La metgessa diu que la meva filla està refredada, però ja respira millor.

Because metgessa is the feminine form of metge (doctor).

• el metge = the male doctor / doctor (masculine)
• la metgessa = the female doctor / doctor (feminine)

Catalan often marks professions for gender more clearly than English does. Since the sentence uses la, we know the doctor is female.

Diu means says or is saying. It comes from the verb dir, meaning to say.

Here it is the third person singular form:

• jo dic = I say
• tu dius = you say
• ell/ella diu = he/she says

So La metgessa diu... means The doctor says...

Que here means that.

Catalan commonly uses que after verbs like dir (to say), just as English can use that:

• The doctor says that my daughter has a cold...

In English, that is often omitted:

• The doctor says my daughter...

In Catalan, que is usually kept:

• La metgessa diu que...

In Catalan, possessives are often used with a definite article.

So:

• la meva filla = my daughter
• literally: the my daughter

This is normal in Catalan. English does not use an article before possessives, but Catalan usually does:

• el meu pare = my father
• la meva mare = my mother
• els meus amics = my friends

Because it agrees with filla, which is a feminine singular noun.

The possessive must match the noun:

• el meu fill = my son
• la meva filla = my daughter
• els meus fills = my sons / my children
• les meves filles = my daughters

So meva is feminine singular because filla is feminine singular.

Filla is simply the Catalan word for daughter. The ll is part of the normal spelling of the word.

Catalan ll represents a special sound, traditionally like the lli in million for many learners, though pronunciation can vary by region. It is a very common Catalan spelling:

• fill = son
• filla = daughter
• millor = better
• ull = eye

So this is a vocabulary and pronunciation point rather than a grammar rule in this sentence.

Catalan often expresses this idea with estar + adjective/participle.

So:

• està refredada = is suffering from a cold / has a cold

The word refredada is related to refredat/refredada, meaning cold or having a cold.

This is different from English, which usually says has a cold. Catalan can describe the condition with estar:

• està malalta = she is ill
• està cansada = she is tired
• està refredada = she has a cold / she is down with a cold

Because refredada agrees with the person being described: la meva filla.

Since filla is feminine singular, the adjective is also feminine singular:

• el meu fill està refredat = my son has a cold
• la meva filla està refredada = my daughter has a cold

This kind of agreement is very important in Catalan.

Catalan, like Spanish, often distinguishes between ser and estar.

• ser is generally for identity, essential characteristics, origin, etc.
• estar is often for states or conditions

Having a cold is seen as a temporary condition, so Catalan uses estar:

• està refredada = she has a cold
• està cansada = she is tired

So està is the natural choice here.

Però means but.

The accent helps mark the stressed syllable and distinguishes pronunciation. In Catalan, written accents are an important part of spelling.

So:

• però = but

It connects the two parts of the sentence:

• The doctor says my daughter has a cold, but she is already breathing better.

Ja here means already.

It suggests a change or improvement that has begun:

• ja respira millor = she is already breathing better

Depending on context, ja can also have other shades of meaning, like now, by now, or any longer, but in this sentence already is the most natural meaning.

Respira is the present tense of respirar: she breathes / she is breathing.

In Catalan, the simple present often covers what English expresses with either:

• she breathes
• she is breathing

So:

• ja respira millor can naturally mean she is breathing better now

Catalan does have progressive forms like està respirant, but they are not always necessary. The simple present is very common and natural here.

Millor means better.

It is the normal comparative form of bé (well):

• bé = well
• millor = better

So:

• respira bé = she breathes well
• respira millor = she breathes better

Catalan does not form this with something like betterly—just as English also uses better, not betterly.

It is the daughter.

The second clause does not repeat the subject, but the meaning is understood from context:

• La metgessa diu que la meva filla està refredada, però ja respira millor.

The idea is:

• The doctor says that my daughter has a cold, but my daughter is already breathing better.

In Catalan, as in English, the subject is often left unspoken when it is clear from context.

Here it functions as an adjective describing la meva filla.

Structure:

• la meva filla = subject
• està = verb
• refredada = adjective describing her condition

So grammatically it works like:

• està cansada = she is tired
• està malalta = she is ill
• està refredada = she has a cold / she is suffering from a cold

Even if English translates it with a noun phrase like has a cold, Catalan is using an adjective-like form here.

Yes. The Catalan present tense often covers both a simple present and a present progressive meaning, depending on context.

So:

• La metgessa diu... can mean The doctor says...
• and in some contexts The doctor is saying...

In this sentence, plain says is the most natural translation, but learners should know that Catalan present forms are often more flexible than English ones.