Breakdown of La meva germana ha de rebre un missatge de la metgessa abans de cancel·lar la cita.
un
a
la germana
the sister
meu
my
abans de
before
Questions & Answers about La meva germana ha de rebre un missatge de la metgessa abans de cancel·lar la cita.
Why is it la meva germana and not just meva germana?
In standard Catalan, possessives normally go with a definite article:
- la meva germana = my sister
- el meu cotxe = my car
So the usual pattern is:
article + possessive + noun
Leaving out the article is generally not standard in this kind of sentence, though you may hear shorter forms in older, literary, or regional usage.
What does ha de rebre mean exactly?
Ha de rebre means has to receive or must receive.
It is the Catalan structure:
haver de + infinitive = to have to / must
So here:
- ha = has (3rd person singular of haver)
- de rebre = to receive
Together: ha de rebre = has to receive
Why is ha used here? Doesn’t ha usually mean something like has in a perfect tense?