Poso la sorra per a gats al sorral.

Poso is the first-person singular present of posar, which means to put or to place.

So:

• posar = to put
• poso = I put / I’m putting

In Catalan, the present tense can often cover both English I put and I am putting, depending on context.

Catalan usually drops subject pronouns when they are not needed, because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• Poso = I put
• Jo poso = I put, but with extra emphasis on I

So the sentence without jo is completely normal and natural.

Catalan often uses the definite article where English might not.

Here, la sorra per a gats means the cat litter or more literally the sand for cats. The article la sounds natural because it refers to the specific litter being handled.

English often says just cat litter, but Catalan commonly uses the article in this kind of sentence.

Literally, it means sand for cats.

In normal English, that is cat litter. Catalan often builds this kind of idea with:

• sorra = sand
• per a gats = for cats

So the phrase is very transparent once you break it down.

Because per a shows purpose or intended use: this is sand/litter for cats.

• per a gats = for cats
• de gats would sound more like of cats or belonging to cats, which is not the intended meaning here

So sorra per a gats is the natural way to express cat litter.

Also, in everyday speech, some speakers may say per gats, but per a gats is a standard and clear form.

Because gats is being used generically here, meaning cats in general.

• per a gats = for cats
• per als gats = for the cats

So if you mean cat litter as a product intended for cats in general, per a gats makes sense. If you were talking about some specific cats already mentioned, then per als gats would be more likely.

Al is the contraction of a + el.

• a = to / at / in, depending on context
• el = the
• al = to the / in the / at the

So:

• al sorral = to the sorral or, more naturally in English here, in the litter box / sandbox

Catalan uses this contraction automatically before a masculine singular noun with el.

They are related, but they do not mean the same thing:

• sorra = sand or litter
• sorral = a place/container/area with sand, such as a sandbox, sandpit, or in context a litter tray/box

So in the sentence:

• la sorra is the material
• el sorral is the place where that material goes

Because Catalan often uses a after verbs of placement like posar to mark the destination.

So although a is often introduced as meaning to, in sentences like this it can correspond to English:

• in
• into
• sometimes on, depending on the noun

Here, natural English would be something like I put the cat litter in the litter box. So you should not translate a too mechanically word-for-word.

This is a very normal Catalan order:

• Poso = verb
• la sorra per a gats = direct object
• al sorral = place/destination

So the structure is basically:

I put + the cat litter + in the litter box

That is the most neutral order here. You could change the order in some contexts, but this version is the straightforward, unmarked one.