Breakdown of Abans de sopar, hem de comprar pa.
el pa
the bread
comprar
to buy
haver de
to have to
sopar
to have dinner
Questions & Answers about Abans de sopar, hem de comprar pa.
Why is it abans de sopar and not just abans sopar?
In Catalan, abans is normally followed by de when the next word is a noun or an infinitive.
So:
- abans de sopar = before dinner / before having dinner
- abans de sortir = before leaving
- abans de classe = before class
So the de is required here.
Is sopar a noun here or a verb?
It can be understood either way, which is very common in Catalan.
- As a verb, sopar means to have dinner
- As a noun, sopar means dinner / supper
In abans de sopar, the phrase can feel like:
- before having dinner if you think of it as a verb
- before dinner if you think of it as a noun
Both ideas fit naturally, and native speakers usually do not need to separate them very strictly in this kind of sentence.
What does hem de mean exactly?