Time: quan, en quant
Time joins with the conjunction quan — "when". If the action is still ahead (the main clause in the future or a command), Catalan puts the subjuntiu in the clause: Quan arribis, truca — when you arrive, knock. The form "arribis" here is not the present but the subjunctive: the future lives inside it. For example: “Quan arribis, truca a la porta” — When you arrive, knock at the door. A rule from the Catalan course…
How it works
Time joins with the conjunction quan — "when". If the action is still ahead (the main clause in the future or a command), Catalan puts the subjuntiu in the clause: Quan arribis, truca — when you arrive, knock. The form "arribis" here is not the present but the subjunctive: the future lives inside it.
About repeated and past events one speaks in the ordinary indicative: Quan plou, quedo a casa — when it rains, I stay home.
En quant — "as soon as": the bookish variant of the same family; in speech more often "tan bon punt". And the question word "quan?" is written with the accent: Quan arribes?
Table
| situation | form | example |
|---|---|---|
| action ahead | quan + subjuntiu | quan arribis, truca |
| repeat or fact | quan + indicatiu | quan plou, quedo a casa |
| as soon as | en quant | en quant arribis, truca |
By example
- Quan arribis, truca a la portaWhen you arrive, knock at the door
- Quan et recuperis, torna a la feinaWhen you are better, come back to work
- Quan arribi el camió, truquem els mossosWhen the truck arrives, we will call the movers
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
Time: how does it work in Catalan?
Time joins with the conjunction quan — "when". If the action is still ahead (the main clause in the future or a command), Catalan puts the subjuntiu in the clause: Quan arribis, truca — when you arrive, knock. The form "arribis" here is not the present but the subjunctive: the future lives inside…
What does it look like in an example sentence Catalan?
“Quan arribis, truca a la porta” — When you arrive, knock at the door. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.