Passive through "es": es repara, es pot canviar
When the doer does not matter, Catalan builds the passive with the particle es + verb in the third person: Ací es reparen rentaplats — dishwashers are repaired here (literally "repair themselves"). Singular — es repara el rentaplats, plural — es reparen rentaplats: the verb agrees with the thing. For example: “Ací es reparen rentaplats i rentadores” — Dishwashers and washing machines are repaired here. A rule from…
How it works
When the doer does not matter, Catalan builds the passive with the particle es + verb in the third person: Ací es reparen rentaplats — dishwashers are repaired here (literally "repair themselves"). Singular — es repara el rentaplats, plural — es reparen rentaplats: the verb agrees with the thing.
With a modal verb the frame widens: es pot / es poden + infinitive — "can be": La peça es pot canviar a casa — the part can be changed at home; Es poden canviar en una hora — they can be changed within an hour. The number is carried by the modal verb, the infinitive stays itself.
All notices and instructions are written this way: No es permet fumar — smoking is not allowed, Es venen peces de recanvi — spare parts are sold. And if the doer is named, the reflexive frame is dropped: they say el tècnic el repara, not "es repara pel tècnic".
Table
| form | number | example |
|---|---|---|
| es repara | sing. | es repara el rentaplats |
| es reparen | plur. | es reparen rentaplats |
| es pot + infinitive | sing. | la peça es pot canviar |
| es poden + infinitive | plur. | es poden canviar en una hora |
| no es permet | ban | no es permet fumar |
By example
- Ací es reparen rentaplats i rentadoresDishwashers and washing machines are repaired here
- La peça es pot canviar a casa, amb el manualThe part can be changed at home, according to the manual
- Es venen peces de recanvi per a tots els modelsSpare parts for all models are sold
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
Passive through "es": how does it work in Valencian?
When the doer does not matter, Catalan builds the passive with the particle es + verb in the third person: Ací es reparen rentaplats — dishwashers are repaired here (literally "repair themselves"). Singular — es repara el rentaplats, plural — es reparen rentaplats: the verb agrees with the thing.
What does it look like in an example sentence Valencian?
“Ací es reparen rentaplats i rentadores” — Dishwashers and washing machines are repaired here. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.