The past in a biography: he viscut vs vaig viure
In a biography two past tenses work in tandem. The perfect (he, has, ha + participle) — experience and result, a period not yet closed: He viscut a Barcelona deu anys (i hi visc encara) — I have lived in Barcelona for ten years (and still do); Enguany he canviat de pis — this year I have moved flats. Its markers — avui, enguany, aquest any, fa X que…. For example: “Vaig néixer en un poblet i vaig viure allí fins als…
How it works
In a biography two past tenses work in tandem. The perfect (he, has, ha + participle) — experience and result, a period not yet closed: He viscut a Barcelona deu anys (i hi visc encara) — I have lived in Barcelona for ten years (and still do); Enguany he canviat de pis — this year I have moved flats. Its markers — avui, enguany, aquest any, fa X que….
The indefinite past (vaig + infinitive) — a closed event tied to a moment in the past: Vaig néixer el 1994 — I was born in 1994; L'any passat vaig canviar de feina — last year I changed jobs. Its markers — ahir, l'any passat, el 2010, fa deu anys. In a story about oneself they alternate naturally: dates of birth and childhood — in "vaig", everything stretching to today — in "he".
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?
In a biography two past tenses work in tandem. The perfect (he, has, ha + participle) — experience and result, a period not yet closed: He viscut a Barcelona deu anys (i hi visc encara) — I have lived in Barcelona for ten years (and still do); Enguany he canviat de pis — this year I have moved…
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.