Vostè sap on és l'estació?

Vostè means you in a formal, polite singular way.

You use it when speaking respectfully to:

• a stranger
• an older person
• a customer, official, or someone in a formal situation

It is the Catalan equivalent of formal you, as opposed to informal tu.

So this sentence is polite: Vostè sap on és l'estació?

Because Vostè uses the third-person singular verb form, not the tu form.

With the verb saber (to know):

• tu saps = you know, informal
• vostè sap = you know, formal
• ell/ella sap = he/she knows

So:

• Tu saps on és l'estació? = informal
• Vostè sap on és l'estació? = formal

This is very common in Catalan: formal you takes third-person verb forms.

Yes. Catalan often drops subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb.

So Sap on és l'estació? is also correct and very natural.

Including Vostè can make the sentence sound:

• more explicitly polite
• slightly more emphatic
• clearer in some contexts

In everyday speech, dropping it is often more natural unless you want to stress politeness.

On means where.

So:

• on és l'estació = where the station is

It introduces an indirect question after sap:

• Vostè sap on és l'estació? = Do you know where the station is?

Because this part of the sentence is an embedded question: where the station is.

Compare:

• Direct question: On és l'estació? = Where is the station?
• Embedded after sap: Vostè sap on és l'estació? = Do you know where the station is?

Catalan keeps the same basic structure here. If you know On és l'estació?, then it is easy to understand Vostè sap on és l'estació?

Here és is used because the sentence is asking about the location of a place: where the station is located.

With places, buildings, and locations understood as fixed or defining, ser is very common:

• On és l'estació?
• La farmàcia és aquí a prop.

Using està would usually suggest a different nuance, often more temporary or situational in other contexts. For a station as a place on a map, és is the normal choice.

L' is the definite article, meaning the.

The full feminine singular article is la, but before a vowel it becomes l':

• la casa = the house
• l'estació = the station

So:

• estació = station
• l'estació = the station

Yes. Estació is a feminine noun.

That is why its article is la / l':

• la estació would not be written that way
• it becomes l'estació before the vowel

You can also see the feminine in other phrases, for example:

• una estació
• l'estació nova

The accents are part of the correct spelling.

• és has an accent to distinguish it from es
  • és = is
  • es = a reflexive pronoun, as in es diu
• estació has an accent on ó because the stress falls on the last syllable: es-ta-ci-Ó

So the accents are important both for pronunciation and for distinguishing words.

Because Catalan normally uses only the closing question mark, like English:

• Vostè sap on és l'estació?

Unlike Spanish, Catalan does not normally use an opening question mark.

It is correct and polite, especially if you want to be formal.

But in real conversation, some speakers might more naturally say:

• Sap on és l'estació?
• Em pot dir on és l'estació? = Can you tell me where the station is?

If you are speaking informally to one person:

• Saps on és l'estació?

So your sentence is good, but there are several natural alternatives depending on formality.

Not always. Estació can mean station in a general sense, depending on context.

Very often, though, if someone asks on és l'estació?, people may understand it as the train station, especially in a travel context.

If you want to be more specific, you can say:

• l'estació de tren = the train station
• l'estació d'autobusos = the bus station

A rough pronunciation guide is:

vos-TEH sap on es ləs-tə-see-O

A few helpful notes:

• Vostè is stressed on the last syllable
• sap is short and clear
• és sounds like ess
• estació is stressed on the final -ó

Pronunciation varies somewhat by region, but the stress pattern is the important part: Vos-TÈ sap on ÉS l'esta-ci-Ó?