El cor és fort.

In Catalan, nouns usually need an article when they are the subject of a sentence.

So el cor is the normal way to say the heart.
Saying cor és fort would sound incomplete or ungrammatical in standard Catalan.

Catalan often uses articles in places where English does too, and sometimes even where English would leave them out.

Cor is masculine singular, which is why it takes el:

• el cor = the heart

Because it is masculine singular, the adjective also appears in the masculine singular form:

• fort = strong

Catalan has two verbs that can both translate as to be:

• ser → used for identity, essential characteristics, general qualities
• estar → used more for temporary states, location, or certain conditions

In El cor és fort, strong is being presented as a general quality or characteristic, so és (from ser) is the natural choice.

Using està here would usually sound less natural unless you were talking about a temporary condition in a very specific context.

És is the 3rd person singular present form of ser:

• jo sóc = I am
• tu ets = you are
• ell/ella és = he/she is

So El cor és fort literally has the structure:

• El cor = the heart
• és = is
• fort = strong

The accent in és helps distinguish it from es, which is a different word in Catalan.

• és = is
• es = a pronoun, often meaning himself/herself/itself, etc., depending on context

So the accent is important both for spelling and for meaning.

In Catalan, adjectives often come after the noun, especially in simple, neutral descriptions.

So:

• el cor fort = the strong heart

And in the full sentence:

• El cor és fort = The heart is strong

Putting the adjective before the noun is sometimes possible, but it usually sounds more literary, emotional, or marked.

Yes. Catalan adjectives usually agree with the noun in gender and number.

For fort:

• fort = masculine singular
• forta = feminine singular
• forts = masculine plural
• fortes = feminine plural

Examples:

• El cor és fort.
• La veu és forta.
• Els cors són forts.

A simple English-friendly approximation is:

el kor ez fort

A few notes:

• cor sounds roughly like core, but shorter
• és sounds like ess
• fort sounds close to fort, but with a clearer t

Pronunciation varies a bit by dialect, so the exact vowel sounds may differ depending on whether the speaker is from Barcelona, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, etc.

Yes. Fort is a very common adjective and can mean:

• physically strong
• powerful
• intense
• loud
• severe

So its exact nuance depends on context.

In El cor és fort, it most naturally means strong in the sense of physical strength or robustness.

Yes, Catalan often drops the subject when it is understood from context.

So És fort can mean It is strong or He/She is strong, depending on context.

But if you want to clearly say the heart is strong, then El cor és fort is the full and clear version.

The normal, neutral order is:

subject + verb + adjective
→ El cor és fort

Catalan can sometimes change word order for emphasis, style, or in conversation, but this version is the standard and most natural one for a simple statement.

Yes. Cor can refer to the literal heart, but it can also be used figuratively, much like in English.

So depending on context, El cor és fort could describe:

• a physically strong heart
• a brave or resilient heart in a more poetic sense

Without extra context, learners should understand it first in the straightforward literal way.