The past in a biography: he viscut vs vaig viure
Two pasts work side by side in a story about yourself. For example: “Vaig néixer en un poblet i vaig viure allí fins als divuit” — I was born in a village and lived there until I was eighteen. A rule from the Catalan course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Two pasts work side by side in a story about yourself.
The first is he, has, ha plus a form like viscut: experience, and what still goes on. He viscut a Barcelona deu anys — I have lived in Barcelona for ten years.
Its markers are avui, enguany, aquest any: Enguany he canviat de pis — this year I have moved flats.
The second is vaig plus the verb: a closed event with a date. Vaig néixer el 1994 — I was born in 1994. Its markers are ahir, l'any passat, fa deu anys.
Table
| tense | when it is said | example |
|---|---|---|
| he + participle | experience, the period is open | he viscut deu anys |
| vaig + infinitive | an event with a date | vaig néixer el 1994 |
| fa X que + present | long ago and to this day | fa deu anys que visc aquí |
By example
- Vaig néixer en un poblet i vaig viure allí fins als divuitI was born in a village and lived there until I was eighteen
- He viscut a Barcelona deu anys i encara descobreixo carrersI have lived in Barcelona for ten years and am still discovering streets
- Enguany he canviat de pis, però no de barriThis year I have changed flats, but not neighborhoods
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 past in a biography: how does it work in Catalan?
Two pasts work side by side in a story about yourself.
What does it look like in an example sentence Catalan?
“Vaig néixer en un poblet i vaig viure allí fins als divuit” — I was born in a village and lived there until I was eighteen. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.