Verbs of motion and direction: conduir, arribar a, cap a, fins a
Motion in Catalan has three masters. conduir — to drive a car: irregular, conduixo, condueixes, condueix — the stress runs about: "Condueixes molt bé" — you drive very well. arribar — to arrive at a place, with the preposition a: "Arribem a casa abans de les nou". marxar — to leave, goes with de: "Marxo de la feina a les sis". For example: “Conduim cap a la muntanya tota la vesprada” — We drive toward the mountains…
How it works
Motion in Catalan has three masters. conduir — to drive a car: irregular, conduixo, condueixes, condueix — the stress runs about: "Condueixes molt bé" — you drive very well. arribar — to arrive at a place, with the preposition a: "Arribem a casa abans de les nou". marxar — to leave, goes with de: "Marxo de la feina a les sis".
The direction is carried by two prepositions, and the difference is heard at once. cap a — "toward": a direction without a necessary arrival — "Anem cap a la muntanya" — we are heading toward the mountains (where exactly — unknown). fins a — "as far as": motion reaching its limit — "El camí baixa fins al riu" — the path descends to the very river. Cap points with its nose, fins brings to the goal. The apostrophe works by the article's rules: "fins a l'estació", "cap a l'est".
Table
| construction | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| cap a | toward, in the direction of | Anem cap a la muntanya |
| fins a | as far as, reaching | baixa fins al riu |
| arribar a / marxar de | to arrive at / to leave | arribo a casa, marxo d'Alacant |
By example
- Conduim cap a la muntanya tota la vespradaWe drive toward the mountains all evening
- El bus arriba fins a la platja principalThe bus reaches the main beach
- Marxo de València a les sis i arribo a les huitI leave Valencia at six and arrive at eight
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
Verbs of motion and direction: how does it work in Valencian?
Motion in Catalan has three masters. conduir — to drive a car: irregular, conduixo, condueixes, condueix — the stress runs about: "Condueixes molt bé" — you drive very well. arribar — to arrive at a place, with the preposition a: "Arribem a casa abans de les nou". marxar — to leave, goes with de…
What does it look like in an example sentence Valencian?
“Conduim cap a la muntanya tota la vesprada” — We drive toward the mountains all evening. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.