1. Clitics are probably the most complex category of
word classes in Catalan, since they change their form (allographs) depending on the consonant
environment (i.e. the consonant they are surrounded by). Some clitics may present
up to four different forms, which are usually named as follows:
1) Full
form (I), post-verbal: the consonant is followed by a vowel, like me. This form is used after a
consonant or a diphthong.
2) Reinforced
form (II), pre-verbal: the vowel is followed by a consonant, like em. This form is used post-verbal
before a consonant.
3) Elided
form (III), pre-verbal: it is form I with the vowel elided: m’. This form is used before a
consonant.
4) Reduced
form (IV), post-verbal: it is form II with the vowel elided as well: ‘m. This form is used after a
consonant.
Shown in a different way:
PRE-VERBAL
|
POST-VERBAL
|
VOWEL CONTEXT
|
CONSONANT CONTEXT
|
|
me
|
–
|
+
|
–
|
+
|
em
|
+
|
–
|
–
|
+
|
m’
|
+
|
–
|
+
|
–
|
‘m
|
–
|
+
|
+
|
–
|
2. Accordingly the whole system of Catalan clitics offers
these forms:
FORM
I
|
FORM
II
|
FORM III
|
FORM IV
|
English equivalent
|
me
|
em
|
m'
|
'm
|
me
|
te
|
et
|
t'
|
't
|
you (singular: thee)
|
se
|
es
|
s'
|
's
|
himself, herself
|
lo
|
el
|
l'
|
'l
|
him, it
|
la
|
l'
|
(la)
|
her, it
|
|
los
|
els
|
(los)
|
'ls
|
them (masc.)
|
les
|
them (fem.)
|
|||
ne
|
en
|
n'
|
'n
|
of it
|
ho
|
it
|
|||
li
|
him, her (dative)
|
|||
hi
|
in it, at it, to it
|
|||
nos
|
ens
|
'ns
|
us
|
|
vos
|
us
|
(vos)
|
(us)
|
you (plural)
|
The forms between brackets are used because there is
no reduced or elicited form.
Observe these examples where some of the clitics are
combined:
1) Clitic me:
|
em dius on eres?
|
will you tell me where you were?
|
|
el pa m’agrada molt
|
I like bread very much
|
|
expliqueu-me això
|
explain that to me (plural)
|
|
expliqui’m això
|
explain that to me (formal)
|
2) Clitic el
|
Ara no el veig ací
|
I don’t see him here
|
|
mira’l com camina
|
look (at him) how he walks
|
|
l’he visitat aquest matí
|
I’ve paid him a visit
|
|
porteu-lo al carrer
|
take him to the street
|
3. Post-verbal clitics are to be found after infinitive, gerund and
imperative tenses. Otherwise, Catalan places clitics before the verb, like
Spanish and Italian, but unlike European Portuguese.
|
no sé explicar-ho
|
I can’t explain it
|
|
fent-ho així, no serà fàcil
|
by doing so, it’ll be easy
|
|
compra-ho ara
|
buy it now
|
|
ho sé molt bé
|
I know it quite well
|
In that case, such as it can be seen in
the previous examples, the clitic is joined to the verb by means of a hyphen.
Two post-verbal clitics placed together will require two hyphens:
|
(a) la camisa, renta-te-la
|
as for your shirt, clean it up
|
|
as for the glasses, buy them to me
|
4. Clitics get combined (for example, accusative +
dative). The whole table of clitics combinations according to the four forms is
as follows:
EM
|
ET
|
EL
|
LA
|
HO
|
LI
|
ES
|
HI
|
EN
|
ENS
|
US
|
ELS
|
LES
|
|
EM
|
me l'
me'l
-me'l
-me'l
|
me l'
me la
-me-la
-me-la
|
m'ho
m'ho
-m'ho
-m'ho
|
me li
me li
-me-li
-me-li
|
m'hi
m'hi
-m'hi
-m'hi
|
me n'
me'n
-me'n
-me'n
|
me'ls
me'ls
-me'ls
-me'ls
|
me les
me les
-me-les
-me-les
|
|||||
ET
|
te l'
te'l
-te'l
-te'l
|
te l'
te la
-te-la
-te-la
|
t'ho
t'ho
-t'ho
-t'ho
|
te li
te li
-te-li
-te-li
|
t'hi
t'hi
-t'hi
-t'hi
|
te n'
te'n
-te'n
-te'n
|
te'ns
te'ns
-te'ns
-te'ns
|
te'ls
te'ls
-te'ls
-te'ls
|
te les
te les
-te-les
-te-les
|
||||
EL
|
l'hi
l'hi
-l'hi
-l'hi
|
el n'
l'en
-l'en
-l'en
|
|||||||||||
LA
|
la hi
la hi
-la-hi
-la-hi
|
la n'
la'n
-la'n
-la'n
|
|||||||||||
HO
|
|||||||||||||
LI
|
m'hi
m'hi
-m'hi
-m'hi
|
t'hi
t'hi
-t'hi
-t'hi
|
l'hi
l'hi
-l'hi
-l'hi
|
la hi
la hi
-la-hi
-la-hi
|
li ho
li ho
-li-ho
-li-ho
|
li hi
li hi
-li-hi
-li-hi
|
li n'
li'n
-li'n
-li'n
|
els hi
els hi
'ls-hi
-los-hi
|
les hi
les hi
-les-hi
-les-hi
|
||||
ES
|
se m'
se'm
-se'm
-se'm
|
se t'
se't
-se't
-se't
|
se l'
se'l
-se'l
-se'l
|
se l'
se la
-se-la
-se-la
|
s'ho
s'ho
-s'ho
-s'ho
|
se li
se li
-se-li
-se-li
|
s'hi
s'hi
-s'hi
-s'hi
|
se n'
se'n
-se'n
-se'n
|
se'ns
se'ns
-se'ns
-se'ns
|
se us
se us
-se-us
-se-us
|
se 'ls
se'ls
-se'ls
-se'ls
|
se les
se les
-se-les
-se-les
|
|
HI
|
|||||||||||||
EN
|
n'hi
n'hi
-n'hi
-n'hi
|
||||||||||||
ENS
|
ens l'
ens el
'ns-el
-nos-el
|
ens l'
ens la
'ns-la
-nos-la
|
ens ho
ens ho
'ns-ho
-nos-ho
|
ens li
ens li
'ns-li
-nos-li
|
ens hi
ens hi
'ns-hi
-nos-hi
|
ens n'
ens en
'ns-en
-nos-en
|
ens els
ens els
'ns-els
-nos-els
|
ens les
ens les
'ns-les
-nos-les
|
|||||
US
|
us m'
us em
-us-em
-vos-em
|
us l'
us el
-us-el
-vos-el
|
us la
us la
-us-la
-vos-la
|
us ho
us ho
-us-ho
-vos-ho
|
us li
us li
-us-li
-vos-li
|
us hi
us hi
-us-hi
-vos-hi
|
us n'
us en
-us-en
-vos-en
|
us ens
us ens
-us-ens
-vos-ens
|
us els
us els
-us-els
-vos-els
|
us les
us les
-us-les
-vos-les
|
|||
ELS
|
me'ls
me'ls
-me'ls
-me'ls
|
te'ls
te'ls
-te'ls
-te'ls
|
els l'
els el
'ls-el
-los-el
|
els l'
els la
'ls-la
-los-la
|
els ho
els ho
'ls ho
-los-ho
|
els hi
els hi
'ls-hi
-los-hi
|
els n'
els en
'ls-en
-los-en
|
ens els
ens els
'ns-els
-nos-els
|
us els
us els
-vos-els
-vos-els
|
els els
els els
'ls-els
-los-els
|
els les
els les
'ls-les
-los-les
|
||
LES
|
les hi
les hi
-les-hi
-les-hi
|
les n'
les en
-les-en
-les-en
|
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