Pronouns En and Hi in Catalan

Overview

The pronouns en and hi are two of the most distinctive features of Catalan grammar. They have no direct English equivalents, which makes them challenging but also essential for natural-sounding Catalan. At the B1 level, mastering these pronouns is a key milestone.

En replaces phrases introduced by de and partitive expressions: Vols cafè? — Sí, en vull. (Want coffee? — Yes, I want some.) It also replaces quantities, origins, and complements with "de." Hi replaces phrases introduced by a (for non-personal destinations) and other locative expressions: Vas a Barcelona? — Sí, hi vaig. (Going to Barcelona? — Yes, I'm going there.)

Without en and hi, you would need to repeat nouns constantly, making your Catalan sound unnatural. These two pronouns are the sign of someone who truly commands the language.

How It Works

Uses of En

Function	Full form	With en
Partitive (some of)	Vols cafè?	En vols? (Want some?)
Quantity	Tinc tres gats.	En tinc tres. (I have three of them.)
De + complement	Parlem de política.	En parlem. (We talk about it.)
Origin (de)	Vinc de Girona.	En vinc. (I come from there.)

Uses of Hi

Function	Full form	With hi
Location (a, en)	Vaig a Barcelona.	Hi vaig. (I go there.)
Existential	Hi ha gent.	(Fixed: hi ha = there is/are)
A + non-person	Penso en el futur.	Hi penso. (I think about it.)
Complement with a	Jugo a futbol.	Hi jugo. (I play it.)

Position

Like all weak pronouns, en and hi go before conjugated verbs and after infinitives:

• En vull. (I want some.) — before conjugated verb
• Vull comprar-ne. (I want to buy some.) — after infinitive

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Vols cafè? — Sí, en vull.	Want coffee? — Yes, I want some.	Partitive en
Quants en tens?	How many do you have (of them)?	Quantity en
Vas a Barcelona? — Sí, hi vaig.	Going to Barcelona? — Yes, I'm going there.	Location hi
Hi ha molta gent.	There are a lot of people.	Existential hi
Vine de Girona? — Sí, en vinc.	Coming from Girona? — Yes, I come from there.	Origin en
Penses en les vacances? — Sí, hi penso.	Thinking about the holidays? — Yes, I think about them.	Complement hi
Quants fills tens? — En tinc dos.	How many children do you have? — I have two.	Quantity en
Ja n'hi ha prou!	That's enough already!	En + hi combined
No hi hem estat mai.	We've never been there.	Location hi
En vols més?	Do you want more (of it)?	Partitive en

Common Mistakes

Omitting en in quantity expressions

• Wrong: Quants tens? — Tinc dos.
• Right: Quants en tens? — En tinc dos.
• Why: When expressing quantities of something previously mentioned, you must include "en."

Using hi for people

• Wrong: Penso en la Maria. Hi penso.
• Right: Penso en la Maria. Hi penso. (Actually correct for thinking about someone!) BUT: Vaig a veure la Maria. La vaig a veure. (direct object, not hi)
• Why: Hi generally replaces non-personal a-complements. For personal direct objects, use el/la/els/les.

Forgetting en/hi in answers

• Incomplete: Tens cotxe? — Sí, tinc.
• Complete: Tens cotxe? — Sí, en tinc.
• Why: The pronoun en must appear even though it seems redundant to English speakers.

Usage Notes

The use of en and hi varies slightly by dialect. Central Catalan uses them most consistently, while in some Valencian and Balearic varieties, hi may be used less frequently or differently. In standard written Catalan, both pronouns are expected in all contexts where they apply.

Practice Tips

1. Practice partitive en with food: "Vols pa? — Sí, en vull. Quant en vols? — En vull un tros."
2. Practice locative hi: "Vas al cinema? — Sí, hi vaig. Has estat a Mallorca? — No, no hi he estat mai."
3. Pay attention to en and hi in Catalan media. Notice how often they appear and what they replace.

Related Concepts

• Basic Weak Pronouns — the broader pronoun system
• Combined Weak Pronouns — combining en/hi with other pronouns at B2