La corretja és al costat del collar.

Because Catalan nouns have grammatical gender.

• corretja is feminine singular, so it takes la
• collar is masculine singular, so it takes el

So:

• la corretja = the strap / leash
• el collar = the collar

This gender is something you usually have to learn with each noun.

Corretja is a noun that can mean strap, leash, or belt-like strip, depending on context.

In this sentence, it most naturally means something like a strap or leash associated with a collar.

So it is a fairly practical object word, not an abstract one.

Al costat de is a very common Catalan expression meaning:

• next to
• beside
• at the side of

It works as a fixed phrase, so it is best to learn it as a unit:

• al costat de la porta = next to the door
• al costat del collar = next to the collar

Even though you can analyze the pieces, learners usually benefit from memorizing al costat de as one location expression.

Because in Catalan, a + el contracts to al.

So:

• a + el costat → al costat

This is very normal and required in standard Catalan.

A similar contraction appears later in the sentence:

• de + el collar → del collar

So both al and del are contractions.

Del means of the and is the contraction of:

• de + el = del

So:

• del collar = of the collar

In the full phrase al costat del collar, the literal structure is something like at the side of the collar, which English expresses more naturally as next to the collar.

This is a very common question for English speakers, especially if they also know Spanish.

In Catalan, ser is often used where Spanish would prefer estar, especially for simple location statements.

So La corretja és al costat del collar is a normal way to say that the strap/leash is next to the collar.

A useful learner rule is:

• for straightforward identification or location, Catalan often uses ser
• estar is more often used for states, conditions, or resulting positions

So és here is not strange at all — it is the expected choice.

The accent in és shows that the word is stressed and also helps distinguish it from es, which is a different word.

Here:

• és = is (from ser)

So the accent matters and should be written.

This is very common in Catalan: accents are part of correct spelling and often help distinguish meanings.

No — this is a very normal, neutral word order in Catalan:

• La corretja = subject
• és = verb
• al costat del collar = location phrase

So the structure is basically:

subject + verb + place/location

Catalan word order can be flexible, but this sentence uses the most straightforward pattern.

Yes. Collar in Catalan can refer to:

• a collar for an animal
• a necklace, depending on context

So context decides the meaning.

In this sentence, if the meaning shown to the learner is something physical related to a strap/leash, collar will most likely be understood as an animal’s collar.

A few helpful pronunciation points:

• corretja contains tj, which sounds like the j in judge
• collar contains ll, which in many varieties sounds like a ly sound, though pronunciation varies by dialect
• és has a clear stressed vowel because of the accent

A rough learner-friendly guide could be:

• corretja ≈ ko-RE-juh
• collar ≈ ko-LYAR or similar, depending on dialect

The exact pronunciation changes somewhat across Catalan-speaking regions, but those sound cues will help you get close.

In standard Catalan, no — the normal expression is al costat de.

That is the form you should learn and use.

So:

• correct: al costat de
• not standard here: a costat de

It is best to treat al costat de as a fixed location phrase meaning next to / beside.