Likes and Going in Catalan

Agradar i Anar

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Overview

Two of the most useful verbs at the A1 level are agradar (to like/please) and anar (to go). Both behave in ways that differ from their English equivalents, so understanding their special patterns is important from the start.

Agradar works like Spanish gustar or Italian piacere — it uses an indirect object construction. Instead of "I like coffee," the Catalan structure literally says "Coffee is pleasing to me": M'agrada el cafè. The subject of the sentence is the thing liked, and the person who likes it is expressed with an indirect object pronoun.

Anar (to go) is one of the most common irregular verbs. Beyond its basic meaning, it is used in the periphrastic future (anar a + infinitive) and in the unique periphrastic past (vaig + infinitive), which is the standard spoken past tense in Catalan. The pronominal form anar-se'n means "to leave."

How It Works

Agradar (to like)

Indirect object pronoun	Singular subject	Plural subject
m' (to me)	m'agrada	m'agraden
t' (to you)	t'agrada	t'agraden
li (to him/her)	li agrada	li agraden
ens (to us)	ens agrada	ens agraden
us (to you pl.)	us agrada	us agraden
els (to them)	els agrada	els agraden

Anar (to go) — Present Tense

Person	Conjugation
jo	vaig
tu	vas
ell/ella	va
nosaltres	anem
vosaltres	aneu
ells/elles	van

Key Constructions with Anar

Construction	Meaning	Example
anar a + place	to go to	Vaig a la feina.
anar a + infinitive	going to (future)	Vaig a estudiar.
anar-se'n	to leave	Me'n vaig. (I'm leaving.)

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
M'agrada el cinema.	I like the cinema.	Singular subject
No li agrada la pluja.	He/she doesn't like the rain.	Negative
Anem a sopar!	Let's go have dinner!	Invitation
Se'n va a les sis.	He/she leaves at six.	Pronominal: anar-se'n
T'agraden els gats?	Do you like cats?	Plural subject
M'agrada molt viatjar.	I really like to travel.	Infinitive as subject
Vaig a Barcelona cada setmana.	I go to Barcelona every week.	Basic movement
Ens agrada cuinar junts.	We like to cook together.	Plural indirect object
On vas?	Where are you going?	Question
No m'agrada gens.	I don't like it at all.	Emphatic negative
Van a la platja els diumenges.	They go to the beach on Sundays.	Habitual
M'agraden les pel·lícules de terror.	I like horror films.	Plural subject

Common Mistakes

Using "agradar" like English "like"

Wrong: Jo agrado el cafè.
Right: M'agrada el cafè.
Why: The subject is what you like (el cafè), and you are the indirect object (m' = to me). The verb agrees with the thing liked.

Forgetting plural agreement with agradar

Wrong: M'agrada els gats.
Right: M'agraden els gats.
Why: When the subject (the thing liked) is plural, the verb must also be plural: agrada → agraden.

Confusing "vaig a" (going to) with "vaig" (past tense marker)

Careful: Vaig a cantar = I am going to sing (future intention)
Different: Vaig cantar = I sang (periphrastic past — no "a")
Why: The presence or absence of "a" changes the meaning entirely. With "a" it is a future/intention; without "a" it is past tense.

Practice Tips

Practice "agradar" by listing things you like and don't like: "M'agrada el cafè. No m'agrada el te. M'agraden els gats. No m'agraden les aranyes."
Use "anar" to describe your weekly movements: "Dilluns vaig a la feina. Dimarts vaig al gimnàs. Diumenge vaig a la platja."
Practice the "anar-se'n" form: "Me'n vaig" (I'm leaving), "Se'n van" (They're leaving). This pronominal form is very common in everyday speech.