Breakdown of La professora explica que demà hi ha un examen important.
un
a
haver-hi
there be
demà
tomorrow
el professor
the teacher
Questions & Answers about La professora explica que demà hi ha un examen important.
Why is it hi ha and not just ha?
Hi ha is the standard Catalan way to say there is / there are.
- ha by itself means has
- hi is a little word that helps create the existential meaning there is/are
So:
- hi ha un examen = there is an exam
- hi ha exàmens = there are exams
This is one of the most common fixed expressions in Catalan, so it is best learned as a chunk: hi ha.
Why is it demà hi ha instead of using a future form?
In Catalan, just like in English, the present tense is often used for scheduled or near-future events when a time expression makes the future clear.
So demà hi ha un examen literally uses the present, but it means:
- Tomorrow there is an exam
- naturally: There’s an exam tomorrow
Because demà already shows the time, Catalan does not need a future tense here.
What does que do in this sentence?