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Learn Hardcore Catalan: El llibre és aquí. - The book is here.

Hardcore Catalan
/Lesson 1
/El llibre és aquí.

El llibre és aquí.

El llibre és aquí.

The book is here.

Breakdown of El llibre és aquí.

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Questions & Answers about El llibre és aquí.

What does each word in El llibre és aquí mean?

El = the (masculine singular)
llibre = book
és = is
aquí = here

So the structure is very close to English: The book is here.

Why is there an el before llibre?

El is the masculine singular definite article, meaning the.

Catalan articles change for gender and number:

el llibre = the book
la casa = the house
els llibres = the books
les cases = the houses

Since llibre is a masculine singular noun, it takes el.

Is llibre masculine just because it uses el?

Yes. In Catalan, the article often shows you the noun’s gender.

el llibre → masculine
la llibreta → feminine

Like in many Romance languages, grammatical gender is part of the noun. It does not mean the object is biologically male; it is just a grammar category.

Why is it és with an accent?

The accent in és serves two purposes:

It shows the stressed vowel.
It distinguishes és (is) from es, which is a different word, often a reflexive pronoun.

So:

és = is
es = oneself / himself / herself / itself, depending on context

The accent is important and should be written.

What verb is és?

És is the 3rd person singular present form of ser (to be).

The present tense of ser is:

jo sóc = I am
tu ets = you are
ell/ella és = he/she is
nosaltres som = we are
vosaltres sou = you are
ells/elles són = they are

Here the subject is el llibre, which is singular, so Catalan uses és.

Why does Catalan use ser here? Shouldn’t location use estar?

This is a very common question.

In Catalan, ser is often used where English says is and where Spanish might prefer estar for location. So El llibre és aquí is perfectly normal Catalan.

Very broadly:

ser is commonly used to identify or locate something
estar is also used in Catalan, but often with different nuances depending on dialect and context

For a beginner, the safest takeaway is:

El llibre és aquí = natural and correct Catalan

You may also hear El llibre està aquí in some contexts or varieties, but és aquí is standard and very common.

Why is aquí at the end of the sentence?

Because the most neutral word order is:

subject + verb + location

So:

El llibre = subject
és = verb
aquí = location

This is the normal, straightforward way to say it.

You can move aquí for emphasis in some contexts, for example:

Aquí és el llibre? = Is the book here?
Aquí, el llibre hi és. = Here, the book is here / The book is indeed here.

But the basic pattern is El llibre és aquí.

Do I need a subject pronoun, like the Catalan equivalent of it?

No. In this sentence, the subject is already stated: el llibre.

Catalan often leaves out subject pronouns unless they are needed for emphasis or clarity. Since the book is explicitly named, there is no need for a separate pronoun.

So Catalan simply says:

El llibre és aquí

not something like:

El llibre, ell és aquí (that would usually sound unnecessary or odd here)

How do I pronounce llibre?

A rough guide is LYEE-bruh in many pronunciations of Catalan, though the exact sound can vary by dialect.

A few helpful notes:

ll in traditional Catalan is a palatal sound, similar to the lli in some pronunciations of million, but not exactly the same.
In some modern accents, ll may sound closer to y.

So don’t worry if your pronunciation is not perfect at first. The important thing is to recognize llibre as the word for book.

How do I pronounce aquí?

A simple approximation is ah-KEE.

The accent mark tells you the stress falls on the last syllable:

a-QUÍ

That final stress is important.

If I change book to books, what changes?

You need to change both the article and the verb:

El llibre és aquí. = The book is here.
Els llibres són aquí. = The books are here.

Changes:

el → els
llibre → llibres
és → són

So the verb agrees with the subject in number.

Can I also say El llibre és ací?

Yes, in some varieties of Catalan.

Both aquí and ací can mean here, but their use depends on dialect and region. In many learning materials, aquí is the most common form you will see.

So:

El llibre és aquí
El llibre és ací

Both can be correct, depending on the variety of Catalan.

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