Clitic Climbing with Periphrases
In many verbal periphrases, a pronoun cluster can stand before the finite verb or after the infinitive.
How It Works
Ho vull fer and vull fer-ho express the same object relation. The object belongs to fer, but the close verbal construction permits the pronoun to appear before vull. This movement is commonly called clitic climbing.
In an editing pass, test both licensed positions while keeping the intended object attached to the same lexical verb. Els hem de revisar and hem de revisar-los both refer to the documents being reviewed. The auxiliary still supplies person and tense. Do not create an extra object on the auxiliary or leave half a cluster behind. Infinitive attachment is a useful way to see which verb governs the pronouns.
Examples (3)
- Els hem de revisar avui.
We must review them today.
- Hem de revisar-los avui.
We must review them today.
- Li ho podem explicar.
We can explain it to her.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Move a complete pronoun group only within a construction that permits climbing.
Related Patterns
Practice Clitic Climbing with Periphrases in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Catalan lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
