La meva mare prefereix l'aspiradora, però jo prefereixo l'escombra.

In Catalan, possessive adjectives are very often used together with a definite article.

So:

• la meva mare = my mother
• literally, something like the my mother

This is normal in Catalan, especially with family members and many everyday nouns.

A few examples:

• el meu pare = my father
• la meva germana = my sister
• el meu cotxe = my car

So la meva mare is the natural standard form.

Because la becomes l' before a vowel sound.

So:

• la + aspiradora → l'aspiradora
• la + escombra → l'escombra

This apostrophe is very common in Catalan articles.

Compare:

• la casa = the house
• l'escola = the school
• l'amiga = the female friend

It works with el too:

• el amic → l'amic

Because the verb changes depending on the subject.

The verb is preferir = to prefer.

In the present tense:

• jo prefereixo = I prefer
• tu prefereixes = you prefer
• ell/ella prefereix = he/she prefers
• nosaltres preferim = we prefer
• vosaltres preferiu = you all prefer
• ells/elles prefereixen = they prefer

So:

• la meva mare prefereix because la meva mare is she
• jo prefereixo because the speaker is I

That’s right: Catalan often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

So you could say:

• Prefereixo l'escombra

However, jo is often added for emphasis or contrast.

In this sentence:

• La meva mare prefereix l'aspiradora, però jo prefereixo l'escombra.

the jo helps create a contrast:

• My mother prefers the vacuum cleaner, but I prefer the broom.

So here jo is not required, but it sounds natural because it emphasizes I, as opposed to my mother.

Però means but.

Example:

• La meva mare prefereix l'aspiradora, però jo prefereixo l'escombra.

The accent is part of the correct spelling: però.

In Catalan, accents often show stress and sometimes vowel quality. So it is important to write però, not pero.

Because però joins two complete clauses, and Catalan normally uses a comma before it in cases like this.

The two clauses are:

• La meva mare prefereix l'aspiradora
• jo prefereixo l'escombra

They are connected by però = but, so the comma is standard and natural.

Yes. Both are feminine in Catalan, which is why they use la or l'.

• l'aspiradora
• l'escombra

A lot of nouns ending in -a are feminine, though not all. In this sentence, the article clearly shows the gender.

So:

• una aspiradora
• una escombra

Mare is the normal word for mother in Catalan.

Depending on context, it can correspond to either mother or mom in English. The exact tone depends on the situation, not just the word itself.

For example:

• La meva mare can mean my mother or my mom, depending on how formal or informal the translation is.

Normally, in standard everyday Catalan, the possessive comes before the noun:

• la meva mare
• el meu llibre

That is the usual pattern learners should use.

Catalan does have some more marked or literary uses where word order can vary, but for normal conversation and writing, article + possessive + noun is the safe and natural structure.

Catalan usually prefers repeating the verb here, especially in a clear beginner-style sentence:

• La meva mare prefereix l'aspiradora, però jo prefereixo l'escombra.

That is the most straightforward version.

You may sometimes hear ellipsis in conversation, but repeating prefereix / prefereixo is completely natural and often clearer. So for learners, it is best to keep the verb in both parts.

It looks a little irregular because preferir is not conjugated exactly like a completely regular verb in the present tense.

The important forms here are:

• prefereix
• prefereixo

The -eixo ending in jo prefereixo is a common pattern in Catalan for some verbs.

So even if it looks surprising at first, prefereixo is the correct standard first-person singular form.

Because what matters is that the word begins with a vowel sound, and escombra begins with e.

So:

• la escombra is not used
• l'escombra is correct

The same happens with many words beginning with e- or a-:

• l'escola
• l'estrella
• l'aigua

Yes, in many contexts Catalan can also use estimar-se més to mean to prefer.

So:

• La meva mare prefereix l'aspiradora
• La meva mare s'estima més l'aspiradora

Both can express preference.

However, preferir is very direct and easy for learners, and it matches the structure of the English verb to prefer very neatly. In this sentence, prefereix is perfectly natural.