Language/Catalan/Grammar/Past-tense-conjugation
As a Catalan language teacher with 20 years of experience, I know that learning verb tenses can be challenging. However, understanding how to use the preterite and imperfect past tenses is essential for communicating effectively in Catalan. In this lesson, we will focus on the past tense conjugation of regular verbs and common irregular verbs.
Preterite Tense
The preterite tense, or "pretèrit" in Catalan, is used to talk about finished actions in the past. It is also used to talk about a past action that interrupts an ongoing action. To form the preterite tense of regular verbs, we need to follow these steps:
1. Start with the infinitive verb 2. Remove the ending "-ar," "-er," or "-ir" 3. Add the preterite conjugation ending (-í, -ares, -à, -àrem, -àreu, -aren) depending on the subject pronouns (Jo, Tu, Ell/Ella, Nosaltres, Vosaltres, Els/Elles)
Here's how we conjugate the regular verbs in the preterite tense:
| Catalan | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Parlar | [pərˈɫaɾ] | to speak |
| Jo vaig parlar | [ʒu vəj pərˈɫaɾ] | I spoke |
| Tu vas parlar | [tu βəz pərˈɫaɾ] | You (singular) spoke |
| Ell/ella va parlar | [əʎ/əʎə βə pərˈɫaɾ] | He/she spoke |
| Nosaltres vam parlar | [nuˈsaɫtɾəz βəm pərˈɫaɾ] | We spoke |
| Vosaltres vau parlar | [buˈsaɫtɾəz βəu pərˈɫaɾ] | You (plural) spoke |
| Ells/elles van parlar | [əʎs/əʎəz βəm pərˈɫaɾ] | They spoke |
Note that there are some irregular verbs in the preterite tense, which change their stem or have different endings from regular verbs. Here are some common examples:
| Catalan | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ser | [səɾ] | to be |
| Jo vaig ser | [ʒu vəj səɾ] | I was |
| Tu vas ser | [tu βəz səɾ] | You (singular) were |
| Ell/ella va ser | [əʎ/əʎə βə səɾ] | He/she was |
| Nosaltres vam ser | [nuˈsaɫtɾəz βəm səɾ] | We were |
| Vosaltres vau ser | [buˈsaɫtɾəz βəu səɾ] | You (plural) were |
| Ells/elles van ser | [əʎs/əʎəz βəm səɾ] | They were |
Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense, or "imperfet" in Catalan, is used to talk about past actions that were ongoing or habitual in the past. To form the imperfect tense of regular verbs, we need to follow these steps:
1. Start with the infinitive verb 2. Remove the ending "-ar," "-er," or "-ir" 3. Add the imperfect conjugation ending (-ava, -aves, -ava, -àvem, -àveu, -aven) depending on the subject pronouns (Jo, Tu, Ell/Ella, Nosaltres, Vosaltres, Els/Elles)
Here's how we conjugate the regular verbs in the imperfect tense:
| Catalan | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Parlar | [pərˈɫaɾ] | to speak |
| Jo parlava | [ʒu pəɾˈɫaβə] | I used to speak |
| Tu parlaves | [tu pəɾˈɫaβəs] | You (singular) used to speak |
| Ell/ella parlava | [əʎ/əʎə pəɾˈɫaβə] | He/she used to speak |
| Nosaltres parlàvem | [nusaɫˈtɾəz pəɾˈɫaβəm] | We used to speak |
| Vosaltres parlàveu | [busaɫˈtɾəz pəɾˈɫaβɛw] | You (plural) used to speak |
| Ells/elles parlaven | [əʎs/əʎəz pəɾˈɫaβən] | They used to speak |
Just like in the preterite tense, some verbs are irregular in the imperfect tense. Here are some common examples:
| Catalan | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ser | [səɾ] | to be |
| Jo era | [ʒu ˈɛɾə] | I used to be |
| Tu eres | [tu ˈɛɾəs] | You (singular) used to be |
| Ell/ella era | [əʎ/əʎə ˈɛɾə] | He/she used to be |
| Nosaltres érem | [nuˈsaɫtɾəz ˈɛɾəm] | We used to be |
| Vosaltres éreu | [buˈsaɫtɾəz ˈɛɾew] | You (plural) used to be |
| Ells/elles eren | [əʎs/əʎəz ˈɛɾən] | They used to be |
Common Irregular Verbs
In addition to the irregular verbs mentioned above, Catalan has many common irregular verbs that are frequently used in conversation. Here is a list of some of the most important ones:
- Anar (to go)
- Tenir (to have)
- Fer (to do/make)
- Dir (to say/tell)
- Veure (to see)
- Saber (to know)
- Poder (to be able to)
- Voler (to want)
- Haver (to have, as an auxiliary verb)
It's important to memorize the conjugation of these verbs in both preterite and imperfect tenses to be able to communicate effectively in Catalan.
That's all for this lesson on past tense conjugation in Catalan. Keep practicing and don't be afraid to make mistakes. With time and patience, you'll become more comfortable with the language and its grammar. Join me in the next lesson where we will learn about the different types of pronouns in Catalan.