òm

The Pronoun Òm

Level 5

Òm means one or people in general, and the verb stays in the third person singular.

How It Works

OccitanEnglish
Òm ditz que fa fred.They say it is cold.
Òm pòt pas tot saber.You cannot know everything.
Aquí, òm parla occitan.Here, people speak Occitan.

There is no plural of òm. Even when many people are meant, the verb is singular: Òm ditz, never òm dison. In English you would pick one, you, they or people, depending on the sentence.

Òm and impersonal se often say the same thing. Aquí se parla occitan and Aquí òm parla occitan both mean that Occitan is spoken here. Òm is the subject and takes the same verb forms as el.

Òm can open a clause as well as a sentence: Quand òm es fatigat, cal dormir. (When you are tired, you have to sleep.) The corpus also repeats it in one sentence, to keep the same general subject.

Examples (5)

  1. Òm ditz que lo temps càmbia.

    They say the weather is changing.

    Òm ditz: a singular verb.

  2. Aquí, òm parla occitan.

    Here, people speak Occitan.

    Òm parla: the third person singular.

  3. Òm pòt pas tot saber.

    You cannot know everything.

    Òm pòt: pas follows the verb.

  4. Quand òm es fatigat, cal dormir.

    When you are tired, you have to sleep.

    Òm es: the verb is singular again.

  5. Òm se lèva d'ora, aicí.

    People get up early here.

    Òm se lèva: a reflexive verb in the third person singular.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a plural verb with òm

    Òm dison que fa fred.
    Òm ditz que fa fred.

    Òm is singular, so the verb is ditz. Dison goes with eles.

  • Writing òme for the pronoun

    Òme ditz que fa fred.
    Òm ditz que fa fred.

    Òme means a man. The pronoun is òm, with no final e.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

òmLevel 5The Pronoun Òm

Learn This First

Òm is another way of saying one, so impersonal se comes first.

Words in This Pattern

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