Word
Per entrar al museu, cal comprar una entrada.
Meaning
To enter the museum, you have to buy a ticket.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Per entrar al museu, cal comprar una entrada.
Why does the sentence start with Per entrar?
Per + infinitive is a very common way in Catalan to mean in order to + verb or simply to + verb when expressing purpose.
So:
- Per entrar al museu = To enter the museum / In order to enter the museum
This is similar to Spanish para + infinitive, but in Catalan per is often used in this kind of structure.
Examples:
- Per obrir la porta, cal una clau. = To open the door, a key is needed.
- Per aprendre català, cal practicar. = To learn Catalan, you need to practise.
What does cal mean here?
Cal means it is necessary, one must, or you need to.
In this sentence:
- cal comprar una entrada = it is necessary to buy a ticket
It is an impersonal verb form, so it does not change depending on who is doing the action. It is used very often in Catalan.
Examples:
- Cal estudiar. = It is necessary to study.
- Cal arribar d’hora. = You need to arrive early.
A very natural English translation is often:
- you have to
- you need to
- it’s necessary to
Why is it and not just ?