Present Tense: -ir Verbs in Catalan

Overview

The third conjugation in Catalan consists of verbs ending in -ir. What makes this group special is that it contains two distinct subtypes: pure -ir verbs and inchoative -ir verbs. Understanding this split is important because the conjugation patterns differ significantly, and the inchoative pattern is extremely common.

Pure -ir verbs like dormir (to sleep) and sortir (to go out) conjugate in a straightforward way. Inchoative verbs like servir (to serve) and preferir (to prefer) insert the infix -eix- in most singular and third plural forms. This inchoative pattern is so productive that most new -ir verbs entering the language follow it.

At the A1 level, you should learn to recognize both patterns and memorize which common verbs follow which type. With practice, the distinction becomes intuitive.

How It Works

Pure -ir Verbs (dormir — to sleep)

Person	Conjugation
jo	dormo
tu	dorms
ell/ella/vostè	dorm
nosaltres	dormim
vosaltres	dormiu
ells/elles/vostès	dormen

Inchoative -ir Verbs (servir — to serve)

Person	Conjugation
jo	serveixo
tu	serveixes
ell/ella/vostè	serveix
nosaltres	servim
vosaltres	serviu
ells/elles/vostès	serveixen

Common -ir Verbs by Type

Pure -ir	Meaning	Inchoative -ir	Meaning
dormir	to sleep	servir	to serve
sortir	to go out	preferir	to prefer
obrir	to open	patir	to suffer
sentir	to hear/feel	decidir	to decide
morir	to die	conduir	to drive

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Jo dormo vuit hores.	I sleep eight hours.	Pure: dormir
Ella serveix el dinar.	She serves lunch.	Inchoative: servir
Nosaltres sortim a les vuit.	We go out at eight.	Pure: sortir
Ells prefereixen el tren.	They prefer the train.	Inchoative: preferir
Obro la finestra cada matí.	I open the window every morning.	Pure: obrir
Decideixo ara.	I decide now.	Inchoative: decidir
Sent la música?	Do you hear the music?	Pure: sentir
Condueixen molt bé.	They drive very well.	Inchoative: conduir
Dormiu bé?	Do you all sleep well?	Pure plural
Pateixo de mal d'esquena.	I suffer from back pain.	Inchoative: patir

Common Mistakes

Applying inchoative to pure verbs

• Wrong: Jo dormeixo.
• Right: Jo dormo.
• Why: Dormir is a pure -ir verb and does not take the -eix- infix.

Forgetting inchoative in the plural

• Wrong: Ells prefereixem or Nosaltres prefereixem.
• Right: Nosaltres preferim. / Ells prefereixen.
• Why: The inchoative -eix- only appears in jo, tu, ell/ella, and ells/elles. The nosaltres and vosaltres forms use the regular stem.

Mixing up -ir and -er endings

• Wrong: Nosaltres dormem.
• Right: Nosaltres dormim.
• Why: The nosaltres form for -ir verbs ends in -im (not -em, which belongs to -er/-re verbs).

Practice Tips

1. Make two lists: pure -ir verbs and inchoative -ir verbs. When you learn a new -ir verb, immediately classify it and conjugate the full present tense.
2. Practice the inchoative pattern by saying: "serveixo, serveixes, serveix, servim, serviu, serveixen" until the rhythm feels natural. Then apply the same pattern to other inchoative verbs.
3. Notice that the nosaltres and vosaltres forms are always "regular" even in inchoative verbs — this simplifies memorization.

Related Concepts

• Subject Pronouns — the pronouns accompanying these verb forms
• Present Tense: -ar Verbs — first conjugation for comparison
• Present Tense: -er/-re Verbs — second conjugation for comparison