Tinc un regal per a la mare.

to have

Breakdown of Tinc un regal per a la mare.

• la mare: the mother
• per a: for
• el regal: the gift

Questions & Answers about Tinc un regal per a la mare.

What does tinc mean, and what verb is it from?

Tinc means I have. It is the 1st person singular present tense form of the verb tenir, which means to have.

A few present-tense forms are:

• tinc = I have
• tens = you have
• té = he/she has
• tenim = we have
• teniu = you all have
• tenen = they have

So Tinc un regal... literally starts as I have a gift...

Why is there no word for I in the sentence?

Catalan often drops subject pronouns when they are not needed, because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

So:

• Tinc un regal... = I have a gift...
• Jo tinc un regal... also means I have a gift..., but jo adds emphasis or contrast.

For example:

• Jo tinc un regal, però ell no. = I have a gift, but he doesn’t.

So in a normal sentence, leaving out jo is completely natural.

Why do we say un regal?