Breakdown of Les botes blanques no són les que busco; jo volia unes sabatilles negres.
ser
to be
voler
to want
no
not
jo
I
Questions & Answers about Les botes blanques no són les que busco; jo volia unes sabatilles negres.
Why is it les botes blanques and not els botes blanques?
Because botes is a feminine plural noun in Catalan, so it takes the feminine plural article les.
- la bota = the boot
- les botes = the boots
The adjective also has to match in gender and number, which is why you get blanques.
Why does blanques end in -es?
Catalan adjectives usually agree with the noun they describe in gender and number.
Here, botes is feminine plural, so:
- blanc = white, masculine singular
- blanca = feminine singular
- blancs = masculine plural
- blanques = feminine plural
So botes blanques means white boots, with full agreement.
Why is it no són and not no estan?
Catalan, like Spanish, often distinguishes between ser and estar.
Here, són comes from ser, because the sentence is identifying something:
- No són les que busco = They are not the ones I’m looking for
This is about identity, not temporary state or location, so ser is the correct verb.
Why is plural?