Reported words: Va dir que aniria, Demana que vinguem
Passing on somebody's statement is simple: dir que + the needed tense — Va dir que aniria al metge — he said he would go to the doctor. The verb tense keeps the sense of the original: the future stays future — aniria, trucarà. 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
Passing on somebody's statement is simple: dir que + the needed tense — Va dir que aniria al metge — he said he would go to the doctor. The verb tense keeps the sense of the original: the future stays future — aniria, trucarà.
Another's request or command demands the subjunctive: demanar que + subjuntiu — Demana que vinguem a les vuit — he asks us to come at eight. The same after "ordenar que" — to order: Ordena que tanquin la botiga. One scheme: a story — the indicative, a will — the subjunctive.
Table
| type | frame | example |
|---|---|---|
| a story | dir que + indicative | 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?
Passing on somebody's statement is simple: dir que + the needed tense — Va dir que aniria al metge — he said he would go to the doctor. The verb tense keeps the sense of the original: the future stays future — aniria, trucarà.
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.