Tinc un gat.

I have a cat.

Breakdown of Tinc un gat.

• un: a
• tenir: to have
• el gat: the cat

Questions & Answers about Tinc un gat.

Why does tinc mean I have?

Tinc is the 1st person singular form of the verb tenir, which means to have.

So:

• tenir = to have
• tinc = I have

Catalan changes the verb form depending on the subject, just like English changes have to has in some cases.

Why isn’t there a word for I in the sentence?

Catalan often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed, because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

So:

• Tinc un gat. = I have a cat.
• Jo tinc un gat. also means I have a cat, but jo is usually only added for emphasis or contrast.

This is very common in Catalan.

What does un mean here?