Si no trobes el sucre, mira al prestatge de la cuina.

Trobes is the 2nd person singular present indicative of trobar (to find).

So:

• jo trobo = I find
• tu trobes = you find
• ell/ella troba = he/she finds

In Si no trobes el sucre..., Catalan uses the present tense in the if-clause to talk about a real, possible situation:

• Si no trobes el sucre... = If you can't find the sugar...

That is very normal in Catalan.

Catalan often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• trobes already tells you it means you
• mira also tells you it is a command to you

So Si no trobes el sucre, mira... is completely natural. You could say Si tu no trobes el sucre..., but tu would usually only be added for emphasis or contrast.

Because mira is the affirmative imperative form of mirar for tu:

• (tu) mira = look
• (vostè) miri = look
• (vosaltres) mireu = look

So:

• mira al prestatge = look at / check the shelf

By contrast, mires is the present indicative form:

• tu mires = you look

So mires would describe an action, while mira gives a command.

No, they are different.

Here, si no is two separate words:

• si = if
• no = not

So:

• Si no trobes el sucre... = If you don’t find the sugar...

But sinó is a different word meaning things like but rather, except, or but instead:

• No és sucre, sinó sal. = It isn’t sugar, but rather salt.

This is a very common point of confusion for learners.

Al is the contraction of:

• a + el = al

So:

• mira al prestatge = literally look to/at the shelf

This contraction is required when a comes before the masculine singular definite article el.

Compare:

• a la taula = to/at the table
• al prestatge = to/at the shelf
• als prestatges = to/at the shelves

Catalan uses definite articles more often than English.

In this sentence:

• el sucre = the sugar
• la cuina = the kitchen

Even when English might say something like sugar or in the kitchen shelf, Catalan often prefers the article when talking about a specific, understood thing in context.

So el sucre sounds natural because we mean the sugar the speaker and listener are talking about, and la cuina is the specific kitchen in the house or situation.

Prestatge means shelf.

It is a masculine noun, which is why it takes el:

• el prestatge = the shelf

In this sentence, al prestatge de la cuina means on the kitchen shelf or on the shelf in the kitchen, depending on the context.

Yes, literally de la cuina means of the kitchen, but in natural English it often corresponds to:

• in the kitchen
• from the kitchen
• the kitchen’s

depending on context.

Here, el prestatge de la cuina means the kitchen shelf or the shelf in the kitchen.

Catalan often uses de + noun where English might prefer a noun-noun structure:

• la porta de la casa = the door of the house / the house door
• el prestatge de la cuina = the kitchen shelf

Yes. This is a very common pattern in Catalan:

• if-clause
  • command

So:

• Si no trobes el sucre, mira al prestatge de la cuina.
• If you can’t find the sugar, check the kitchen shelf.

This is a normal way to give practical instructions.

Other examples:

• Si tens gana, menja alguna cosa. = If you’re hungry, eat something.
• Si no ho saps, pregunta. = If you don’t know it, ask.

Literally, mira al prestatge is closer to look at/to the shelf, but in this context the natural meaning is look on the shelf or check the shelf.

Languages do not always match prepositions exactly. Catalan uses mirar a/al in ways that do not always map word-for-word onto English.

So the important idea is the action:

• direct your attention to the shelf
• check there

Yes. Trobar can mean several related things, depending on context, including:

• to find
• to meet
• to encounter

Examples:

• No trobo les claus. = I can’t find the keys.
• He trobat la Maria al carrer. = I met Maria in the street.

In your sentence, because the object is el sucre, the meaning is clearly find.

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker would be:

See no TROH-bus ul SOO-cruh, MEE-ruh ul pruh-stat-juh duh luh kwee-nuh.

A few notes:

• si sounds like see
• trobes has a clear tr
• sucre is roughly SOO-cruh
• mira is MEE-ruh
• prestatge has a tj/j sound similar to the j in judge
• cuina is roughly KWEE-nuh

The exact pronunciation depends a bit on dialect, but this is a useful approximation.

Yes, but the original order is very natural.

Standard order:

• Si no trobes el sucre, mira al prestatge de la cuina.

You could also hear:

• Mira al prestatge de la cuina si no trobes el sucre.

Both are understandable. The version with Si no trobes... first feels especially natural when the speaker sets up the condition before giving the instruction.

Also, when the if-clause comes first, the comma is normally used:

• Si no trobes el sucre, mira...