Verbs of Motion and Direction in Catalan

Overview

Verbs of motion describe how people and things move from one place to another. At the A2 level, you need a solid set of movement verbs and their associated prepositions to describe daily travel, directions, and physical movement.

Each motion verb in Catalan pairs with specific prepositions: anar a (to go to), venir de (to come from), sortir de (to leave from), entrar a (to enter). Getting these pairings right is crucial because using the wrong preposition can change the meaning or sound unnatural.

Many motion verbs are irregular, so their conjugations need individual attention. However, their frequency in daily speech means you will encounter them constantly, which helps with memorization.

How It Works

Common Motion Verbs with Prepositions

Verb	Preposition	Meaning	Example
anar	a	to go to	Vaig a la feina.
venir	de	to come from	Ve de Girona.
sortir	de	to leave from	Surto de casa a les vuit.
entrar	a	to enter	Entra a la botiga.
tornar	a	to return to	Torno a casa.
pujar	(a)	to go up	Puja les escales.
baixar	(de)	to go down	Baixa del tren.
arribar	a	to arrive at	Arribo a Barcelona.
passar	per	to pass through	Passo per la plaça.
seguir	—	to continue	Segueix tot recte.

Transport Prepositions

Catalan	English
en metro	by metro
en tren	by train
en cotxe	by car
en autobús	by bus
en avió	by plane
a peu	on foot
en bicicleta	by bicycle

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Vaig a la feina en metro.	I go to work by metro.	anar a + transport
Ve de Girona.	He/she comes from Girona.	venir de
Puja les escales!	Go up the stairs!	Imperative
Hem sortit de casa a les vuit.	We left home at eight.	sortir de + time
Torna a casa abans de les sis.	Come back home before six.	tornar a
Entrem a la botiga.	Let's enter the shop.	entrar a
Baixa del tren a la propera parada.	Get off the train at the next stop.	baixar de
Arribo a Barcelona a les deu.	I arrive in Barcelona at ten.	arribar a
Passem per davant del museu.	We pass in front of the museum.	passar per
Hi vaig a peu.	I go there on foot.	a peu

Common Mistakes

Using the wrong preposition with "sortir"

• Wrong: Surto a casa.
• Right: Surto de casa.
• Why: "Sortir" means to leave a place, so it takes "de" (from), not "a" (to).

Confusing "pujar" and "baixar" with transport

• Pujar a = to get on (a bus/train): Pujo a l'autobús.
• Baixar de = to get off: Baixo de l'autobús.
• Why: You go "up onto" (pujar a) and "down from" (baixar de) public transport.

Forgetting the contraction in "anar a + el"

• Wrong: Vaig a el mercat.
• Right: Vaig al mercat.
• Why: a + el always contracts to al.

Practice Tips

1. Describe your daily commute: "Surto de casa a les vuit. Vaig a l'estació a peu. Pujo al tren. Arribo a la feina a les nou."
2. Practice with different transport modes: "Vaig a la feina en metro. Vaig al supermercat a peu. Vaig a Girona en tren."
3. Use verb pairs to describe round trips: "Surto de casa → Arribo a la feina → Torno a casa."

Related Concepts

• Present Tense: -ar Verbs — conjugation of regular motion verbs
• Basic Prepositions — the prepositions used with motion verbs
• Location and Directions — describing places and giving directions