He de preparar la maleta per al viatge.

He de + infinitive means I have to / I must / I need to do something.

So:

• he = I have
• de preparar = to prepare

Together, he de preparar means I have to prepare.

This is the Catalan structure haver de + infinitive, which is a very common way to express obligation or something you need to do.

Catalan usually does not need the subject pronoun if the verb already makes the subject clear.

• he already tells you the subject is I
• so jo is normally omitted

You could say Jo he de preparar la maleta..., but that would sound more emphatic, like:

• I have to pack the suitcase
• as for me, I have to do it

In a neutral sentence, leaving out jo is more natural.

Both he de and haig de can mean I have to.

• he de is the more standard and widely accepted written form
• haig de is also common, especially in speech in some areas

So this sentence uses a very standard form:

• He de preparar la maleta...

A learner should definitely recognize both, but he de is a very safe form to use.

It comes from the verb haver.

In this sentence, haver is not being used by itself with the meaning to have in the everyday possession sense. Instead, it is part of the construction:

• haver de + infinitive

That construction means to have to.

So:

• he de preparar = I have to prepare
• not I have prepared

This is important because Catalan he can also appear in compound tenses, such as:

• he preparat = I have prepared

So the little word after it matters a lot:

• he de preparar = obligation
• he preparat = present perfect

La maleta means the suitcase, and it sounds natural here because the suitcase is understood as a specific one.

In many everyday situations, when someone says they need to pack, the suitcase is already identifiable from context: it is the suitcase for this trip.

If you said una maleta, it would sound more like a suitcase, not a specific one.

So:

• la maleta = the specific suitcase
• una maleta = a suitcase, any suitcase

Catalan often uses the definite article where English would use a possessive.

So preparar la maleta often naturally means:

• pack my suitcase
• or pack the suitcase

The owner is understood from context.

Using la meva maleta is possible, but it usually adds emphasis or contrast, for example:

• not yours, my suitcase
• this is my suitcase specifically

In neutral speech, la maleta is very normal.

Yes, it can.

Literally, preparar la maleta is to prepare the suitcase, but in context it often means to get the suitcase ready or to pack.

A very common Catalan expression is also:

• fer la maleta = to pack

So depending on the context:

• He de preparar la maleta = I have to get the suitcase ready / pack
• He de fer la maleta = I have to pack

Both are understandable, though fer la maleta is especially idiomatic for packing.

It means for the trip.

Here:

• per a = for
• el viatge = the trip

And per a + el contracts to per al.

So:

• per al viatge = for the trip

This phrase tells you the purpose of preparing the suitcase.

Because per a + el becomes per al.

This is a normal contraction in Catalan.

So you do not say:

• per a el viatge
• per el viatge

in standard careful usage here

Instead, you say:

• per al viatge

This is similar to other contractions you may see in Catalan.

You may hear pel viatge in real speech, especially because the distinction between per and per a is not always maintained the same way in all varieties of Catalan.

But for a learner, per al viatge is a very good standard choice here.

A useful rule is:

• per al viatge = a safe standard form for for the trip

So if you are unsure, use per al in this kind of sentence.

This is the most natural order:

• verb phrase: preparar
• object: la maleta
• purpose phrase: per al viatge

So the structure is basically:

• He de
  • verb
    • object
      • extra information

Catalan word order is often similar to English here:

• I have to pack the suitcase for the trip
• He de preparar la maleta per al viatge

Other orders are sometimes possible for emphasis, but this one is the neutral, normal version.

Because haver de + infinitive is the standard and recommended way to express obligation in Catalan.

So:

• He de preparar la maleta = standard, natural
• Tinc que preparar la maleta = heard in speech, but usually not recommended in standard Catalan

For learners, haver de is the best pattern to learn and use confidently.