Formal Participle Agreement With Object Clitics

Level 6

A participle with haver can agree with a preceding direct-object clitic, especially a feminine one.

How It Works

With haver, the participle does not normally agree with a following object noun: he llegit les cartes. When a direct-object clitic precedes, agreement is maintained in several varieties and in careful registers: les he llegides. The invariant les he llegit is also widespread.

In a consistent careful style, feminine object-clitic agreement can remain visible even with an intervening adverb: les hem revisades atentament. Its licensing comes from the preceding direct-object clitic, not from a noun elsewhere in the paragraph. Keep the invariant participle with an ordinary following full object, as in hem revisat les propostes. Recognize regional and register variation instead of marking every nonagreeing object-clitic perfect as erroneous.

Examples (3)

  1. Les propostes, les hem revisades atentament.

    The proposals, we have reviewed them carefully.

  2. La carta, l'havia escrita abans.

    The letter, she had written it earlier.

  3. Les dades, les he comprovades.

    The data, I have checked them.

How It Connects

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Formal Participle Agreement With Object CliticsLevel 6

Learn This First

Recognize accepted object-clitic participle agreement in careful style.