Si no plou, la meva mare vol estendre la roba al balcó.

If it does not rain, my mother wants to hang the clothes out on the balcony.

Breakdown of Si no plou, la meva mare vol estendre la roba al balcó.

• voler: to want
• no: not
• la mare: the mother
• meu: my

Questions & Answers about Si no plou, la meva mare vol estendre la roba al balcó.

Why does si mean if here? I thought si could also mean yes.

In Catalan, si can mean two different things depending on context:

• si = if
• sí = yes

The difference is the written accent:

• Si no plou... = If it doesn’t rain...
• Sí = Yes

So in this sentence, si without an accent is the conjunction if.

Why is it plou and not something like està plovent?

Plou is the normal way to say it is raining / it rains in Catalan.

Catalan often uses the simple present where English might use either:

• it rains
• it is raining

So:

• Si no plou = If it isn’t raining / If it doesn’t rain

You can say està plovent for emphasis on an action happening right now, but plou is the most natural everyday choice here.

Why is there no word for it in plou?