{"id":9219,"date":"2023-03-01T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/?p=9219"},"modified":"2023-11-20T10:16:13","modified_gmt":"2023-11-20T10:16:13","slug":"20-most-common-catalan-verbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/20-most-common-catalan-verbs\/","title":{"rendered":"The 20 Most Common Catalan Verbs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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If you’ve already started learning Catalan, then you’ll know a few verbs already. They’re an important building block and often a tricky part of grammar because in many languages, verbs change to reflect tense and who is speaking or being spoken about. In this post, you’ll learn about the 20 most common verbs in Catalan, as well as how to conjugate them in the present, past, and future tenses!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning grammar is a time-consuming effort in any language, especially when it comes to verbs. Romance languages are even more so because verbs change a lot more than we’re used to in English, depending on who is the subject of the verb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, that doesn’t mean they’re impossible to learn! With just a little time and effort, you’ll be speaking like a pro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ve collected the 20 most common Catalan verbs (taken from this Wiktionary frequency list<\/a>) and conjugated them in the present, imperfect, preterite (a type of past tense explained below), and future tenses for you. Plus, some of the verbs have some added notes and phrases that might help you with their usage and teach you something new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

But first, let’s do a quick overview of those tenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tenses<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A verb tense is an addition or change to a verb that shows when an action takes place. For example, compare the English I go<\/em> and I went<\/em>. One is happening now, and one happened in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Different languages have different ways of showing tenses. In English, we differentiate between something happening in the general present tense (I go<\/em>) and something happening as we’re speaking (I am going<\/em>), which not all languages do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, in Catalan, there is more than one past tense. There are three of them, although one is rarely used in spoken language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ve conjugated these verbs in the four simple tenses: present, past (preterite), past (imperfect), and future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The present tense<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The present tense expresses an action or state in the present time. It is also used to express things that are usual or characteristic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The past tense<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The past tense, also called the preterite, expresses an action or state that happened in the past. (For Catalan, these are completed actions.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The imperfect tense<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The imperfect tense expresses a continuing state or incomplete action, especially in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The future tense<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The future tense expresses actions or states that are yet to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The verbs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We pulled these 20 verbs from this Catalan Wiktionary frequency list<\/a>, taking their first occurrence and descending in order of frequency. That means some of them might seem higher up than they should be \u2013 because they are not only used on their own as verbs but also as auxiliary or ‘helper’ verbs for other phrases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An example of this in English would be I have done it.<\/em> In this sentence, ‘have’ doesn’t have its usual meaning of ‘to possess’ something. Instead, it is helping the verb ‘to do’ and expressing a tense. This is the same in Catalan, though you might see some other verbs up at the top there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Either way, these are all useful verbs to know!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. anar – to go<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
jo<\/td>vaig<\/td>anava<\/td>an\u00ed<\/td>anir\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
tu<\/td>vas<\/td>anaves<\/td>anares<\/td>anir\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>va<\/td>anava<\/td>an\u00e0<\/td>anir\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
nosaltres<\/td>anem<\/td>an\u00e0vem<\/td>an\u00e0rem<\/td>anirem<\/td><\/tr>
vosaltres<\/td>aneu<\/td>an\u00e0veu<\/td>an\u00e0reu<\/td>anireu<\/td><\/tr>
ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>van<\/td>anaven<\/td>anaren<\/td>aniran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You might hear anar<\/em> used a lot in speech, as it is often used to form the preterite when talking. This form is anar<\/em> + infinitive, e.g. Vaig donar<\/em> has the same meaning as Don\u00ed<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also some idiomatic phrases where you would use anar<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • anar a mal borr\u00e0s<\/em> – to go downhill, to go south<\/li>
  • anar a parar<\/em> – to end up, to wind up<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    2. ser\/\u00e9sser – to be<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
    jo<\/td>soc<\/td>era<\/td>fui<\/td>ser\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
    tu<\/td>ets<\/td>eres<\/td>fores<\/td>ser\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
    ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>\u00e9s<\/td>era<\/td>fou<\/td>ser\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
    nosaltres<\/td>som<\/td>\u00e9rem<\/td>f\u00f3rem<\/td>serem<\/td><\/tr>
    vosaltres<\/td>sou<\/td>\u00e9reu<\/td>f\u00f3reu<\/td>sereu<\/td><\/tr>
    ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>s\u00f3n<\/td>eren<\/td>foren<\/td>seran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    If you’ve learnt any Spanish, then the concept of two words meaning ‘to be’ won’t be wholly unfamiliar to you. It’s the same in Catalan!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ser<\/em> or \u00e9sser<\/em> (ser<\/em> comes from a reduction of \u00e9sser<\/em>, so they have the same meaning and are conjugated in the same way) indicate an inherent quality. If you want to talk about qualities that are temporary or only occur at a particular time, then you would use estar<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For example, S\u00f3c d’Espanya<\/em> means ‘I am from Spain’. We use ser\/\u00e9sser<\/em> because this is an unchangeable state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, Estic a It\u00e0lia<\/em> means ‘I am in Italy’. Here, we use estar<\/em> [link to verb below] because this is only a temporary state that could change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. haver – to have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
    jo<\/td>he, haig<\/td>havia<\/td>hagu\u00ed<\/td>haur\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
    tu<\/td>has<\/td>havies<\/td>hagueres<\/td>haur\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
    ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>ha<\/td>havia<\/td>hagu\u00e9<\/td>haur\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
    nosaltres<\/td>havem, hem<\/td>hav\u00edem<\/td>hagu\u00e9rem<\/td>haurem<\/td><\/tr>
    vosaltres<\/td>haveu, heu<\/td>hav\u00edeu<\/td>hagu\u00e9reu<\/td>haureu<\/td><\/tr>
    ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>han<\/td>havien<\/td>hagueren<\/td>hauran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Although haver<\/em> means ‘to have’, it is not in the sense of ownership. It’s used most often as an auxiliary verb, as mentioned above. You’ll use haver<\/em> a lot to form perfect tenses (past\/future perfect, e.g. ‘I have done’ or ‘I will have done’).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Haver<\/em> is used to indicate things exist with the phrase ‘there is\/are’ – hi ha<\/em>. It is also used with de<\/em> to form haver de<\/em>, which means ‘to have to [do something]’. This is the only time you will use this haig<\/em> first-person form, with haig de<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. fer – to do, to make<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
    jo<\/td>faig<\/td>feia<\/td>fiu<\/td>far\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
    tu<\/td>fas<\/td>feies<\/td>feres<\/td>far\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
    ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>fa<\/td>feia<\/td>feu<\/td>far\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
    nosaltres<\/td>fem<\/td>f\u00e8iem<\/td>f\u00e9rem<\/td>farem<\/td><\/tr>
    vosaltres<\/td>feu<\/td>f\u00e8ieu<\/td>f\u00e9reu<\/td>fareu<\/td><\/tr>
    ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>fan<\/td>feien<\/td>feren<\/td>faran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    As well as meaning ‘to do’ or ‘to make’, fer<\/em> is used when talking about the weather. For example, fa fred<\/em> means ‘it is cold’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Some idiomatic phrases use fer<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • fer cinc c\u00e8ntims<\/em> – to summarise<\/li>
    • bufar i fer ampolles<\/em> – a piece of cake, a walk in the park (lit. to blow and make bottles, referring to bottle makers who blew glass)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      5. tenir – to have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      jo<\/td>tinc<\/td>tenia<\/td>tingu\u00ed<\/td>tindr\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
      tu<\/td>tens<\/td>tenies<\/td>tingueres<\/td>tindr\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
      ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>t\u00e9<\/td>tenia<\/td>tingu\u00e9<\/td>tindr\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
      nosaltres<\/td>tenim<\/td>ten\u00edem<\/td>tingu\u00e9rem<\/td>tindrem<\/td><\/tr>
      vosaltres<\/td>teniu<\/td>ten\u00edeu<\/td>tingu\u00e9reu<\/td>tindreu<\/td><\/tr>
      ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>tenen<\/td>tenien<\/td>tingueren<\/td>tindran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Unlike haver<\/em>, tenir<\/em>‘s meaning of ‘to have’ is the same as ‘to possess or own something’. Useful!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      6. poder – to be able to, can<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      jo<\/td>puc<\/td>podia<\/td>pogu\u00ed<\/td>podr\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
      tu<\/td>pots<\/td>podies<\/td>pogueres<\/td>podr\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
      ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>pot<\/td>podia<\/td>pogu\u00e9<\/td>podr\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
      nosaltres<\/td>podem<\/td>pod\u00edem<\/td>pogu\u00e9rem<\/td>podrem<\/td><\/tr>
      vosaltres<\/td>podeu<\/td>pod\u00edeu<\/td>pogu\u00e9reu<\/td>podreu<\/td><\/tr>
      ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>poden<\/td>podien<\/td>pogueren<\/td>podran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      The Catalan word potser<\/em> which means ‘maybe’ or ‘perhaps’ is a joining of two different verb forms \u2013 pot<\/em> (‘it may’) and ser<\/em> (‘to be’).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      7. arribar – to arrive<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      jo<\/td>arribo<\/td>arribava<\/td>arrib\u00ed<\/td>arribar\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
      tu<\/td>arribes<\/td>arribaves<\/td>arribares<\/td>arribar\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
      ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>arriba<\/td>arribava<\/td>arrib\u00e0<\/td>arribar\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
      nosaltres<\/td>arribem<\/td>arrib\u00e0vem<\/td>arrib\u00e0rem<\/td>arribarem<\/td><\/tr>
      vosaltres<\/td>arribeu<\/td>arrib\u00e0veu<\/td>arrib\u00e0reu<\/td>arribareu<\/td><\/tr>
      ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>arriben<\/td>arribaven<\/td>arribaren<\/td>arribaran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      An idiomatic phrase that uses arribar<\/em> is arribi el que arribi<\/em>, which means ‘come what may’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      8. trobar – to find<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      jo<\/td>trobo<\/td>trobava<\/td>trob\u00ed<\/td>trobar\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
      tu<\/td>trobes<\/td>trobaves<\/td>trobares<\/td>trobar\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
      ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>troba<\/td>trobava<\/td>trob\u00e0<\/td>trobar\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
      nosaltres<\/td>trobem<\/td>trob\u00e0vem<\/td>trob\u00e0rem<\/td>trobarem<\/td><\/tr>
      vosaltres<\/td>trobeu<\/td>trob\u00e0veu<\/td>trob\u00e0reu<\/td>trobareu<\/td><\/tr>
      ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>troben<\/td>trobaven<\/td>trobaren<\/td>trobaran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Several verbs in Catalan have different meanings if they are used with a reflexive pronoun, and trobar<\/em> is one of them. If you see the verb trobar-se<\/em>, then it will mean ‘to meet’ instead of ‘to find’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The proverb tal far\u00e0s, tal trobar\u00e0s<\/em> uses both trobar<\/em> and the verb fer<\/em> [link to fer<\/em>]. It means ‘you make the bed you lie in’; or, more literally, ‘so you do, thus will find’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      9. obrar – to act, to behave, to work<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      jo<\/td>obro<\/td>obrava<\/td>obr\u00ed<\/td>obrar\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
      tu<\/td>obres<\/td>obraves<\/td>obrares<\/td>obrar\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
      ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>obra<\/td>obrava<\/td>obr\u00e0<\/td>obrar\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
      nosaltres<\/td>obrem<\/td>obr\u00e0vem<\/td>obr\u00e0rem<\/td>obrarem<\/td><\/tr>
      vosaltres<\/td>obreu<\/td>obr\u00e0veu<\/td>obr\u00e0reu<\/td>obrareu<\/td><\/tr>
      ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>obren<\/td>obraven<\/td>obraren<\/td>obraran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      The meaning of ‘to work’ here is not ‘to go and do a job’ (that’s treballar!<\/em>), but ‘to function correctly’. Another synonym for this meaning would be funcionar<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Catalan word for a play (theatre production), obra<\/em> is related to obrar<\/em>. Obra<\/em> can also be translated as a literary or artistic work (e.g. a book or painting) or as the effort expended on a task (e.g. I put in a lot of work).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      10. partir – to divide, to part, to split<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      jo<\/td>parteixo<\/td>partia<\/td>part\u00ed<\/td>partir\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
      tu<\/td>parteixes<\/td>parties<\/td>paritres<\/td>partir\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
      ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>parteix<\/td>partia<\/td>part\u00ed<\/td>partir\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
      nosaltres<\/td>partim<\/td>part\u00edem<\/td>part\u00edrem<\/td>partirem<\/td><\/tr>
      vosaltres<\/td>partiu<\/td>part\u00edeu<\/td>part\u00edreu<\/td>partireu<\/td><\/tr>
      ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>parteixen<\/td>partien<\/td>partiren<\/td>partiran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      The preposition a partir de<\/em> involves partir<\/em> and means ‘starting from’, or ‘beginning’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      11. estar – to be, to be situated<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      jo<\/td>estic<\/td>estava<\/td>estigu\u00ed<\/td>estar\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
      tu<\/td>est\u00e0s<\/td>estaves<\/td>estigueres<\/td>estar\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
      ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>est\u00e0<\/td>estava<\/td>estigu\u00e9<\/td>estar\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
      nosaltres<\/td>estem<\/td>est\u00e0vem<\/td>estigu\u00e9rem<\/td>estarem<\/td><\/tr>
      vosaltres<\/td>esteu<\/td>est\u00e0veu<\/td>estigu\u00e9reu<\/td>estareu<\/td><\/tr>
      ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>estan<\/td>estaven<\/td>estigueren<\/td>estaran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Like we said when referring to ser<\/em>, estar<\/em> is used to talk about temporary qualities or states. It is also used to talk about where<\/em> something is in terms of its location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Estar<\/em> is also used to form something called the continuous aspect. This is something we have in English \u2013 ‘He is already sleeping’ as opposed to ‘he sleeps’. In Catalan, you use estar<\/em> + present participle, like in English. So, ‘he is already sleeping’ becomes Ja est\u00e0 dormint.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      12. comen\u00e7ar – to begin<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      jo<\/td>comen\u00e7o<\/td>comen\u00e7ava<\/td>comenc\u00ed<\/td>comen\u00e7ar\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
      tu<\/td>comences<\/td>comen\u00e7aves<\/td>comen\u00e7ares<\/td>comen\u00e7ar\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
      ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>comen\u00e7a<\/td>comen\u00e7ava<\/td>comen\u00e7\u00e0<\/td>comen\u00e7ar\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
      nosaltres<\/td>comencem<\/td>comen\u00e7\u00e0vem<\/td>comen\u00e7\u00e0rem<\/td>comen\u00e7arem<\/td><\/tr>
      vosaltres<\/td>comenceu<\/td>comen\u00e7\u00e0veu<\/td>comen\u00e7\u00e0reu<\/td>comen\u00e7areu<\/td><\/tr>
      ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>comencen<\/td>comen\u00e7aven<\/td>comen\u00e7aren<\/td>comen\u00e7aran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      The verb comen\u00e7ar<\/em> is suspected to come from the Vulgar Latin *cominit\u0101re<\/em>, which is also where we get the English word ‘commence’!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      13. morir – to die<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      jo<\/td>moro<\/td>moria<\/td>mor\u00ed<\/td>morir\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
      tu<\/td>mors<\/td>mories<\/td>morires<\/td>morir\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
      ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>mor<\/td>moria<\/td>mor\u00ed<\/td>morir\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
      nosaltres<\/td>morim<\/td>mor\u00edem<\/td>mor\u00edrem<\/td>morirem<\/td><\/tr>
      vosaltres<\/td>moriu<\/td>mor\u00edeu<\/td>mor\u00edreu<\/td>morireu<\/td><\/tr>
      ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>moren<\/td>morien<\/td>moriren<\/td>moriran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      The word mort<\/em>, which derives from morir<\/em>, means ‘dead person’, but also colloquially refers to difficult problems a person can face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      14. passar – to happen, to spend, to pass<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      jo<\/td>passo<\/td>passava<\/td>pass\u00ed<\/td>passar\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
      tu<\/td>passes<\/td>passaves<\/td>passares<\/td>passar\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
      ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>passa<\/td>passava<\/td>pass\u00e0<\/td>passar\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
      nosaltres<\/td>passem<\/td>pass\u00e0vem<\/td>pass\u00e0rem<\/td>passarem<\/td><\/tr>
      vosaltres<\/td>passeu<\/td>pass\u00e0veu<\/td>pass\u00e0reu<\/td>passareu<\/td><\/tr>
      ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>passen<\/td>passaven<\/td>passaren<\/td>passaran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      The meaning ‘to spend’ is almost exclusively used to refer to time \u2013 as that is something that ‘passes by’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The phrase qui dia passa, any empeny<\/em> literally translates as ‘he who passes a day, pushes a year’. It means the same as ‘never put off until tomorrow what you can do today’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      15. donar – to give<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      jo<\/td>dono<\/td>donava<\/td>don\u00ed<\/td>donar\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
      tu<\/td>dones<\/td>donaves<\/td>donares<\/td>donar\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
      ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>dona<\/td>donava<\/td>don\u00e0<\/td>donar\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
      nosaltres<\/td>donem<\/td>don\u00e0vem<\/td>don\u00e0rem<\/td>donarem<\/td><\/tr>
      vosaltres<\/td>doneu<\/td>don\u00e0veu<\/td>don\u00e0reu<\/td>donareu<\/td><\/tr>
      ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>donen<\/td>donaven<\/td>donaren<\/td>donaran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      The Catalan verb donar<\/em> comes from the Latin don\u0101re<\/em>, which is the present active infinitive of the verb d\u014dn\u014d<\/em>. D\u014dn\u014d<\/em> means ‘I give, I present’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      16. dir – to say, to tell<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      jo<\/td>dic<\/td>deia<\/td>digu\u00ed<\/td>dir\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
      tu<\/td>dius<\/td>deies<\/td>digueres<\/td>dir\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
      ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>diu<\/td>deia<\/td>digu\u00e9<\/td>dir\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
      nosaltres<\/td>diem<\/td>d\u00e8iem<\/td>digu\u00e9rem<\/td>direm<\/td><\/tr>
      vosaltres<\/td>dieu<\/td>d\u00e8ieu<\/td>digu\u00e9reu<\/td>direu<\/td><\/tr>
      ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>diuen<\/td>deien<\/td>digueren<\/td>diran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Dir<\/em> is used in the phrases \u00e9s a dir<\/em>, which means ‘that is, in other words’, as well as voler dir<\/em>, which is often used to mean ‘to be sure’ but only as a question tag (e.g. vols dir?<\/em> means ‘are you sure?’).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The reflexive version of the verb, dir-se<\/em>, means ‘to be called’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      17. anomenar – to call, to name, to mention<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      jo<\/td>anomeno<\/td>anomenava<\/td>anomen\u00ed<\/td>anomenar\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
      tu<\/td>anomenes<\/td>anomenaves<\/td>anomenares<\/td>anomenar\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
      ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>anomena<\/td>anomenava<\/td>anomen\u00e0<\/td>anomenar\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
      nosaltres<\/td>anomenem<\/td>anomen\u00e0vem<\/td>anomen\u00e0rem<\/td>anomenarem<\/td><\/tr>
      vosaltres<\/td>anomeneu<\/td>anomen\u00e0veu<\/td>anomen\u00e0reu<\/td>anomenareu<\/td><\/tr>
      ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>anomenen<\/td>anomenaven<\/td>anomenaren<\/td>anomenaran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      One proverb that uses the verb anomenar<\/em> is a casa d’un penjat no hi anomenis cordes<\/em>. The equivalent meaning in English is ‘don’t talk about an uncomfortable situation in the presence of someone affected by it’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      18. rebre – to receive, to get<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      jo<\/td>rebo<\/td>rebia<\/td>reb\u00ed<\/td>rebr\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
      tu<\/td>reps<\/td>rebies<\/td>reberes<\/td>rebr\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
      ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>rep<\/td>rebia<\/td>reb\u00e9<\/td>rebr\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
      nosaltres<\/td>rebem<\/td>reb\u00edem<\/td>reb\u00e9rem<\/td>rebrem<\/td><\/tr>
      vosaltres<\/td>rebeu<\/td>reb\u00edeu<\/td>reb\u00e9reu<\/td>rebreu<\/td><\/tr>
      ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>reben<\/td>rebien<\/td>reberen<\/td>rebran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      In Catalan, a building’s entrance hall is called a rebedor<\/em>, which is derived from this verb. Rebre<\/em> also has some alternative forms \u2013 you might hear or see recebre<\/em> instead or, if you are in Alghero, Italy, the Catalan dialect spoken there tends to use the term recivir<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      19. tornar – to come back, to return<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      jo<\/td>torno<\/td>tornava<\/td>torn\u00ed<\/td>tornar\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
      tu<\/td>tornes<\/td>tornaves<\/td>tornares<\/td>tornar\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
      ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>torna<\/td>tornava<\/td>torn\u00e0<\/td>tornar\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
      nosaltres<\/td>tornem<\/td>torn\u00e0vem<\/td>torn\u00e0rem<\/td>tornarem<\/td><\/tr>
      vosaltres<\/td>torneu<\/td>torn\u00e0veu<\/td>torn\u00e0reu<\/td>tornareu<\/td><\/tr>
      ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>tornen<\/td>tornaven<\/td>tornaren<\/td>tornaran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      The reflexive form of tornar<\/em>, tornar-se<\/em>, means ‘to turn’ or ‘to become’. Tornar<\/em> comes from the Old Catalan tornar<\/em>, which is derived from the Latin torn\u0101re<\/em>, meaning ‘I turn, I round off’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      20. con\u00e8ixer – to know<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      person<\/strong><\/td>present<\/strong><\/td>imperfect<\/strong><\/td>preterite<\/strong><\/td>future<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      jo<\/td>conec<\/td>coneixia<\/td>conegu\u00ed<\/td>coneixer\u00e9<\/td><\/tr>
      tu<\/td>coneixes<\/td>coneixies<\/td>conegueres<\/td>coneixer\u00e0s<\/td><\/tr>
      ell, ella, vost\u00e8<\/td>coneix<\/td>coneixia<\/td>conegu\u00e9<\/td>coneixer\u00e0<\/td><\/tr>
      nosaltres<\/td>coneixem<\/td>coneix\u00edem<\/td>conegu\u00e9rem<\/td>coneixerem<\/td><\/tr>
      vosaltres<\/td>coneixeu<\/td>coneix\u00edeu<\/td>conegu\u00e9reu<\/td>coneixereu<\/td><\/tr>
      ells, elles, vost\u00e8s<\/td>coneixen<\/td>coneixien<\/td>conegueren<\/td>coneixeran<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Con\u00e8ixer<\/em>‘s meaning of ‘to know’ refers to knowing a person or place, getting to know somebody, or recognising something. ‘To know’ a fact is the verb saber<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The phrase donar a con\u00e8ixer<\/em> combines two of the verbs on our list and means ‘to make known’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      What’s next?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Now you’ve learnt more about the 20 most common Catalan verbs, it’s time to use them! Put them into practice in your next conversation, or why not use the uTalk app and see which of these verbs crop up in the sentences on there?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      You can learn Catalan with uTalk for less. Get 40% off your next subscription and level up your language learning by playing games,<\/a> scoring points, and having fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Happy language learning!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      If you’ve already started learning Catalan, then you’ll know a few verbs already. They’re an important building block and often a tricky part of grammar because in many languages, verbs change to reflect tense and who is speaking or being spoken about. In this post, you’ll learn about the 20 most common verbs in Catalan, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":9427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1915],"tags":[1916,330],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9219"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9219"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9429,"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9219\/revisions\/9429"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}