El cafè del pare no és dolç; és una mica amarg.

Del is a contraction of de + el, so del pare literally means of the father.

In Catalan, possession is often expressed this way:

• el cafè del pare = the father's coffee / Dad's coffee
• la casa de la mare = the mother's house

So instead of using 's like in English, Catalan often uses de.

Because in Catalan, de + el normally contracts to del.

So:

• de + el pare → del pare

This is very common:

• el llibre del professor = the teacher's book
• la porta del cotxe = the car door

It works like:

• a + el → al
• de + el → del

Catalan often uses the definite article more than English does.

Here, El cafè del pare means Dad's coffee or the father's coffee, referring to a specific coffee. Because it is specific, el is natural.

Compare:

• El cafè del pare = Dad's coffee
• M'agrada el cafè = I like coffee

Catalan frequently uses el / la / els / les where English may use no article.

No. Pare means father, not parent.

So:

• pare = father
• mare = mother

This is important because an English speaker might guess that pare means parent, but it does not.

In Catalan, no usually goes directly before the verb.

So:

• no és = is not
• no menja = does not eat
• no parla = doesn't speak

In your sentence:

• no és dolç = it isn't sweet

This is the normal way to make a sentence negative.

És is from ser, and està is from estar.

Here, és dolç and és amarg describe the coffee's taste as a characteristic, so ser is the natural choice.

• és dolç = it is sweet
• és amarg = it is bitter

A beginner rule is:

• ser = identity, general quality, characteristic
• estar = state, condition, location

Taste descriptions like this normally use ser.

Una mica means a little or a bit.

So:

• és una mica amarg = it is a little bitter

It is a very common expression in Catalan.

Examples:

• Estic una mica cansat. = I'm a little tired.
• Parla una mica massa ràpid. = He/She speaks a little too fast.

Because una mica modifies the adjective.

The structure is:

• és
  • una mica
    • amarg
• is
  • a little
    • bitter

This is similar to English:

• a little bitter
• a bit sweet

So una mica works like an adverbial expression here.

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

Here, cafè is masculine singular, so:

• dolç
• amarg

Other forms include:

• masculine singular: dolç, amarg
• feminine singular: dolça, amarga
• masculine plural: dolços, amargs
• feminine plural: dolces, amargues

Examples:

• El cafè és dolç.
• La beguda és dolça.

A few useful pronunciation points:

• cafè: the è is an open e sound, and the stress falls on the last syllable: ca-FÈ
• és: also has an open è-type sound in pronunciation, and it means is
• dolç: the final ç is pronounced like s

So dolç sounds roughly like dols.

The accent marks help show stress and vowel quality, so they are important in Catalan spelling.

The semicolon links two closely related statements:

• El cafè del pare no és dolç
• és una mica amarg

It shows a stronger pause than a comma, but less separation than a full stop.

You could also write:

• El cafè del pare no és dolç. És una mica amarg.

Both are correct. The semicolon just makes the relationship between the two ideas especially clear.

Normally, in this kind of sentence, Catalan keeps the verb:

• El cafè del pare no és dolç; és una mica amarg.

Repeating és sounds natural and clear. It mirrors English:

• It isn't sweet; it's a little bitter.

Leaving it out would not be standard here.