Basic Weak Pronouns in Catalan

Overview

Weak pronouns (also called clitic pronouns or pronoms febles) are unstressed pronouns that attach to verbs. They replace direct and indirect objects to avoid repetition: instead of saying "I see Joan every day," you say "I see him every day." In Catalan, these pronouns have specific placement rules and written forms that make them one of the trickiest aspects of the language.

At the A2 level, you need to learn the basic forms and their position relative to the verb. Weak pronouns come before a conjugated verb (El veig — I see him) and after an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative imperative (Veure'l — To see him).

Catalan has a rich system of weak pronouns, including two special ones — en and hi — that have no direct English equivalent. These are covered in a separate article at B1 level. For now, focus on the direct and indirect object forms.

How It Works

Direct Object Pronouns

Person	Before vowel	Before consonant	After verb
1st sg.	m'	em	-me
2nd sg.	t'	et	-te
3rd sg. m.	l'	el	-lo
3rd sg. f.	l'	la	-la
1st pl.	ens	ens	-nos
2nd pl.	us	us / vos	-vos
3rd pl. m.	els	els	-los
3rd pl. f.	les	les	-les

Position Rules

Context	Position	Example
Conjugated verb	Before	El veig. (I see him.)
Negative	Before	No el veig. (I don't see him.)
Infinitive	After (attached)	Vull veure'l. (I want to see him.)
Gerund	After (attached)	Veient-lo, vaig somriure. (Seeing him, I smiled.)
Affirmative imperative	After (attached)	Mira'l! (Look at him!)
Negative imperative	Before	No el miris! (Don't look at him!)

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Em diu Marta.	My name is Marta.	1st person, before verb
El veig cada dia.	I see him every day.	3rd m., before verb
No la conec.	I don't know her.	3rd f., negative
Pots ajudar-me?	Can you help me?	After infinitive
T'estimo.	I love you.	2nd sg., before vowel
Ens truca cada setmana.	He/she calls us every week.	1st pl.
Els trobaré demà.	I will find them tomorrow.	3rd m.pl.
Vull veure-la.	I want to see her.	After infinitive
No les he vist.	I haven't seen them (f.).	Before auxiliary
Escolta'm!	Listen to me!	After imperative

Common Mistakes

Placing the pronoun after a conjugated verb

• Wrong: Veig el cada dia.
• Right: El veig cada dia.
• Why: With conjugated verbs, the pronoun must come before the verb.

Forgetting elision before vowels

• Wrong: Me agrada.
• Right: M'agrada.
• Why: Before a vowel, em → m', et → t', el → l', la → l'.

Putting the pronoun before an infinitive

• Wrong: Vull el veure.
• Right: Vull veure'l. or El vull veure.
• Why: With modal + infinitive, the pronoun goes either before the modal or after the infinitive, never between them.

Usage Notes

Catalan weak pronouns have different written forms depending on their position (before or after the verb) and whether the adjacent sound is a vowel or consonant. This creates a system of apostrophes and hyphens that takes practice. In speech, the pronunciation is natural; the written conventions are what require attention.

Practice Tips

1. Start with the most common pronouns: em/m' (me), et/t' (you), el/l' (him), la/l' (her). Practice replacing objects in simple sentences.
2. Practice both positions: "El veig" (before conjugated verb) and "Vull veure'l" (after infinitive). Both express the same idea with different structures.
3. Read Catalan texts and identify weak pronouns. Notice their position and form. This builds recognition before production.

Related Concepts

• Subject Pronouns — stressed pronouns for subjects
• Reflexive Verbs — pronouns that refer back to the subject
• Indirect Object Pronouns — pronouns for indirect objects
• Pronouns En and Hi — the special Catalan pronouns at B1