Relative clauses: el lloc on…, el dia que…
A description of a noun is attached with a linking word. The general case — que: el llibre que llegeixo — the book I read. To a place — on: el lloc on vam conèixer-nos — the place where we met. For example: “El lloc on vam conèixer-nos ja no existeix” — The place where we met no longer exists. A rule from the Catalan course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A description of a noun is attached with a linking word. The general case — que: el llibre que llegeixo — the book I read. To a place — on: el lloc on vam conèixer-nos — the place where we met.
To a time — que or the sturdier en què: el dia que va arribar, l'any en què va néixer — the day he arrived; the year he was born. To the owner in speech again "que": la noia que el seu pare és metge.
The link stands right behind its word: to break the pair "el lloc — on" is to lose the listener. A comma before the link is set only when the detail is optional.
Table
| link | attaches to | example |
|---|---|---|
| que | a thing or a person | el llibre que llegeixo |
| on | a place | el lloc on vam conèixer-nos |
| que / en què | a time | el dia que va arribar |
By example
- El lloc on vam conèixer-nos ja no existeixThe place where we met no longer exists
- El dia que va arribar pluliaOn the day he arrived it was raining
- La pel·lícula que vam veure era en catalàThe film we watched was in Catalan
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
Relative clauses: how does it work in Catalan?
A description of a noun is attached with a linking word. The general case — que: el llibre que llegeixo — the book I read. To a place — on: el lloc on vam conèixer-nos — the place where we met.
What does it look like in an example sentence Catalan?
“El lloc on vam conèixer-nos ja no existeix” — The place where we met no longer exists. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.