La professora li envia un missatge a la meva mare.

Because Catalan normally uses the definite article with singular count nouns when you mean a specific person or thing.

So la professora means the teacher.

Leaving out the article would usually sound incomplete here. In Catalan, articles are often used more regularly than in English.

• la = the for a feminine singular noun
• professora = teacher (female)

So:

• la professora = the teacher

Li is an indirect object pronoun. In this sentence, it means to her.

The sentence contains:

• un missatge = the thing being sent, so this is the direct object
• a la meva mare = the person receiving it, so this is the indirect object

Catalan very often uses an indirect object pronoun even when the full noun phrase is also stated.

So:

• li = to her
• a la meva mare = to my mother

Both refer to the same person.

It may feel redundant from an English point of view, but in Catalan this is very common and often preferred.

This is called clitic doubling: the indirect object is expressed twice:

• once with the pronoun: li
• once with the full phrase: a la meva mare

So Catalan says, in effect:

• The teacher sends her a message, to my mother

That sounds odd in English, but it is normal in Catalan.

In everyday Catalan, using li with a specific indirect object like a la meva mare is extremely common.

Li refers to a la meva mare.

So in this sentence, li means:

• to her
• specifically, to my mother

If the indirect object were masculine, singular, or a polite you, li could also be used, because li does not by itself tell you gender in the way English him/her does. The full phrase a la meva mare makes it clear here that it is feminine.

The preposition a marks the indirect object.

Since my mother is the person who receives the message, Catalan introduces her with a:

• a la meva mare = to my mother

This is very standard with verbs like donar (to give), dir (to say), enviar (to send), portar (to bring), etc.

So:

• enviar alguna cosa a algú = to send something to someone

Catalan normally uses the definite article before a possessive in many contexts:

• la meva mare = my mother
• el meu pare = my father
• la meva casa = my house

This is different from English, where my usually replaces the.

So Catalan often uses:

• article + possessive + noun

There are a few exceptions, especially with some family terms in certain contexts, but la meva mare is the standard, natural form here.

Envia is the third person singular present tense of the verb enviar.

So:

• enviar = to send
• envia = he sends / she sends / it sends

In this sentence, the subject is la professora, so:

• La professora envia = The teacher sends

A quick mini-pattern:

• jo envio = I send
• tu envies = you send
• ell/ella envia = he/she sends
• nosaltres enviem = we send
• vosaltres envieu = you all send
• ells/elles envien = they send

This is a very normal Catalan word order.

The structure is:

• La professora = subject
• li = indirect object pronoun
• envia = verb
• un missatge = direct object
• a la meva mare = full indirect object phrase

Catalan object pronouns like li usually go before the conjugated verb:

• li envia
• li dona
• li diu

So the placement of li before envia is exactly what you should expect.

Yes. If the context already makes it clear who li refers to, you could say:

La professora li envia un missatge.

That means:

• The teacher sends her a message or
• The teacher sends him a message or even formal you, depending on context

Adding a la meva mare makes the recipient explicit.

In some contexts you may hear or see Catalan without the pronoun, but with a specific indirect object like a la meva mare, using li is very natural and usually preferred.

So:

• La professora envia un missatge a la meva mare is understandable
• La professora li envia un missatge a la meva mare sounds more typically Catalan

For learners, it is a good habit to include li with a clearly stated indirect object.

Yes.

The direct object is the thing being sent:

• un missatge = a message

The indirect object is the person receiving it:

• li
• a la meva mare

A useful way to see it:

• send what? → un missatge
• send to whom? → a la meva mare

Un means a or one, while el means the.

So:

• un missatge = a message
• el missatge = the message

This sentence uses un missatge because it is introducing the message as an indefinite item, not a specific previously identified one.

Yes. Professora is feminine, so it refers to a female teacher.

The masculine form is:

• professor = male teacher

So:

• la professora = the female teacher
• el professor = the male teacher

Catalan nouns often show gender in this way.

Then the indirect object pronoun would usually become els and the noun phrase would change too.

For example:

• La professora els envia un missatge als meus pares.

That means:

• The teacher sends my parents a message.

So compare:

• li = to him / to her / to you (formal singular)
• els = to them / to you all (formal/plural, depending on context)

Li is pronounced roughly like lee.

So the sentence begins something like:

• La professora lee envia...

Of course, the exact Catalan vowel sound is a little different from English, but lee is a useful approximation for beginners.

Yes, Catalan allows some flexibility in word order, especially for emphasis or style.

For example, you might hear:

• La professora envia un missatge a la meva mare.
• A la meva mare, la professora li envia un missatge.

But the original sentence is a very natural neutral order:

• La professora li envia un missatge a la meva mare.

For learners, the original order is a good model to follow.