Beginner Catalan grammar

Catalan Grammar Basics: A Simple Beginner Guide

Learn the essential building blocks of Catalan grammar: pronouns, articles, gender, plurals, ser and estar, word order, negatives, questions, possession and basic verbs.

? How to use this guide

Use this page as a quick introduction to how Catalan works. Each section gives you the rule, a simple table and beginner-friendly examples.

CA What this guide includes

This page covers Catalan pronouns, articles, gender, plurals, ser and estar, word order, negatives, questions, possession and one simple verb pattern.

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◎ Catalan grammar snapshot

Catalan is a Romance language, so many grammar patterns will feel familiar if you know Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese or Occitan. This page uses standard Catalan forms and keeps the explanations beginner-friendly.

Feature	Catalan	Beginner note
Basic word order	Subject + verb + object	For example: Jo parlo català = I speak Catalan.
Subject pronouns	Often optional	The verb ending usually shows the person.
Gender	Masculine and feminine	Nouns, articles and adjectives normally agree.
Articles	el, la, els, les	Catalan also uses l’ before many vowel sounds.
Two verbs for “to be”	ser and estar	Similar idea to Spanish, but not always identical in use.
Negatives	no before the verb	No parlo català = I do not speak Catalan.

☷ Personal pronouns in Catalan

Catalan has subject pronouns, but they are often left out because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

English	Catalan	Grammar note
I	jo	Often omitted before the verb.
you singular	tu	Informal singular “you”.
he	ell	Masculine singular.
she	ella	Feminine singular.
we	nosaltres	Used for “we”.
you plural	vosaltres	Informal plural “you”.
they masculine / mixed	ells	Used for masculine or mixed groups.
they feminine	elles	Used for feminine groups.

Useful point: You can say jo parlo català, but simply parlo català is also natural because parlo already means “I speak”.

BE The verb “to be”: ser and estar

Catalan uses two common verbs where English normally uses “to be”: ser and estar. For beginners, think of ser for identity, origin and essential descriptions, and estar for location, temporary states and conditions.

English	ser	estar
I am	soc / sóc	estic
you are	ets	estàs
he/she is	és	està
we are	som	estem
you plural are	sou	esteu
they are	són	estan

Examples: Soc de Barcelona = I am from Barcelona. Estic bé = I am well. L’escola és gran = The school is big. El llibre està sobre la taula = The book is on the table.

EL Articles in Catalan

Catalan articles change depending on gender, number and sometimes the sound at the start of the next word.

English	Catalan	Grammar note
the book	el llibre	Masculine singular.
the house	la casa	Feminine singular.
the books	els llibres	Masculine plural.
the houses	les cases	Feminine plural.
the friend	l’amic / l’amiga	l’ is used before many vowel sounds.
a book	un llibre	Masculine singular indefinite article.
a house	una casa	Feminine singular indefinite article.
some books	uns llibres	Masculine plural indefinite article.
some houses	unes cases	Feminine plural indefinite article.

Extra note: Some Catalan varieties and contexts also use personal articles with names, such as en and na, but beginners can start with the main articles: el, la, els, les.

MF Gender and plurals in Catalan

Catalan nouns are usually masculine or feminine. Adjectives and articles normally agree with the noun.

English	Catalan	Grammar note
a good book	un llibre bo	Masculine singular.
a good house	una casa bona	Feminine singular.
good books	llibres bons	Masculine plural.
good houses	cases bones	Feminine plural.
the student	l’estudiant	Some nouns can refer to either gender depending on context.
the teacher	el professor / la professora	Many people words have masculine and feminine forms.
house / houses	casa / cases	Many feminine nouns ending in -a form the plural in -es.
book / books	llibre / llibres	Many nouns form the plural by adding -s.

SVO Basic Catalan word order

Catalan often uses Subject + Verb + Object word order, like English. However, subject pronouns can be omitted, and word order can change for emphasis.

English	Catalan	Grammar note
I speak Catalan.	Jo parlo català.	Subject + verb + object.
I speak Catalan.	Parlo català.	The subject pronoun can be omitted.
She reads a book.	Ella llegeix un llibre.	A clear beginner sentence pattern.
We live in Girona.	Vivim a Girona.	The verb ending shows “we”.
the red house	la casa vermella	Adjectives often come after the noun.
a good friend	un bon amic	Some common adjectives can come before the noun.

NO Negatives in Catalan

The basic way to make a sentence negative in Catalan is to place no before the verb.

English	Catalan	Grammar note
I speak Catalan.	Parlo català.	Positive sentence.
I do not speak Catalan.	No parlo català.	No goes before the verb.
He is not here.	No és aquí.	Negative with ser.
I am not well.	No estic bé.	Negative with estar.
I never go.	No hi vaig mai.	mai means “never” when used with no.
I do not understand anything.	No entenc res.	res means “anything/nothing” depending on the structure.

? Question words in Catalan

These question words are among the most useful words for beginners because they help you build practical sentences quickly.

English	Catalan	Example
who?	qui?	Qui és? = Who is it?
what?	què?	Què és això? = What is this?
where?	on?	On és l’estació? = Where is the station?
when?	quan?	Quan arribes? = When do you arrive?
why?	per què?	Per què estudies català? = Why are you studying Catalan?
how?	com?	Com estàs? = How are you?
how much?	quant?	Quant costa? = How much does it cost?
how many?	quants / quantes?	Quants llibres tens? = How many books do you have?

MY Possession in Catalan

Catalan possessives usually agree with the thing possessed. They are also commonly used with the definite article: el meu, la meva, els meus, les meves.

English	Catalan	Grammar note
my book	el meu llibre	Masculine singular.
my house	la meva casa	Feminine singular.
your name	el teu nom	Informal singular “your”.
his/her book	el seu llibre	Can mean his, her, its or their depending on context.
our family	la nostra família	Feminine singular.
your plural house	la vostra casa	Informal plural “your”.
their friends	els seus amics	Masculine plural.

V A simple Catalan verb pattern: parlar

The verb parlar means “to speak”. It is a useful first verb because it shows a common regular pattern in the present tense.

English	Catalan	Grammar note
I speak	parlo	Jo parlo is possible, but jo is often omitted.
you speak	parles	Informal singular.
he/she speaks	parla	Also used for formal “you” in some contexts.
we speak	parlem	First person plural.
you plural speak	parleu	Informal plural.
they speak	parlen	Third person plural.

Example: Parlo català, castellà i anglès = I speak Catalan, Spanish and English.

◎ Quick facts

Romance grammarCatalan shares many patterns with Spanish, French, Occitan, Italian and Portuguese.

Articles matterBeginners should learn el, la, els, les and l’ early.

Verb endings helpSubject pronouns are often omitted because Catalan verbs show the person.

? Catalan grammar FAQ

Is Catalan grammar difficult for beginners?

Catalan grammar is manageable for beginners, especially if they already know another Romance language. The most important early points are articles, gender, plurals, basic verb endings and the difference between ser and estar.

Does Catalan have masculine and feminine nouns?

Yes. Catalan nouns are usually masculine or feminine, and articles and adjectives normally agree with the noun.

Does Catalan use ser and estar?

Yes. Catalan uses both ser and estar. As a beginner rule, ser is often used for identity, origin and essential description, while estar is often used for location, temporary states and conditions.

Can Catalan subject pronouns be omitted?

Yes. Catalan often omits subject pronouns because verb endings usually show the subject. For example, parlo català means “I speak Catalan”.

What is the normal word order in Catalan?

The basic word order is often subject + verb + object, as in English. However, Catalan can omit subject pronouns and can vary word order for emphasis.