La meva germana vol comprar un regal a la llibreria perquè dissabte és l'aniversari de la mare.

In standard Catalan, possessives are very often used together with the definite article:

• la meva germana = my sister
• el meu pare = my father
• els nostres amics = our friends

This is different from English, where you usually say just my sister without the.

There are some exceptions and regional differences, but for a learner, article + possessive + noun is the safest pattern:

• el meu llibre
• la teva casa
• les seves claus

Because meva has to agree with germana, which is feminine singular.

Catalan possessives change for gender and number:

• el meu germà = my brother
• la meva germana = my sister
• els meus amics = my friends
• les meves germanes = my sisters

So:

• meu = masculine singular
• meva = feminine singular
• meus = masculine plural
• meves = feminine plural

Because in Catalan, modal verbs like voler are followed directly by an infinitive.

• vol comprar = wants to buy
• puc venir = I can come
• he de sortir = I have to leave

English uses to before the infinitive in many cases, but Catalan often does not. So vol comprar is the normal structure, not vol a comprar.

Vol is the 3rd person singular form of the verb voler = to want.

So:

• jo vull = I want
• tu vols = you want
• ell/ella vol = he/she wants

In this sentence, la meva germana vol comprar... means my sister wants to buy...

Catalan usually uses an indefinite article when English would say a/an:

• un regal = a present
• un llibre = a book
• una idea = an idea

So comprar un regal is the normal way to say to buy a present.

It can mean either to the bookshop or at the bookshop, depending on context. The preposition a is very common and covers several meanings that English splits into to, at, and sometimes in.

Here, comprar un regal a la llibreria is most naturally understood as buy a present at the bookshop or from the bookshop.

A few examples:

• Vaig a la llibreria = I’m going to the bookshop
• Treballa a la llibreria = He/She works at the bookshop

So a is broader than English to.

No. Llibreria means bookshop / bookstore.

This is a false friend for English speakers.

• llibreria = bookshop / bookstore
• biblioteca = library

So in the sentence, she wants to buy a present at the bookshop, not at the library.

Because perquè means because.

Catalan distinguishes several similar-looking forms:

• perquè = because
• per què = why / for what
• per a què = what for / for what purpose

So here:

• ...a la llibreria perquè dissabte és l'aniversari... = ...at the bookshop because Saturday is...

The accent helps mark that this is the conjunction because.

Catalan often uses the present tense to talk about near-future events, especially when the time is already clear from a word like dissabte.

So:

• dissabte és l'aniversari de la mare literally uses the present, but it naturally means
• Saturday is my mother’s birthday or in smoother English,
• it’s my mother’s birthday on Saturday
• Saturday is my mother’s birthday

You could also say serà in some contexts, but the present is very normal here.

When Catalan names a day of the week as a time expression, it often appears without an article:

• dilluns treballo = I work on Monday
• dissabte és l'aniversari = Saturday is the birthday

If you add the article, the meaning can shift depending on context, sometimes suggesting a habitual meaning or a more specific framing. For learners, the important point is that bare day names are very common when saying on Monday / on Saturday / this Saturday.

Because el aniversari becomes l'aniversari before a vowel sound.

Catalan often contracts the singular definite articles this way:

• el + aniversari → l'aniversari
• la + escola → l'escola

This is similar to how French uses apostrophes before vowels. The apostrophe avoids a clash of vowel sounds.

Catalan often uses the definite article with close family members where English would use a possessive:

• la mare = my mother / mother
• el pare = my father / father
• la germana = my sister / sister

So l'aniversari de la mare naturally means my mother’s birthday in this context.

You can say de la meva mare if you want to be more explicit, but it is often unnecessary when the relationship is already clear.

Yes, literally it is of the mother, but in normal Catalan this is a very natural way to express possession.

Catalan often uses de structures where English prefers 's:

• el cotxe del meu amic = my friend’s car
• la casa de la Maria = Maria’s house
• l'aniversari de la mare = my mother’s birthday

So learners should not translate word-for-word too rigidly. de is a very common possession pattern.

The sentence follows a very typical Catalan order:

La meva germana / vol comprar / un regal / a la llibreria / perquè / dissabte / és / l'aniversari de la mare

That is roughly:

subject / verb + infinitive / object / place / because / time / verb / complement

Catalan word order is often similar to English, though it can be more flexible. This sentence is quite straightforward and natural.

Not in this sentence.

• de la mare means of my mother / my mother’s
• per la mare would usually mean for my mother

So these are very different:

• l'aniversari de la mare = my mother’s birthday
• un regal per la mare = a present for my mother

In fact, both ideas could appear together:

• La meva germana vol comprar un regal per a la mare perquè dissabte és l'aniversari de la mare.

In standard Catalan, ll represents a palatal sound, traditionally similar to the lli sound in older pronunciations of words like million, though actual pronunciation varies by dialect.

For a beginner, the important thing is:

• ll is not the same as English l
• llibreria does not sound like libreria in Spanish pronunciation exactly, though it may sound similar in some modern accents

Also, llibreria is stressed on the final -ri- syllable:

• lli-bre-ri-a

If pronunciation matters for your course, it is best to learn it with audio, because ll varies across Catalan-speaking regions.

The accent distinguishes it from es.

• és = is
• es = a pronoun, often part of reflexive verbs

So:

• és l'aniversari = it is the birthday
• es lleva = he/she gets up

The accent is important because it tells you that this is the verb ser in the form is.