LingoflyThe imperative in directions: Gireu, Agafi, Seguiu tot recte
Directions in the street and in recipes come in the command form. The verb leads, and the direction follows: giri a l'esquerra, creui el pont. For example: “Gireu a la dreta a l'encreuament i seguiu tot recte” — Turn right at the crossroads and go straight. A rule from the Catalan course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Directions in the street and in recipes come in the command form. The verb leads, and the direction follows: giri a l'esquerra, creui el pont.
To friends — vosaltres: Gireu a la dreta — turn right. Seguiu tot recte — go straight.
To a stranger or a client — the polite vostè: Agafi el carrer Major — take Carrer Major. Segueixi tot recte fins al final.
A ban is again no plus subjuntiu. For vosaltres and vostè the form looks the same as the command: No gireu aquí — do not turn here. No agafi l'autopista — do not take the motorway. But for tu the ban changes the form: Gira! — turn, but No giris! — do not turn.
Table
| to whom | form | example |
|---|---|---|
| tu (a friend) | gira, agafa, segueix | gira a la dreta |
| vosaltres (your own) | gireu, agafeu, seguiu | seguiu tot recte |
| vostè (a stranger) | giri, agafi, segueixi | agafi el carrer Major |
| ban, tu | no + subjuntiu (form changes) | no giris aquí |
| ban, vosaltres/vostè | no + same form | no gireu aquí |
By example
- Turn right at the crossroads and go straight
- Agafi la segona cantonada: el museu és davantTake the second corner: the museum is opposite
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
The imperative in directions: how does it work in Catalan?
Directions in the street and in recipes come in the command form. The verb leads, and the direction follows: giri a l'esquerra, creui el pont.
What does it look like in a Catalan example sentence?
“Gireu a la dreta a l'encreuament i seguiu tot recte” — Turn right at the crossroads and go straight. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.