Questions & Answers about 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.