by Max Wheeler
16.5.10 PAST SUBJUNCTIVE
16.5.10.1 Synthetic past subjunctive
The synthetic past subjunctive is always based on the same stem as (the plural of) the preterite. There are two basic models, with some variation in detail between the dialects. One model uses forms with –ss- in the suffix; the other uses –r-. The –r- model is exclusively Valencian; written Valencian also makes substantial use of the most traditional form of the –ss- past subjunctive, which avoids –i- in the unstressed final syllable, namely, for example (2sg.) -asses, -esses, -isses. These traditional forms are also used in Balearic, alongside the forms listed below. In the General variety and in NW the endings for Conjugations I and II are the same. In other varieties the thematic conjugation vowels occur before –ss- or -r-.
Conjugation I posar
General Balearic NW and literary Val. Val. (literary) Val. -r-
1sg. posés posàs posés posàs posara
2sg. posessis posassis posesses posasses posares
3sg. posés posàs posés posàs posara
1pl. poséssim posàssim poséssem posàssem posàrem
2pl poséssiu posàssiu posésseu posàsseu posàreu
3pl posessin posassin posessen posassen posaren
Conjugation II perdre
General/Balearic NW and literary Val. Val. -r-
1sg. perdés perdés perderà
2sg. perdessis perdesses perderes
3sg. perdés perdés perdera
1pl. perdéssim perdéssem perdérem
2pl. perdéssiu perdésseu perdéreu
3pl. perdessin perdessen perderen
Conjugation III patir
General/Balearic Valencian (literary) Valencian -r-
1sg· patís patís patira
2sg. patissis patisses patires
3sg. patís patís patira
1pl. patíssim patíssem patírem
2pl. patíssiu patísseu patíreu
3pl. patissin patissen patiren
16.5.10.2 Past perfective subjunctive
Although the past subjunctive (16.5.10.1) may be used for both perfective and imperfective aspect (corresponding to both the preterite and the imperfect indicative), there is a distinct, analytic past perfective subjunctive, constructed on the basis of subjunctive forms of the auxiliary va-, followed by the infinitive of the verb in question, which is used in certain constructions (19.2.4iii-iv). The auxiliary has the following forms:
General NW and Valencian
1sg. vagi vaja
2sg. vagis vages
3sg. vagi vaja
1pl. vàgim vàgem
2pl. vàgiu vàgeu
3pl. vagin vagen
Note that the forms of the 1pl and 2pl of the auxiliary are stressed on the stem, a pattern not found elsewhere in present-type paradigms in words of more than one syllable, except in the perfect auxiliary haver. Thus the past perfective subjunctive of posar: vagi posar, etc.; of perdre: vagi perdre, etc.; of patir: vagi patir, etc.
16.5.11 Imperative
There are few distinct imperative forms. The regular pattern, demonstrating syncretism (16.3), is:
2sg. imperative = 3sg. present indicative
2pl. imperative = 2pl. present indicative
other persons: imperative = present subjunctive
In most cases, the 1pl. imperative = 1pl. present subjunctive is also the same form as the 1pl. present indicative: cantem ‘we sing’/‘that we sing’/‘let us sing’, agraïm ‘we thank’/‘that we thank’/’let us thank’, etc. For this reason, and also because the 2pl imperative has the same form as the 2pi indicative, it is quite common, even in those verbs where 1pl. present subjunctive is not = 1pl. present indicative, to use in the 1pl. imperative the form of the 1pl indicative. J. Ruaix has recommended that this usage be regarded as standard, thus concloem ‘let us conclude’ (for concloguem), mengem i bevem ‘let us eat and drink’ (for beguem), entenem-nos ‘let us understand each other’, ‘let us be clear’ (for entenguem-nos), seiem־hi a contemplar ‘let us sit down and look’ (for seguem-hi).
Dialect variants of present indicative and present subjunctive carry over to the corresponding forms of the imperative (whence it is clear that the syncretism is not just fortuitous).
Thus:
from posar: 2sg posa, 3sg posi/pose, 1pl. posem, 2pl. poseu/posau, 3pl. posin/posen;
from perdre: perd, perdi/perda, perdem/perdiguem, perdeu, perdin/perden;
from patir: pateix/patix, pateixi/patesqui/patesca/patisca, patim/patiguem, patiu, pateixin/patesquin/patesquen/patisquen;
from dormir: dorm, dormi/dorma, dormim/dormiguem, dormiu, dormin/dormen.
In negative constructions the present subjunctive is used in all persons: no posis, no pateixis, no vingueu, etc. (See Chapter 28.)
The 2sg. imperative of most Conjugation II and III verbs ends in a consonant. In the spoken language (and informal written), alternative forms are used when such an imperative is followed by a clitic pronoun. These alternative forms resemble the 3pl. present indicative without the final -n. (For IIIa verbs spoken Balearic uses the stem with -i instead of the stem with -eix.) The clitic pronoun then assumes its postvocalic form.
Written Spoken
mor-te more’t cf. 3pl. present indicative moren
fuig-hi fuge-hi cf. 3pl. present indicative fugen
rep-ho rebe-ho cf. 3pl. present indicative reben
venç-la vence-la cf. 3pl. present indicative vencen
cull-les culle-les cf. 3pl. present indicative Cullen
plany-me planye’m cf. 3pl. present indicative planyen
vesteix-te vesteixe’t (Bal. vesti’t) cf. 3pl. present indicative vesteixen
A few verbs have irregular imperative forms in both the 2sg. and the 2pl.. One pattern repeated in several verbs is the use of forms identical to the old (= current Valencian and NW) present subjunctive. Thus:
dir: 2sg. digues, 2pl.. digueu (Bal. digau)
estar: 2sg. estigues, 2pl.. estigueu (Bal. estigau); for estar, Balearic and Valencian also use regular forms: Bal. està, estau, and Val. està, esteu.
poder: 2sg pugues, 2pl.. pugueu
saber: 2sg. sàpigues, 2pl. sapigueu (Bal. sapigau) (Val. sàpies, sapieu)
ser: 2sg sigues, 2pl.. sigueu (Bal. sigau, siau)
tenir: 2sg. tingues, 2pl.. tingueu (alongside regular and other forms)
veure: 2sg. veges, 2pl.. vegeu (alongside regular and other forms)
voler: 2sg. vulgues, 2pl.. vulgueu
Riure has such an irregular imperative in 2pl.. only (rigueu (but Bal. reis = 2pl.. present indicative), 2sg. riu).
In the spoken language, and in informal writing, the -s of these 2sg. forms is omitted before a suffixed clitic pronoun, which then adopts its postvocalic form, for example:
Formal Informal
digues-li digue-li
estigues-te estigue’t
sigues-nos sigue’ns
The remaining irregular forms are (with 2pl.. as above, or regular = 2pl.. present indicative):
anar: 2sg. vés
fer: 2sg. fes (Bal. fé)
dir: Val. 2sg. dis
dur: Val. 2sg. dus (informal, as well as expected duu/du)
morir: Val. 2sg. muir (as well as expected mor)
prevenir: 2sg. prevén (Val. also prevín, and likewise for avenir, desavenir, intervenir and reconvenir); other compounds of venir use 2sg. -vén, 2pl.. -veniu, even in Valencian
tenir: 2sg. ten (Val. tin), also reg. té (= 3sg. present indicative) as well as tingues (see above). Compounds of tenir use 2sg. -tén (Val. -tín) or -tingues, 2pl.. -teniu or –tingueu
venir: 2sg. vine
veure: 2sg. ves (as well as expected 2sg. veu, 2pl.. veieu, and the forms mentioned above)
16.5.12 PERFECT (ANTERIOR)
The periphrastic perfect forms are also referred to as compound tenses; see 17.2. Perfect is expressed by a form of the auxiliary verb haver (esser with certain verbs in Balearic and N. Catalan) followed by the participle of the verb in quest
ion. Perfect combines with all the other finite and non-finite verb categories except imperative (i.e. there is no *haveu posat!).
The forms of the auxiliary haver are:
Infinitive: haver, thus haver posat ‘to have put’, haver perdut, haver dormit
Gerund: havent, thus havent posat ‘having put’, havent perdut, havent dormit
Participle: hagut
Present indicative:
1sg. he (Note that in the construction haver de + infinitive ’have to‘, the form haig is also used)
2sg. has
3sg. ha
1pl.. hem (also havem)
2pl.. heu (also haveu)
3pl. Han
thus: he posat ‘I have put’, he perdut, he dormit, etc.
Imperfect:
1sg. havia
2sg. havies
3sg. havia
1pl. havíem
2pl.. havíeu
3pl. havien
thus: havia posat ‘I had put’, havia perdut, havia dormit, etc.
Preterite:
1sg. haguí or vaig haver
2sg. hagueres or vas/vares haver
3sg. hagué or va haver
1pl.. haguérem or vam/vàrem haver
2pl.. haguéreu or vau/vàreu haver
3pl. hagueren or van/varen haver
thus: hagui posat or vaig haver posat ‘I had put’, haguí perdut or vaig haver perdut, haguí dormit or vaig haver dormit, etc.
Future:
1sg. hauré
2sg. hauràs
3sg. haurà
1pl.. haurem
2pl.. haureu
3pl hauran
thus: hauré posat ‘I will have put’, hauré perdut, hauré dormit, etc.
Conditional:
1sg. hauria or haguera
2sg. hauries or hagueres
3sg. hauria or haguera
1pl.. hauríem or haguérem
2pl.. hauríeu or haguéreu
3pl. haurien or hagueren
thus: hauria posat ‘I would have put’, hauria perdut, hauria dormit, etc.
Present subjunctive:
General NW and Valencian
1sg. hagi haja
2sg. hagis hages
3sg. hagi haja
1pl.. hàgim hàgem
2pl.. hàgiu hàgeu
3pl. hagin hagen
thus: hagi/haja posat, hagi/haja perdut, hagi/haja dormit, etc.
Past subjunctive:
General NW and Valencian Valencian
1sg. hagués hagués haguera
2sg. haguessis haguesses hagueres
3sg. hagués hagués haguera
1pl.. haguéssim haguéssem haguérem
2pl.. haguéssiu haguésseu haguéreu
3pl. haguessin haguessen hagueren
thus: hagués/haguera posat, hagués/haguera perdut, hagués/haguera dormit, etc.
Past perfective subjunctive:
General NW and Valencian
1sg· vagi haver vaja haver
2sg. vagis haver vages haver
3sg. vagi haver vaja haver
1pl.. vàgim haver vàgem haver
2pl.. vàgiu haver vàgeu haver
3pl vagin haver vagen haver
thus: vagi/vaja haver posat, vagi/vaja haver perdut, vagi/vaja haver dormit, etc.
As mentioned above, in Balearic, the perfect/anterior of certain verbs may be formed with the auxiliary esser ‘be’. In this respect, Balearic usage is quite similar to that found in French or Italian. The verbs involved are:
(i) pronominal and reflexive verbs, e.g. se són retirats/se són retirades ‘they have withdrawn’, me som sorprès/me som sorpresa ‘I have surprised myself’;
(ii) anar, tornar, venir, esser, estar, néixer, quedar, romandre, and other verbs similar in sense, thus som anat/anada ‘I have gone’, ets vengut/venguda ‘you have come’, érem estats/estades ‘we had been’, etc.
When the perfect is constructed with esser, the participle always agrees in number and gender with the subject.
16.6 IRREGULAR VERBS (STEM ALTERNATION)
Apart from relatively few irregularities in inflectional endings, which have been detailed in 16.5, irregularity in Catalan verbs consists in stem variation. Most irregular verbs have two or three stems, which are distributed across the various inflectional categories in comparable ways. In what follows we draw attention specifically to the system or pattern in the irregularities. Most Catalan dictionaries and grammars provide tables or lists of forms for irregular as well as regular verbs. Irregular verbs of Conjugation II are treated in 16.6.1; those of Conjugation III are treated in 16.6.2. In 16.6.3 we deal with those few irregular verbs which are of mixed conjugation, namely, anar, eixir, escriure, estar, tenir, venir, and viure.
16.6.1 IRREGULAR VERBS OF CONJUGATION II
The majority of Conjugation II verbs are irregular. Those that are regular, with no stem variation, are as follows:
Regular verbs of Conjugation II
(i) Most stems ending in a labial stop: -b-: rebre, concebre, decebre, percebre (but cabre/caber and saber are irregular); -p-: rompre; -m-: fúmer, prémer, témer, trémer.
(ii) Most stems ending in a dental/alveolar obstruent: -d-: perdre (but poder is irregular); -t-: batre, botre, fotre, retre (though compounds of -metre have an irregular participle); tòrcer, vèncer (but ser/ésser/esser is highly irregular).
(iii) Some stems in -ny- are regular in the General variety but may be irregular elsewhere: fènyer, pertànyer, plànyer.
(iv) The rare verb cerndre may be regular or irregular.
The most general pattern of irregularity in Conjugation II, found in two-stem verbs like doldre, is for the stems to be distributed on the following pattern:
stem 1 (dol-):
infinitive: doldre
(+ future, conditional): doldré, doldria, etc.
imperfect: dolia, etc.
present indicative (except 1sg.): 2sg. dols, 3sg. dol, etc.
gerund: dolent
stem 2 (dolg-):
1sg. present indicative: dolc
present subjunctive: dolgui (or dolga), etc.
past subjunctive: dolgués (or dolguera), etc.
preterite (synthetic): dolguí, etc.
participle: dolgut
Verbs with more than two stems use the third stem for a subset of either set 1 or set 2 above; for example, they may have another stem for the irregular (strong) participle. Thus encendre has participle encès, otherwise stem 1 encen-, stem 2 enceng-; or beure, which has stem 1 bev-, stem 2 beg-, and in addition stem 1B beu- in the infinitive/future stem, and the 2–3sg. and 3pl present indicative; thus with stem 1, imperfect bevia, etc., present indicative 1pl. bevem, present indicative 2pl. beveu, gerund bevent; with stem 1B, infinitive beure, future beuré, etc., conditional beuria, etc. Very few verbs have more than three stems, making further sub-divisions. The pattern of distribution of variant verb stems can be illustrated by the following diagram:
Figure 16.1 Diagram of possible variation of verb stems
If a verb carries a specification for a morphological category, this overrides any specification below for that category on the path back to verb stem (1). Thus, if a verb has just a stem 2 as well as a stem 1, stem 2 is used in the Isg. present indicative, the present subjunctive, the preterite, the past subjunctive, and the participle, and stem 1 elsewhere. If it has stem 2B as well as a stem 2 (e.g. poder), stem 2B (pug-) is used in the present subjunctive, in the Isg. present indicative and in the irregular imperative, stem 2 (pog-) in the preterite, the past subjunctive and the participle, and stem 1 (pod-) elsewhere. (From this perspective, a regular verb is, of course, one which has no stem specification more specific than verb stem 1.)
The main branches in the diagram are not entirely independent; thus no verb (except anar) has a stem 1B without also having a stem 2.
There are five verbs: néixer, péixer, heure, jeure, and treure, which in the eastern dialect group alternate the vowel in the stem (in addition to other irreg
ularities). The vowel -e- appears when the stem is stressed, the vowel -a- otherwise. In western varieties -a- appears throughout the paradigm except the (irregular) imperfect of jaure (jeia, etc.) and traure (treia, etc.), the western infinitives being nàixer, pàixer, haure, jaure, and traure.
Conjugation II irregular verbs
Conjugation II irregular verbs are arranged below in alphabetical order of the infinitive.
absoldre (likewise resoldre, dissoldre)
strong participle: absolt, absolta, etc.
otherwise like doldre: stem 1: absol, stem 2: absolg-
admetre
strong participle: admès, admesa, etc.
otherwise: regular
atendre
strong participle: atès, atesa, etc.
stem 1: aten-
infinitive: atendre
future: atendré, etc., conditional: atendria, etc.
present indicative: 2sg.-3pl. atens, atèn, atenem, ateneu, atenen
imperfect: atenia, etc.
gerund: atenent
stem 2: ateng-
1sg. present indicative: atenc
present subjunctive: atengui, atenguis, atengui, atenguem, atengueu, atenguin; Val./NW atenga, atengues, atenga, atenguem, atengueu, atenguen
preterite: atenguí, etc.
past subjunctive: atengués, etc.; Val. atenguera, etc.
atènyer
strong participle: atès, atesa, etc.
otherwise regular
beure
stem 1 : bev-
present indicative: 1pl. bevem, 2pl. beveu
imperfect: bevia, etc.
gerund: bevent
stem 1B: beu-
infinitive: beure
future: beuré, etc.; conditional: beuria, etc.
present indicative: 2sg. beus, 3sg. beu, 3pl beuen
