El bolígraf és sobre el paper, però jo escric el missatge a l'ordinador.

El is the masculine singular definite article, so it means the.

In this sentence:

• el bolígraf = the pen
• el paper = the paper
• el missatge = the message

Catalan nouns have grammatical gender, so you normally learn the noun together with its article. That is why it is useful to memorize el bolígraf, not just bolígraf by itself.

Also, l'ordinador is the same article as el; it just changes form before a vowel.

Because ordinador begins with a vowel.

In Catalan, el becomes l' before a vowel or silent h:

• el llibre
• l'ordinador
• l'hotel

So after the preposition a, you get:

• a + el llibre → al llibre
• a + l'ordinador → a l'ordinador

So a l'ordinador is the correct form here.

Because prepositions do not match exactly from English to Catalan.

In Catalan, escriure a l'ordinador is a normal way to say to write/type on the computer. English uses on, but Catalan uses a here.

A useful way to think about it is:

• a l'ordinador = using the computer as the place/device where the writing happens

If you said sobre l'ordinador, that would sound more like on top of the computer physically, which is not the meaning here.

Yes, Catalan can usually leave them out.

Since escric already means I write, the sentence could simply say:

• ... però escric el missatge a l'ordinador.

The pronoun jo is included for emphasis or contrast. After però it gives a sense like:

• ... but I write the message on the computer.

So jo is not required, but it adds stress to the speaker.

Escric is the 1st person singular present indicative of escriure = to write.

A few present-tense forms are:

• jo escric = I write
• tu escrius = you write
• ell/ella escriu = he/she writes

In context, escric can mean either:

• I write
• I am writing

If you want to make the ongoing action extra explicit, Catalan often uses:

• estic escrivint = I am writing

This is a very common question, because ser and estar in Catalan do not work exactly like to be in English.

In locational sentences, usage can vary by dialect and style. In many everyday contexts, especially for the physical position of an object, many speakers would naturally say:

• El bolígraf està sobre el paper.

But you may also encounter:

• El bolígraf és sobre el paper.

So the important point is:

• està is very common for physical location
• és can also appear, depending on usage, variety, or teaching style

If you hear està sobre el paper, that is very normal.

Here sobre means on, on top of, or over.

So:

• sobre el paper = on the paper

Yes, you could also hear damunt de, which is another common way to express physical position on top of something:

• damunt del paper = on top of the paper

Both can work, though damunt de can sound a bit more clearly physical.

Also note that sobre can have another meaning in Catalan:

• un llibre sobre història = a book about history

So the exact meaning depends on context.

In Catalan, accent marks are important for both pronunciation and spelling.

• però = but
• és = is

The accent shows the stressed vowel and, in some cases, helps distinguish words that would otherwise look the same.

A very useful pair is:

• és = is
• es = a reflexive/object pronoun, as in es diu

So the accent in és matters a lot.

Likewise, però is the standard spelling of but in Catalan.

It is pronounced approximately bo-LI-graf.

The accent on í shows that the stress falls on that syllable:

• bo-LÍ-graf

This is helpful because, without the accent, the stress rules would make you expect a different stress pattern.

So the accent is there to show the correct pronunciation clearly.

You mostly learn that from the article:

• el bolígraf
• el paper
• el missatge
• l'ordinador

In Catalan, grammatical gender is part of the noun, so it is best to memorize the noun together with el or la.

There are some helpful patterns:

• nouns in -ador are often masculine: ordinador
• nouns in -atge are usually masculine: missatge

But there are exceptions in Catalan, so the safest habit is:

• learn el paper, not just paper
• learn el missatge, not just missatge

It can mean either, depending on context.

The Catalan present tense is often flexible, just like in many other languages. So:

• jo escric el missatge can mean I write the message
• or I am writing the message

If you want to emphasize the action in progress, Catalan can use:

• jo estic escrivint el missatge = I am writing the message

So escric is completely normal here, and context tells you whether it is a general action or something happening right now.