El got és buit, així que hi poso aigua per a la sopa.

El got means the glass, so it refers to a specific glass that is already known from the context.

If you said un got, that would mean a glass, introducing it as new or non-specific.

So the contrast is:

• El got és buit = The glass is empty
• Un got és buit = A glass is empty or One glass is empty depending on context

In this sentence, el got makes sense because we are talking about a particular glass.

This is a very common question, especially for learners who know Spanish.

In Catalan, both ser and estar can appear with adjectives, but they do not work exactly like Spanish. With buit (empty), many speakers would very naturally say està buit to describe the glass’s current state.

However, és buit is also possible in Catalan, especially depending on dialect, style, or how the speaker views the quality being described.

Very roughly:

• està buit = emphasizes the current state, it is empty right now
• és buit = can sound more descriptive or classificatory in some contexts

In everyday speech, El got està buit may sound more natural to many speakers, but El got és buit is not something a learner should be shocked by.

Així que means so, therefore, or so then.

It connects the two parts of the sentence:

• El got és buit = the glass is empty
• així que hi poso aigua = so I put water in it

It works much like English so when one fact leads to the next action.

You may also see other connectors in Catalan, such as:

• per tant = therefore
• doncs = so / then / well

But així que is a very natural way to show consequence.

Here hi is a locative clitic pronoun. It replaces a place phrase such as:

• al got = in the glass / into the glass
• dins del got = inside the glass

So:

• hi poso aigua = I put water in it / there
• more explicitly: poso aigua al got

In this sentence, hi refers back to el got.

This is one of the most important little words in Catalan. It often stands for a place already mentioned, so Catalan does not need to repeat the full phrase.

Because in Catalan, unstressed pronouns like hi, en, el, la, li, etc. usually go before a conjugated verb.

So:

• hi poso aigua
• not normally poso hi aigua

This is normal Catalan word order with clitic pronouns.

You do get pronouns after the verb in some other situations, especially with:

• infinitives: posar-hi aigua
• gerunds: posant-hi aigua
• affirmative commands: posa-hi aigua

But with a normal present-tense finite verb like poso, the pronoun comes before it: hi poso.

Poso is the first person singular present indicative of posar, which means to put.

So:

• jo poso = I put / I am putting
• tu poses = you put
• ell/ella posa = he/she puts

In the sentence, hi poso aigua means I put water in it or I’m putting water in it.

Catalan often uses the simple present in places where English may use either the simple present or the present continuous, depending on context.

Because aigua here is being used as an uncountable substance, like water in English.

When you say poso aigua, you mean I add water or I put in some water. That is the normal choice.

If you said poso l’aigua, it would usually mean I put the water in, referring to a specific, already identified water.

So compare:

• Poso aigua = I add water / some water
• Poso l’aigua = I put in the water

This is similar to English:

• I add water
• I add the water

Per a la sopa means for the soup.

It shows the purpose or intended use of the water: the water is being put in for making the soup.

So the idea is not just I put water in the glass, but I put water in it for the soup.

In Catalan, per a often expresses:

• purpose
• destination
• intended recipient or use

That is why it fits well here.

In many real-life varieties of Catalan, yes, you may hear per la sopa where more careful or traditional grammar would prefer per a la sopa.

Very roughly:

• per a is the more explicit form for for, especially for purpose or destination
• per often replaces per a in everyday speech

So:

• per a la sopa = clearer, more formal or careful
• per la sopa = common in colloquial usage in many places

For a learner, per a la sopa is a very good form to know and use.

Yes, absolutely.

These are both natural:

• Hi poso aigua = I put water in it
• Poso aigua al got = I put water in the glass

The difference is mainly that hi avoids repeating the location because it is already understood from el got.

Using hi often sounds smoother and more native-like once the place has already been mentioned.

Because buit agrees with got, which is masculine singular.

In Catalan, adjectives usually agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

So you get:

• el got és buit = masculine singular
• la tassa és buida = feminine singular
• els gots són buits = masculine plural
• les tasses són buides = feminine plural

So buit is the correct form because got is a masculine singular noun.