Pronouns *En* and *Hi* in Catalan

In Brief

Catalan en replaces an indefinite amount or a phrase normally introduced by de: Tens pa? En tinc (“Do you have bread? I have some”) and Parlem del problema? En parlem (“Shall we talk about the problem? We are talking about it”). Hi replaces a place or many verb complements introduced by a, en, or another preposition: Vas a Barcelona? Hi vaig (“Are you going to Barcelona? I am going there”). Both are unstressed pronouns placed next to the verb.

Overview

En and hi are weak pronouns, also called clitics: short, unstressed words that depend on a verb and stand immediately before or after it. English usually translates them with words such as “some,” “of it,” “about it,” or “there,” but it often uses no corresponding word at all. That lack of a one-to-one English equivalent is why English-speaking learners tend to omit them.

At B1, the practical goal is to notice what phrase would otherwise follow the verb. If it is an indefinite object or begins with de, en is usually the first candidate. If it indicates a destination or location, or is a required verb complement beginning with a or en, hi is usually the first candidate. A complement simply means a word or phrase that completes the verb’s meaning: for example, “to the plan” in “agree to the plan.”

These pronouns do more than shorten a sentence. They allow Catalan speakers to avoid repeating information already established in the conversation. Using them correctly makes answers such as Sí, en vull and Sí, hi vaig sound complete and natural rather than like literal translations from English.

How It Works

The core contrast

What is replaced	Pronoun	Full phrase	With the pronoun
An indefinite or partitive direct object	en	Vull cafè.	En vull.
A quantity plus an understood noun	en	Tinc tres entrades.	En tinc tres.
A complement introduced by de	en	Parlo del viatge.	En parlo.
A destination or static location	hi	Vaig a la biblioteca.	Hi vaig.
A verb complement introduced by a or en	hi	Penso en la proposta.	Hi penso.
The fixed impersonal verb haver-hi	hi	—	Hi ha una solució.

The labels are useful, but a reliable habit is even simpler: first identify the information you do not want to repeat, then check the preposition and the meaning of that phrase.

1. En for an indefinite object or “some”

A direct object is the person or thing directly affected by the verb. When that object is indefinite—no specific, already identified item is meant—en can replace the noun:

• Vols cafè? → Sí, en vull.
• Tenen cotxe? → No, no en tenen.
• Busques feina? → Sí, en busco.

English may use “some,” “any,” or nothing: En busco can be “I’m looking for some” or simply “I am,” depending on the question. Catalan still needs the pronoun because the object has been left unstated.

Do not use en for a specific definite object. If the question is Tens les claus? (“Do you have the keys?”), the answer is Sí, les tinc, not Sí, en tinc. The definite article les points to known keys, so the matching direct-object pronoun is les.

2. En with quantities

When a number or quantity word remains in the sentence but its noun is omitted, en represents the noun:

• Tens germans? — Sí, en tinc dos.
• Quantes cadires necessiteu? — En necessitem sis.
• Hi havia moltes opcions, però només en vam triar una.

The quantity stays after the verb. Words such as molt, poc, prou, cap, and quant can work in the same pattern: En tenim prou (“We have enough”), No en queda cap (“There are none left”), and Quants en vols? (“How many do you want?”).

If an adjective describes the omitted noun after a number or quantity, Catalan commonly adds de before it: N’he comprat dues de vermelles (“I bought two red ones”). The feminine dues and vermelles still agree with an understood feminine plural noun, such as samarretes.

3. En for complements beginning with de

Many Catalan verbs take de as part of their normal pattern. En can replace the whole de + noun phrase:

• Parlem del pressupost → En parlem.
• Et recordes de la reunió → Te’n recordes.
• Dubto del resultat → En dubto.

This also applies naturally to origin or movement away from a place when the phrase begins with de: Torno de Girona becomes En torno. The pronoun does not itself mean only “about it” or “from there”; its interpretation comes from the verb and the original de-phrase.

Do not leave the preposition behind. En parlo del tema normally repeats the same complement twice. Use either Parlo del tema or En parlo.

4. Hi for a place or destination

Hi replaces a place that has already been mentioned. It works both with movement toward a place and with a static location:

• Vas a la biblioteca → Hi vaig.
• Treballa a casa → Hi treballa.
• Viviu en aquest barri → Hi vivim.
• Passarem per Lleida → Hi passarem.

English often chooses “there,” but context may make “there” unnecessary: Hi treballo des del 2020 is naturally “I’ve worked there since 2020.” Remember the useful contrast for movement: de + place generally points to en (En vinc, “I come from there”), while a destination or other location generally points to hi (Hi vaig, “I go there”).

5. Hi for prepositional verb complements

Some verbs require a particular preposition even when no physical place is involved. This is sometimes called a governed complement: the verb determines the preposition. Hi commonly replaces non-person complements introduced by a, en, and certain other prepositions, provided they are not de-phrases:

• Penso en la proposta → Hi penso.
• Estic d’acord amb aquesta decisió → Hi estic d’acord.
• S’acostuma al nou horari → S’hi acostuma.
• Confien en el projecte → Hi confien.

A phrase introduced by a is not automatically replaced by hi. If it is an indirect object—the recipient of giving, saying, or sending—use li or els: Dono el llibre a la Joana → Li dono el llibre. Hi is not the ordinary replacement for “to her” in that sentence.

With an explicitly mentioned person after a preposition, Catalan often keeps the preposition and uses a strong pronoun for clarity: Penso en ella (“I’m thinking about her”). This avoids treating every English “about him/her” as an automatic hi.

6. Hi ha: “there is” and “there are”

The impersonal verb haver-hi expresses existence:

• Hi ha una farmàcia al costat. — “There is a pharmacy next door.”
• Hi havia molts dubtes. — “There were many doubts.”
• Hi haurà prou menjar. — “There will be enough food.”

In standard Catalan, haver-hi remains singular even when the following noun is plural: Hi ha tres persones, not Hi han tres persones. The noun after the verb is not treated as the grammatical subject controlling agreement.

Position and written forms

Before a finite verb (a verb marked for person or tense), place the pronoun before the verb. In compound tenses it comes before the auxiliary haver, not before the participle:

Environment	en	hi
Before a consonant	En parlo.	Hi penso.
Before a vowel or silent h	N’agafo dos. / N’he comprat tres.	Hi anem. / Hi he estat.
After an infinitive	parlar-ne	anar-hi
After a gerund	parlant-ne	pensant-hi
After an affirmative command	Compra’n dos!	Ves-hi!
Before a negative command	No en compris!	No hi vagis!

After an infinitive or gerund, en normally appears as -ne: parlar-ne, sortint-ne. After a verb form ending in a vowel, it often appears as ’n: compra’n. Before a vowel-initial verb it becomes n’. Hi does not elide: write hi anem, not an apostrophized form.

With a modal or another verb followed by an infinitive, both placements are often possible: Hi puc anar and Puc anar-hi; En vull comprar dos and Vull comprar-ne dos. Use one position only—never repeat the same pronoun at both verbs.

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Vols cafè? — Sí, en vull.	“Do you want coffee?” — “Yes, I want some.”	Indefinite object
Quants en tens?	How many do you have?	The noun is understood
De galetes, no en queda cap.	There are no cookies left.	cap gives the quantity “none”
N’he comprat dues de grans.	I bought two large ones.	Quantity plus an understood feminine noun
Parleu del contracte? — Sí, en parlem ara.	Are you discussing the contract? — Yes, we are discussing it now.	Replaces del contracte
Vens de l’oficina? — Sí, en vinc.	Are you coming from the office? — Yes, I’m coming from there.	Origin with de
Vas a Barcelona? — Sí, hi vaig demà.	Are you going to Barcelona? — Yes, I’m going there tomorrow.	Destination
Aquesta cadira és lliure? M’hi puc asseure?	Is this chair free? Can I sit there?	Location with a reflexive verb
No hi havia ningú a la recepció.	There was nobody at reception.	Impersonal haver-hi
Has pensat en la meva proposta? — Sí, hi he pensat molt.	Have you thought about my proposal? — Yes, I’ve thought about it a lot.	Complement with en takes hi
No estic d’acord amb això, però hi pensaré.	I don’t agree with that, but I’ll think about it.	Two different prepositional patterns
T’has acostumat al soroll? — Encara no m’hi he acostumat.	Have you got used to the noise? — I still haven’t got used to it.	a + complement with a reflexive pronoun
No en parlis ara; en parlarem després.	Don’t talk about it now; we’ll talk about it later.	Negative command and finite verb
Si vols entrades, compra’n avui.	If you want tickets, buy some today.	en attached to an affirmative command
No conec aquest poble, però m’agradaria anar-hi.	I don’t know this town, but I’d like to go there.	hi attached to an infinitive

Common Mistakes

Omitting the pronoun because English omits the noun

• Wrong: Vols te? — Sí, vull.
• Right: Vols te? — Sí, en vull.
• Why: English can answer “Yes, I do,” but Catalan normally represents the omitted indefinite object with en.

Using en for a definite object

• Wrong: Tens les entrades? — Sí, en tinc.
• Right: Tens les entrades? — Sí, les tinc.
• Why: The tickets are specific and definite. Use the direct-object pronoun les; reserve en here for an indefinite or quantified noun: En tinc dues.

Choosing the pronoun from the English translation

• Wrong: Penses en el problema? — Sí, en penso.
• Right: Penses en el problema? — Sí, hi penso.
• Why: Although English says “about it,” the Catalan verb pattern is pensar en. A complement with the preposition en normally takes the pronoun hi. Choose from the Catalan structure, not the English wording.

Keeping the original preposition after the pronoun

• Wrong: Hi vaig a la biblioteca when hi is intended to replace a la biblioteca.
• Right: Vaig a la biblioteca or Hi vaig.
• Why: The pronoun replaces the whole phrase. Both can appear only when hi has a different function or the full phrase is added as a deliberate clarification, which is not the basic pattern.

Putting the pronoun after every verb

• Wrong: Vull en comprar dos.
• Right: En vull comprar dos or Vull comprar-ne dos.
• Why: Before a conjugated verb, use the preverbal form. Attach the pronoun only to an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative imperative in the patterns shown above.

Making haver-hi plural

• Wrong in standard Catalan: Hi han moltes persones.
• Right: Hi ha moltes persones.
• Why: Existential haver-hi is impersonal and remains singular in the standard language.

Usage Notes

En and hi are ordinary in both speech and writing; they are not formal decorations. Omitting them may be heard in contact-influenced speech, but careful standard Catalan uses them systematically. Their exact frequency and some substitutions vary across dialects, especially in informal speech, yet mastering the standard patterns will make you readily understood throughout the Catalan-speaking area.

Do not confuse pronoun en with the preposition en (“in/on”) or the personal article en used before some men’s names. In En Pau en parla, the first En is a personal article before Pau, while the second en is the weak pronoun replacing a de-phrase. Likewise, written hi can be part of the fixed verb haver-hi rather than a separately translated “there.”

When a person or thing must be stressed or contrasted, keep the full prepositional phrase: Parlo d’ella, no d’ell (“I’m talking about her, not him”). A weak pronoun cannot carry that contrast by itself. In normal conversation, however, a neutral answer such as En parlo sovint is concise and natural when the reference is clear.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

En and hi frequently combine with other weak pronouns. One especially common sequence is n’hi:

• Quantes habitacions hi ha? — N’hi ha quatre. — “How many rooms are there? — There are four.”
• Ja n’hi ha prou. — “That’s enough.”

Here en represents the counted item and hi belongs to haver-hi. Other combinations include m’hi, t’hi, s’hi, me’n, te’n, and se’n. Their order and spelling follow a larger system covered under combined weak pronouns.

Some very common verbs and expressions include one of these pronouns as part of their learned form. Treat the entire unit as vocabulary:

• anar-se’n — to leave: Me’n vaig.
• adonar-se’n — to realize: No me’n vaig adonar.
• sortir-se’n — to manage, get through something: Te’n sortiràs.
• tenir-ne prou — to have enough: En tinc prou.
• veure-s’hi — to be able to see: Amb aquesta llum no m’hi veig.

In compound tenses, you may encounter past-participle agreement when en represents a direct object: De pomes, n’he comprat dues and the more agreement-marked n’he comprades dues. Usage varies by construction, region, and register. At B1, focus first on choosing and positioning en correctly; learn to recognize participle agreement without forcing it into every sentence.

Advanced writing also makes careful use of en to replace de-complements attached to nouns or adjectives, not only straightforward verb objects. The safest test remains structural: reconstruct the full Catalan phrase, identify its preposition and function, and then check whether the resulting pronoun is idiomatic with that particular word.

Practice Tips

1. Transform pairs aloud. Say a full sentence and then remove the repeated phrase: Parlo de la feina → En parlo; Vaig al mercat → Hi vaig. Include negative and past forms so that placement becomes automatic.
2. Use a three-way sorting list. Put short prompts under en, hi, or another pronoun. Contrast cafè → en, del projecte → en, a casa → hi, en això → hi, les claus → les, and a la Marta as a recipient → li.
3. Listen for clusters, not isolated words. In podcasts or conversations, note complete chunks such as n’hi ha, me’n vaig, hi penso, and en tinc dos. Reusing these chunks is easier than deciding from scratch every time.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Weak Pronouns — introduces weak-pronoun position and the direct-object forms that contrast with en.
• Next step: Combined Weak Pronouns — explains fixed pronoun order and combinations such as n’hi, se’n, and m’hi.