action or situation without identifying a particular person who performs it. English often does this with a dummy subject such as “it” or with words such as “one,” “you,” “people,” and “they”: “It is necessary to book,” “You can pay by card,” or “They say it will rain.” Catalan commonly avoids those extra subjects and uses compact patterns such as cal reservar, es pot pagar amb targeta, and es diu que plourà.

These patterns are especially useful for signs, instructions, rules, news, recommendations, and everyday conversations. They are introduced around B1 because using them naturally requires more than memorizing a phrase: you must often choose between an infinitive (the basic verb form, such as estudiar, “to study”) and a clause with the subjunctive (a verb form used here for an action presented as necessary, desired, or possible rather than simply stated as a fact).

There is no single Catalan equivalent for English impersonal “it.” The natural construction depends on what you mean. Cal focuses on necessity, es pot on possibility or permission, es diu que on information attributed to people in general, and fa falta on what is lacking or needed.

How It Works

1. Cal for necessity

Cal is a form of the verb caldre, “to be necessary.” It normally has no named person as its grammatical subject.

Use cal + infinitive when the action is general or when the person responsible is already obvious:

• Cal estudiar més. — It is necessary to study more.
• Per entrar, cal mostrar el passaport. — To enter, you must show your passport.
• No cal reservar. — There is no need to book.

Use cal que + subjunctive when you state who must perform the action. The verb after que changes to match that person:

• Cal que estudiïs més. — You need to study more.
• Cal que arribem abans de les vuit. — We need to arrive before eight.
• Cal que els documents siguin originals. — The documents must be originals.

The contrast is important:

Structure	Focus	Example	Meaning
cal + infinitive	General or understood person	Cal sortir ara.	We/you/people need to leave now.
cal que + subjunctive	A stated person or thing	Cal que surtis ara.	You need to leave now.

The negative no cal often corresponds to “do not need to,” not “must not”:

• No cal que vinguis demà. — You do not need to come tomorrow.
• No es pot entrar. — You cannot / must not enter.

This difference matters: no cal removes a necessity, while no es pot expresses impossibility or prohibition.

Although cal is the form learners meet first, caldre can locate the necessity in another time or make it less direct:

Time or attitude	Form	Example	English
Present	cal	Cal parlar-ne.	We need to talk about it.
Past background	calia	Calia avisar abans.	It was necessary to give notice earlier.
Completed past	va caldre	Va caldre esperar dues hores.	It was necessary to wait two hours.
Future	caldrà	Caldrà buscar una solució.	We will have to find a solution.
Conditional / softened advice	caldria	Caldria revisar les dades.	The data should be reviewed.

With a noun, caldre normally agrees in number with what is needed: cal una cadira but calen dues cadires. This agreement is easy to miss because the most familiar form is the singular cal.

2. Es + verb for an unspecified person

The pronoun es can hide or background the person performing an action. The translation changes with context:

• Aquí es treballa molt. — People work hard here.
• Es pot aparcar aquí? — Can one park here? / Can you park here?
• Es diu que plourà demà. — It is said that it will rain tomorrow.

English “one” is possible in formal writing, but everyday English often uses generic “you,” “people,” or a passive. Do not let the translation make you add tu to the Catalan sentence: Es pot entrar? is a general question, whereas Pots entrar? asks whether a particular informal “you” can enter.

Two related structures appear with es:

1. Impersonal es keeps the verb in the third-person singular when there is no grammatical subject: Es viu bé aquí (“People live well here”).
2. Pronominal passive presents the affected thing as the grammatical subject (the word the verb agrees with): Es ven una entrada but Es venen entrades (“Tickets are sold”).

In practice, both structures avoid naming the agent, and English frequently translates both with a passive. For learners, the most visible difference is plural agreement in the pronominal passive:

• Es pot comprar una entrada. — One ticket can be bought.
• Es poden comprar entrades en línia. — Tickets can be bought online.

Before a verb beginning with a vowel or silent h, es is written s’: s’utilitza, s’explica, s’ha decidit. In combinations with another weak pronoun (a short unstressed object form), you may see forms such as se’n: Se’n parla molt (“People talk about it a lot”).

3. Es diu que for reported information

Es diu que + clause means that a claim circulates without identifying its source. The verb in an ordinary affirmative report is generally in the indicative (the verb form used to present information as a statement):

• Es diu que el restaurant tancarà. — It is said that the restaurant will close.
• Es diu que aquesta casa és molt antiga. — They say this house is very old.

Es diu que does not automatically trigger the subjunctive. It reports the content of a statement, so Es diu que plourà uses the future indicative plourà. Whether the speaker personally believes the report is a matter of context.

Catalan also uses the third-person plural without naming who “they” are: Diuen que demà farà sol (“They say it will be sunny tomorrow”). This is common and conversational. Es diu que sounds more detached and can suit reports or general claims.

4. Fa falta for something needed or missing

The expression fer falta focuses on a missing or needed person, object, quantity, or action:

• Fa falta més temps. — More time is needed.
• Fan falta tres voluntaris. — Three volunteers are needed.
• Em fa falta el rebut. — I need the receipt / I am missing the receipt.

The verb agrees with the thing needed: fa falta with a singular or uncountable noun, and fan falta with a plural noun. A weak pronoun can show who experiences the need: em (to me), et (to you), li (to him, her, or formal you), ens (to us), us (to you plural), and els (to them).

Fer falta can also be followed by an infinitive or by que + subjunctive:

• Fa falta descansar una mica. — It is necessary to rest a little.
• Fa falta que signeu aquí. — You need to sign here.

For a direct, neutral statement of necessity, cal is often the most compact option: Cal signar aquí. Use fer falta especially when the idea of something being required or lacking is prominent.

5. Other common impersonal expressions

The same infinitive-versus-clause choice appears with adjective expressions built with ser:

• És important descansar. — It is important to rest.
• És important que descansis. — It is important that you rest.
• És possible que arribin tard. — They may arrive late.
• És clar que tenen raó. — It is clear that they are right.

Expressions of necessity, evaluation, uncertainty, or possibility often take the subjunctive when followed by que and a specific subject: és necessari que, és millor que, és possible que. Expressions that present information as certain, such as és clar que or és evident que, normally take the indicative in affirmative statements. The presence of que alone does not determine the verb form; the meaning of the main expression does.

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Cal estudiar més per aprovar l’examen.	It is necessary to study more to pass the exam.	General necessity with an infinitive
Cal que m’enviïs el document avui.	You need to send me the document today.	Specific person; present subjunctive
No cal que porteu menjar.	You do not need to bring food.	Lack of necessity, not prohibition
Caldria comprovar l’adreça abans d’enviar el paquet.	The address should be checked before sending the parcel.	Conditional softens the recommendation
Es pot aparcar aquí els diumenges?	Can you park here on Sundays?	General permission
En aquest barri es viu molt bé.	People live very well in this neighborhood.	Impersonal es, no named subject
No es poden fer fotos dins del museu.	Photos may not be taken inside the museum.	Plural agreement in a pronominal passive
S’utilitza aquesta clau per obrir la porta.	This key is used to open the door.	Es becomes s’ before a vowel
Es diu que plourà demà.	It is said that it will rain tomorrow.	Reported claim with future indicative
Diuen que obriran una botiga nova.	They say they will open a new shop.	Unspecified third-person plural
Fa falta més temps per acabar-ho.	More time is needed to finish it.	Singular, uncountable temps
Fan falta dues signatures.	Two signatures are needed.	Plural agreement
Ens fa falta una taula més gran.	We need a larger table.	Ens identifies who has the need
És possible que el tren arribi tard.	The train may arrive late.	Possibility followed by the subjunctive
És clar que avui no treballen.	It is clear that they are not working today.	Certainty followed by the indicative

Common Mistakes

Using the indicative after cal que

• Wrong: Cal que estudies més.
• Right: Cal que estudiïs més.
• Why: Cal que presents the action as a requirement, so the following verb is in the subjunctive. Here, estudiïs is the second-person singular present subjunctive.

Using an infinitive when the required person must be explicit

• Wrong: Cal tu arribar abans de les nou.
• Right: Cal que arribis abans de les nou.
• Why: Do not place an ordinary subject directly before an infinitive in this pattern. Use que + subjunctive to identify who must act.

Confusing “not necessary” with “not allowed”

• Wrong for “You don’t have to wait”: No es pot esperar.
• Right: No cal esperar.
• Why: No es pot means that something is impossible or forbidden. No cal means there is no need to do it.

Forgetting plural agreement

• Wrong: Fa falta dues cadires.
• Right: Fan falta dues cadires.
• Why: In fer falta, the verb agrees with the needed thing. The same issue occurs in pronominal passives: Es venen entrades, not Es ven entrades in careful standard usage.

Treating es diu que as a subjunctive trigger

• Wrong for a straightforward report: Es diu que plogui demà.
• Right: Es diu que plourà demà.
• Why: An affirmative es diu que reports what people say and normally introduces an indicative statement. It does not express necessity or possibility by itself.

Copying English dummy “it” with a demonstrative

• Wrong: Això és necessari estudiar més.
• Right: Cal estudiar més. / És necessari estudiar més.
• Why: The “it” in “It is necessary to study more” does not refer to an object. Catalan does not replace it with això (“that”) in this structure.

Usage Notes

Neutral, formal, and conversational choices

Cal is standard and concise across spoken and written Catalan. It is particularly common in instructions and recommendations. Caldria makes advice more tentative or diplomatic: Caldria parlar amb la directora is less abrupt than Cal parlar amb la directora.

Es pot is natural for public rules and questions about permission: Es pot pagar amb targeta? In direct conversation, a personal verb may be more appropriate if you really mean the listener: Pots ajudar-me? asks “Can you help me?”, while Es pot demanar ajuda? asks generally whether asking for help is possible or allowed.

Es diu que distances the speaker from the source. Diuen que is often livelier and more conversational, although it still leaves “they” unidentified. In formal or academic writing, avoid either formula if you can name the source; an impersonal report should not replace evidence.

Word order and emphasis

The needed noun commonly follows caldre or fer falta: Calen més proves; Fan falta més proves. Moving it to the front can establish it as the topic: Més proves, en calen? Such fronting may also require a pronoun and belongs to more advanced discourse patterns.

With modal verbs such as poder, the infinitive carries the main action: Es poden consultar els horaris en línia. If the affected noun is plural, careful standard Catalan uses plural agreement in both the modal and the passive construction: es poden consultar els horaris.

A useful contrast with English

English generic “you” can address everyone without literally meaning the listener: “You can buy tickets online.” Catalan can use a second-person verb in informal explanatory prose, but es poden comprar entrades en línia is often clearer when the statement is a general rule. Conversely, do not use an impersonal structure when the relationship is genuinely personal: Has de prendre aquest medicament directly tells one person what they must do.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Agreement reveals the underlying structure

Compare Aquí es treballa molt with Aquí es venen llibres. In the first sentence, there is no noun acting as the grammatical subject, so the verb remains singular. In the second, llibres is the grammatical subject of a pronominal passive, so venen is plural. This distinction becomes particularly useful in formal writing and with longer noun phrases.

A passive with es normally leaves the agent unexpressed. If naming the agent matters, recast the sentence with an active subject or a full passive: L’ajuntament publicarà els resultats (“The council will publish the results”) or Els resultats seran publicats per l’ajuntament (“The results will be published by the council”). The full passive is possible but often heavier than an active sentence or a construction with es.

Tense and mood after impersonal triggers

The tense of caldre and the tense of the following subjunctive work together:

• Calia que arribéssiu d’hora. — You needed to arrive early.
• Va caldre que canviéssim de pla. — We had to change the plan.
• Caldrà que ho tornin a fer. — They will have to do it again.

These examples include past subjunctive forms such as arribéssiu and canviéssim. They go beyond the core B1 pattern, but the principle remains the same: a clause after cal que uses a subjunctive form appropriate to the time frame.

Negation can also affect mood with expressions of certainty. Affirmative És clar que funciona presents “it works” as a fact and uses the indicative. No és clar que funcioni withholds certainty and commonly uses the subjunctive. Mood follows the speaker’s stance—certainty, doubt, evaluation, or necessity—not merely the word que.

Hom and other ways to avoid naming the actor

Catalan also has hom, comparable to formal English “one”: Hom pot observar una diferència clara (“One can observe a clear difference”). It is most at home in formal, academic, or deliberately impersonal prose and is much less common in ordinary conversation than constructions with es.

Weather expressions and hi ha are impersonal too: Plou (“It is raining”), Fa fred (“It is cold”), and Hi ha molta gent (“There are many people”). They belong to the wider impersonal system, but they use their own fixed patterns rather than cal or impersonal es. In standard Catalan, haver-hi remains singular in this existential use: Hi ha moltes opcions, not Hi han moltes opcions.

Practice Tips

1. Rewrite general rules in two ways. Start with Cal arribar d’hora, then name a person: Cal que arribis d’hora. This trains both the infinitive and the subjunctive pattern.
2. Collect real signs and instructions. Look for es pot, no es pot, cal, and s’ha de on Catalan websites or public notices. Decide whether each sentence expresses permission, prohibition, or necessity.
3. Check agreement aloud. Make noun phrases singular and plural: Fa falta una còpia → Fan falta dues còpies; Es ven una entrada → Es venen entrades. Hearing the pair makes the plural verb easier to remember.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Ser and Estar — reviews ser, used in impersonal expressions such as és important, és possible, and és clar.