Breakdown of La jaqueta de la mare és més cara que la camisa de la meva germana.
ser
to be
la mare
the mother
la germana
the sister
meu
my
Questions & Answers about La jaqueta de la mare és més cara que la camisa de la meva germana.
Why is possession expressed with de instead of an apostrophe, like mother's jacket?
Catalan usually expresses possession with de + noun:
- la jaqueta de la mare = the mother's jacket
- la camisa de la meva germana = my sister's shirt
So instead of using an English-style 's, Catalan normally uses this de structure.
Why is it de la mare and not just de mare?
Because mare is a countable noun and here it is definite, so it normally takes the article la.
- de la mare = of the mother / of mom
- de la germana = of the sister
Catalan uses articles more often than English does. English might say mom's jacket, but Catalan naturally says la jaqueta de la mare.
Why does meva come with la in la meva germana? Why not just meva germana?