El transportí i l'abeurador són al cotxe.

Because abeurador starts with a vowel sound. In Catalan, the singular definite articles el and la usually apostrophize before a vowel or silent h:

• el + abeurador → l'abeurador
• la + aula → l'aula

So l'abeurador simply means the water bowl / the drinking container.

Because the subject is plural.

The subject is:

• El transportí
• i
• l'abeurador

Two singular nouns joined by i make a plural subject, so the verb must also be plural:

• és = is
• són = are

So:

• El transportí és al cotxe = The carrier is in the car.
• El transportí i l'abeurador són al cotxe = The carrier and the water container are in the car.

This is a very common learner question because English just uses to be.

In Catalan, both ser and estar can be used for location, but ser is very normal in simple statements of where something is. So són al cotxe is perfectly natural.

Very roughly:

• ser can give a neutral statement of location
• estar can sometimes emphasize the resulting position, situation, or temporary state

So són al cotxe means a simple they are in the car.

In everyday speech, some speakers might also say estan al cotxe, but són al cotxe is completely correct.

Al is a contraction of a + el.

• a = to, at, in
• el = the
• a + el → al

So:

• al cotxe = in the car / at the car

This kind of contraction is very common in Catalan:

• al = a + el
• del = de + el
• als = a + els

Catalan often uses a where English uses in.

So al cotxe is the normal way to say in the car in many contexts.

If you want to be extra explicit about being physically inside, you can also say:

• dins del cotxe = inside the car

But al cotxe is very natural and idiomatic.

Transportí usually means a pet carrier, pet crate, or small carrier used to transport an animal.

It is not a general word for any kind of transport. In this context, it most likely refers to the box or carrier used for a cat, dog, or another small animal.

Abeurador is something animals drink from.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• a water bowl
• a drinking container
• a water dispenser
• a trough or drinker for animals

In a sentence like this one, it most likely means the animal’s water bowl or water dispenser.

The accent mark shows where the stress goes.

Transportí is stressed on the last syllable:

• trans-por-TÍ

Without the accent, Catalan spelling rules would suggest a different stress pattern.

So the written accent helps you pronounce the word correctly.

Because Catalan often uses definite articles more regularly than English does.

Here, the sentence is talking about specific items:

• the carrier
• the water container

That is why each noun has its own article:

• El transportí
• l'abeurador

This is completely normal in Catalan.

Cotxe is pronounced approximately like KOT-cheh.

A few helpful points:

• co- sounds like ko
• tx sounds like English ch
• the final e is a light vowel, depending on the accent of Catalan

So a simple learner-friendly pronunciation is:

• KOT-cheh

It means car.