Hi ha un banc a la plaça, prop de la botiga.

Hi ha is the standard Catalan way to say there is or there are.

It is an impersonal expression based on the verb haver-hi, and Catalan uses hi ha for both singular and plural in the present tense:

• Hi ha un banc = there is a bench
• Hi ha dos bancs = there are two benches

So even though English changes between there is and there are, Catalan simply uses hi ha in both cases.

Because hi ha works as a fixed expression meaning there is/there are. In this construction, hi is not enough by itself to tell you the exact place.

So:

• hi ha = there is / there are
• a la plaça = in the square

The sentence needs a la plaça to specify where the bench is.

Because banc is a masculine singular noun, so it takes the masculine singular indefinite article un.

A few useful forms:

• un banc = a bench / a bank
• el banc = the bench / the bank
• bancs = benches / banks

If the noun were feminine, you would use una instead.

Yes. Banc can mean:

• bench
• bank (financial institution)

Context tells you which meaning is intended. In a sentence with a la plaça and prop de la botiga, the meaning bench is often the more natural one, but the word itself is ambiguous.

Because plaça is a feminine noun, so the article is la.

The preposition a combines like this:

• a + el = al
• a + la = a la

So:

• al parc = in/to the park
• a la plaça = in/to the square

You only get the contraction al with el, not with la.

Prop de means near or close to.

It is followed by de before a noun:

• prop de la botiga = near the shop
• prop del parc = near the park

Notice:

• de + el = del
• de + la = de la

So de la botiga stays separate because the noun is feminine.

Yes. Catalan word order is fairly flexible here.

These are both natural:

• Hi ha un banc a la plaça, prop de la botiga.
• A la plaça hi ha un banc, prop de la botiga.

Putting A la plaça first gives more emphasis to the location. But hi ha usually stays together as a unit.

You keep hi ha in the present tense.

Plural:

• Hi ha dos bancs a la plaça.

Negative:

• No hi ha cap banc a la plaça.
• No hi ha bancs a la plaça.

Question:

• Hi ha un banc a la plaça?

So once you know hi ha, it is easy to reuse it in different sentence types.

A few key pronunciation points:

• h is silent in Catalan, so ha begins with a vowel sound.
• hi is pronounced roughly like ee.
• ç is pronounced like s.

So:

• hi ha sounds roughly like ee ah
• plaça has an s sound because of ç

Also, the stress is:

• PLAça
• boTIga

Pronunciation varies somewhat by dialect, but those spelling rules are reliable.

Not always strictly necessary, but it is helpful.

The comma separates the main location a la plaça from the extra detail prop de la botiga. It makes the sentence easier to read and makes the structure clearer.

Without the comma, the sentence would probably still be understood, but the comma is a good writing choice here.