Indirect Object Pronouns in Catalan

Overview

Indirect object pronouns replace the person who receives the effect of an action — the person you give something to, tell something to, or show something to. In Catalan, these pronouns are part of the weak pronoun system and follow the same placement rules.

At the A2 level, you need to distinguish indirect object pronouns from direct object pronouns. While direct objects receive the action directly (I see him), indirect objects are the recipient or beneficiary (I give the book to her). In Catalan, the key distinction is the third person forms: li (to him/her) and els (to them), versus el/la (him/her) for direct objects.

Indirect object pronouns are particularly common with verbs of giving, telling, teaching, asking, and showing — all verbs that involve transferring something to someone.

How It Works

Indirect Object Pronouns

Person	Before consonant	Before vowel	After verb	English
1st sg.	em	m'	-me	to me
2nd sg.	et	t'	-te	to you
3rd sg.	li	li	-li	to him/her
1st pl.	ens	ens	-nos	to us
2nd pl.	us	us	-vos	to you pl.
3rd pl.	els	els	-los	to them

Common Verbs with Indirect Objects

Catalan	English	Pattern
donar	to give	Li dono un regal. (I give him/her a gift.)
dir	to tell	Li dic la veritat. (I tell him/her the truth.)
ensenyar	to show/teach	Ens ensenya català. (He/she teaches us Catalan.)
demanar	to ask	Et demano un favor. (I ask you a favor.)
enviar	to send	Els envio un missatge. (I send them a message.)
escriure	to write	Li escric una carta. (I write him/her a letter.)
comprar	to buy (for)	Em compra flors. (He/she buys me flowers.)

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Li he donat un regal.	I gave him/her a gift.	3rd sg. indirect
Em pots dir l'hora?	Can you tell me the time?	1st sg.
Ens han ensenyat el camí.	They showed us the way.	1st pl.
Què els has dit?	What did you tell them?	3rd pl.
Li compro un llibre.	I buy him/her a book.	3rd sg.
T'escric una carta.	I write you a letter.	2nd sg.
Li agrada el cafè.	He/she likes coffee.	Agradar uses indirect
Ens fan falta diners.	We need money.	Impersonal + indirect
No li diguis res.	Don't tell him/her anything.	Negative imperative
Em sembla bé.	It seems fine to me.	Opinion expression

Common Mistakes

Confusing "li" (indirect) with "el/la" (direct)

• Wrong: El dono un regal. (I give him a gift — wrong pronoun)
• Right: Li dono un regal.
• Why: "El" is a direct object pronoun (I see him). "Li" is the indirect object pronoun (I give to him).

Using "li" for plural

• Wrong: Li he dit als nens.
• Right: Els he dit als nens. or just Els he dit.
• Why: "Li" is singular (to him/her). "Els" is the plural form (to them).

Doubling the indirect object without the pronoun

• Acceptable: Li dono un regal a la meva mare. (pronoun + full noun — common)
• Wrong: Dono un regal a la meva mare. (missing pronoun — sounds incomplete)
• Why: In Catalan, when the indirect object noun is present, you often still include the pronoun.

Practice Tips

1. Practice with "donar": "Li dono (a ell), li dono (a ella), els dono (a ells), em donen (a mi)..."
2. Use "dir" in daily practice: "Li dic bon dia," "Ens diu que sí," "Què et diu?"
3. Remember that verbs like "agradar," "semblar," and "fer falta" always use indirect object pronouns: "M'agrada," "Li sembla," "Ens fa falta."

Related Concepts

• Basic Weak Pronouns — the complete weak pronoun system
• Combined Weak Pronouns — combining direct and indirect pronouns at B2