To begin and to finish: posar-se a + inf, acabar de + inf
The beginning of an action — començar a / posar-se a + infinitive: Comença a ploure — it starts to rain, El nen es posa a plorar — the child starts crying. "Posar-se a" sounds more resolute: the person takes it up and begins. For example: “Comença a ploure: tanquem les finestres” — It is starting to rain: we will close the windows. A rule from the Catalan course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The beginning of an action — començar a / posar-se a + infinitive: Comença a ploure — it starts to rain, El nen es posa a plorar — the child starts crying. "Posar-se a" sounds more resolute: the person takes it up and begins.
The end — acabar de + infinitive — "to have just done": Acabo de menjar, ara no puc córrer — I have just eaten, I cannot run now. And "acabar + noun" — simply to finish: Acabem el projecte demà. Two neighboring schemes — different points on the scale of time.
Table
| scheme | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| començar a + inf | to start | comença a ploure |
| posar-se a + inf | to set to (resolutely) | es posa a escriure |
| acabar de + inf | to have just done | acabo de menjar |
By example
- Comença a ploure: tanquem les finestresIt is starting to rain: we will close the windows
- Acabo de menjar, ara no puc córrerI have just eaten, I cannot run now
- A les vuit es posa a escriure i no aixeca el cap fins a mitjanitAt eight he sets to writing and does not raise his head until midnight
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
To begin and to finish: how does it work in Catalan?
The beginning of an action — començar a / posar-se a + infinitive: Comença a ploure — it starts to rain, El nen es posa a plorar — the child starts crying. "Posar-se a" sounds more resolute: the person takes it up and begins.
What does it look like in an example sentence Catalan?
“Comença a ploure: tanquem les finestres” — It is starting to rain: we will close the windows. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.