Arribem a l'aeroport molt aviat per al vol.

Arribem is the 1st person plural form of the verb arribar (to arrive), so it means we arrive or sometimes we are arriving.

The ending -em is the usual present-tense ending for we with many -ar verbs in Catalan:

• jo arribo = I arrive
• tu arribes = you arrive
• ell/ella arriba = he/she arrives
• nosaltres arribem = we arrive
• vosaltres arribeu = you all arrive
• ells/elles arriben = they arrive

So arribem tells you both the subject (we) and the tense (present).

In Catalan, the present tense can cover several ideas depending on context, just like in English.

So arribem can mean:

• we arrive
• we are arriving
• sometimes even a planned future idea like we arrive / we’re arriving later

In this sentence, it most naturally means something like we arrive at the airport very early for the flight.

If you wanted to make the future more explicit, Catalan could also use a future form such as arribarem (we will arrive).

Because aeroport begins with a vowel, the article el becomes l'.

Here is the breakdown:

• a = to / at
• el aeroport becomes l'aeroport

So:

• a + l'aeroport = a l'aeroport

You do not say al aeroport.

Use al only when a + el stays together before a consonant:

• al tren = to the train
• al centre = to the centre

But before a vowel:

• a l'aeroport
• a l'hotel

In Catalan, with a common noun like aeroport, you normally use the definite article when English would say the airport.

So:

• a l'aeroport = at/to the airport

Leaving out the article would sound wrong here.

Compare:

• Vaig a l'escola = I’m going to the school / to school
• Som a l'estació = We are at the station

Catalan often keeps the article where English may or may not use one.

Molt aviat means very early.

• molt = very / a lot
• aviat = early / soon

In this sentence, aviat is best understood as early, because it describes the time of arrival.

So:

• Arribem molt aviat = We arrive very early

Depending on context, aviat can also mean soon:

• Tornaràs aviat? = Will you come back soon?

Because in Catalan, adverbs like molt usually come before the word they modify.

So:

• molt aviat = very early
• molt bé = very well
• molt ràpid = very fast

Putting aviat molt would be incorrect here.

Here, aviat is an adverb.

It modifies the verb arribem and tells us when we arrive.

• Arribem aviat = We arrive early

It is not describing a noun, so it is not an adjective here.

Per al vol means for the flight.

It tells you the reason or purpose for arriving early: the early arrival is connected with the flight.

Breakdown:

• per a = for
• el vol = the flight
• per a + el becomes per al

So:

• per al vol = for the flight

This is a very common learner question because Catalan has both per and per a, and usage can vary by register and dialect.

In standard written Catalan, per al usually represents per a + el:

• per a el vol → per al vol

It expresses purpose, destination, or intended use more clearly.

So in this sentence, per al vol means something like:

• for the flight
• for catching the flight

You may also hear variation in everyday speech depending on region, but per al vol is perfectly normal and standard.

Yes, that word order is also possible.

Catalan word order is fairly flexible, especially with adverbial phrases like a l'aeroport and molt aviat.

So both of these are natural:

• Arribem a l'aeroport molt aviat per al vol.
• Arribem molt aviat a l'aeroport per al vol.

The first version places the location earlier.
The second places more focus on how early you arrive.

Both are grammatical.

You would normally use a past tense, for example:

• Vam arribar a l'aeroport molt aviat per al vol.

Here:

• vam arribar = we arrived

So the original sentence is present:

• Arribem = we arrive / we are arriving

And the past version is:

• Vam arribar = we arrived

Here, vol means flight in the travel sense, as in an airplane journey.

So:

• el vol = the flight

The noun comes from the verb volar (to fly), and in other contexts vol can also refer more generally to flight as the act of flying.

But in an airport sentence like this, learners should understand it as flight.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

ar-ree-BEM a la-ay-roh-PORT molt a-vee-AT per al VOL

A few useful notes:

• arribem has stress on the last syllable: -bem
• aeroport has stress on port
• aviat has stress on the last syllable: -at
• vol is a short, stressed word

If you are learning Central Catalan pronunciation, the unstressed vowels may sound weaker than an English speaker expects.