Reflexive Pronoun 'si' — Catalan Grammar

The third-person reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject of the sentence. It can mean himself, herself, itself, themselves, yourself (formal), or each other. It has several forms depending on its position and function.

Weak Pronoun Forms

The most common forms are the weak (unstressed) pronouns, which are attached to the verb. Their form changes based on the verb's starting or ending sound.

Before the verb

Use es before a verb that starts with a consonant.

Ell es dutxa cada dia.
He showers every day.
La botiga es tanca a les vuit.
The shop closes at eight.

Use s' before a verb that starts with a vowel or a silent 'h'.

Ella s'ha llevat d'hora.
She has woken up early.
El nen s'amaga darrere la porta.
The boy hides behind the door.

After the verb

These forms are used with infinitives, gerunds, and positive commands.

Use -se after a verb that ends in a consonant or a diphthong.

Volen casar-se l'any que ve.
They want to get married next year.
Està preparant-se per a l'examen.
He is preparing for the exam.

Use 's after a verb that ends in a vowel.

No volia moure's de la cadira.
He didn't want to move from the chair.
Pot asseure's aquí, si vol.
You (formal) can sit here, if you want.

Reflexive and Reciprocal Meanings

The weak pronoun can indicate that the action of the verb is performed by the subject onto itself (reflexive) or that multiple subjects perform the action on each other (reciprocal).

Reflexive: The subject and object are the same.

En Joan es mira al mirall.
Joan looks at himself in the mirror.
La gata es llepa la pota.
The cat licks its paw.

Reciprocal: The action is mutual between subjects.

Els meus germans no es parlen.
My brothers don't speak to each other.
La Laura i en Marc s'estimen molt.
Laura and Marc love each other very much.

Pronominal Verbs

Some verbs, known as pronominal verbs (), always appear with a reflexive pronoun. Sometimes, adding the pronoun changes the verb's meaning entirely.

No es recorda del meu nom.
He doesn't remember my name. (Compare with recordar, to remind)
Se'n va a les cinc.
He is leaving at five. (From anar-se'n, to leave, versus anar, to go)
S'ha adonat del seu error.
She has realized her mistake.

Impersonal and Passive 'es'

The pronoun is frequently used to make general statements or to form a passive-like construction where the person performing the action is unknown or unimportant.

Impersonal: Used to mean "one", "you", or "people" in general.

A Catalunya es menja molt bé.
In Catalonia, people eat very well.
Com es diu això en català?
How do you say that in Catalan?

Passive: Used to describe what is done to an object, similar to the English passive voice.

Es venen pisos en aquest edifici.
Flats are sold in this building.
Aquí es parlen tres idiomes.
Three languages are spoken here.

The Strong Form: 'si'

The strong (stressed) form is used only after a preposition. It always refers back to the subject of the clause and is often followed by for emphasis.

Només pensa en si mateix.
He only thinks about himself.
La directora ho vol tot per a si mateixa.
The director wants everything for herself.
Van decidir comprar-ho per a si mateixos.
They decided to buy it for themselves.

This is different from using a standard object pronoun. Compare:

Ella parla de si mateixa.
She talks about herself.
Ella parla d'ell.
She talks about him.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Catalan course

15 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 8. A few of them, with the words “Reflexive Pronoun 'si'” is about in bold:

Ets la primera persona que se n'adona!
You are the first person to notice!
Lesson 337
Al juliol, el riu s'escalfa molt.
In July, the river becomes very warm.
Lesson 409

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