Must, can, is worth: cal, haver de, poder, val la pena
Cal + infinitive is the impersonal "one must": cal pagar abans de sortir — one must pay before leaving. Cal names no person; the next word does. For example: “Cal reservar taula el divendres” — The table must be booked on Friday. A rule from the Catalan course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Cal + infinitive is the impersonal "one must": cal pagar abans de sortir — one must pay before leaving. Cal names no person; the next word does.
Haver de + infinitive is a duty with a person: He de trucar — I must call. Has de venir — you must come.
Poder + infinitive is "can": puc entrar? — may I come in?
Val la pena + infinitive is "it is worth it": Val la pena veure aquesta pel·lícula. Word for word, "it is worth the good price".
Table
| frame | example | literally |
|---|---|---|
| cal + infinitive | cal pagar | one must pay (no person) |
| haver de + infinitive | he de sortir | I have to leave |
| poder + infinitive | puc entrar | I can enter |
| val la pena + infinitive | val la pena veure | it is worth seeing |
By example
- Cal reservar taula el divendresThe table must be booked on Friday
- He de trucar a la mare aquesta tardaI must call my mother tonight
- Val la pena veure aquesta pel·lículaThis film is worth watching
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Must, can, is worth: how does it work in Catalan?
Cal + infinitive is the impersonal "one must": cal pagar abans de sortir — one must pay before leaving. Cal names no person; the next word does.
What does it look like in an example sentence Catalan?
“Cal reservar taula el divendres” — The table must be booked on Friday. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.