Reported words: Va dir que aniria, Demana que vinguem
Somebody else's statement is passed on with dir que plus the tense you need. Va dir que aniria al metge — he said he would go to the doctor. For example: “Va dir que aniria al metge l'endemà” — He said he would go to the doctor the next day. A rule from the Catalan course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Somebody else's statement is passed on with dir que plus the tense you need. Va dir que aniria al metge — he said he would go to the doctor.
The tense keeps the sense of the original: a future stays a future — aniria, trucarà.
A request or an order asks for another form: demanar que plus the subjuntiu. That is the form for what has not happened yet. Demana que vinguem a les vuit — he asks us to come at eight.
The same after ordenar que: Ordena que tanquin la botiga. A story takes the ordinary form; a will takes this one.
Table
| type | frame | example |
|---|---|---|
| a story | dir que + ordinary tense | va dir que aniria |
| a request | demanar que + subjuntiu | demana que vinguem |
| an order | ordenar que + subjuntiu | ordena que tanquin |
By example
- Va dir que aniria al metge l'endemàHe said he would go to the doctor the next day
- Demana que vinguem a les vuitHe asks us to come at eight
- Ha dit que no pot venir, però ha promès que trucaràHe said he cannot come, but promised to call
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
Reported words: how does it work in Catalan?
Somebody else's statement is passed on with dir que plus the tense you need. Va dir que aniria al metge — he said he would go to the doctor.
What does it look like in an example sentence Catalan?
“Va dir que aniria al metge l'endemà” — He said he would go to the doctor the next day. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.