Hi ha pols sobre el prestatge, així que agafo un drap per netejar-lo.

Hi ha means there is or there are. It is the normal Catalan expression for saying that something exists or is present somewhere.

So:

• Hi ha pols = There is dust
• Hi ha llibres = There are books

You do not usually use és for this. És means is in the sense of identity or description, not existence.

• És brut = It is dirty
• Hi ha pols = There is dust

So in this sentence, hi ha is exactly the right structure.

In Catalan, la pols means dust, and it is normally treated as a singular noun even though it ends in -s.

So:

• la pols = the dust
• Hi ha pols = There is dust

This is something learners just have to get used to: the final -s does not always mean plural.

When Catalan talks about an unspecified amount of something, it often leaves out the article.

So:

• Hi ha pols = There is dust
• Hi ha aigua = There is water

If you said la pols, it would sound more like the dust, referring to specific dust already identified in context. Here the sentence just means that dust is present, so pols without an article is natural.

In this sentence, sobre el prestatge means on the shelf.

The preposition sobre can sometimes mean above or over, but with a surface like a shelf, table, or desk, it often means on.

So here:

• sobre el prestatge = on the shelf

Catalan can also use damunt del prestatge for on top of the shelf, depending on context and regional preference.

Prestatge usually means shelf.

Depending on context, it can sometimes refer to a shelving unit, but in a sentence like this, the most natural meaning is simply shelf.

Useful related words:

• prestatge = shelf
• lleixa = another word for shelf in some contexts
• llibreria = bookcase or bookshop, depending on context

Yes. Així que means so, therefore, or so then.

In this sentence:

• Hi ha pols sobre el prestatge, així que...
• There is dust on the shelf, so...

It introduces the consequence or result of the first part of the sentence.

A few similar connectors are:

• per tant = therefore
• doncs = so / well / then in some contexts

But així que is very natural here.

Agafo is the first person singular present tense of agafar, which usually means to take, to grab, or to pick up.

So:

• agafar = to take
• agafo = I take

In the sentence:

• agafo un drap = I take a cloth

Catalan often leaves out the subject pronoun jo because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

So agafo already means I take, without needing jo.

Catalan normally drops subject pronouns when they are not needed, because the verb form already makes the subject clear.

So:

• agafo already means I take
• jo agafo = I take, but with extra emphasis or contrast

For example:

• Agafo un drap = neutral, normal
• Jo agafo un drap, no tu = I’m taking a cloth, not you

In your sentence, leaving out jo is the most natural choice.

Drap means cloth, rag, or sometimes dishcloth, depending on context.

In a cleaning sentence like this, un drap is best understood as:

• a cloth
• a rag

So:

• agafo un drap = I take a cloth / rag

Per + infinitive often expresses purpose in Catalan, just like to + verb or in order to + verb in English.

So:

• per netejar-lo = to clean it
• literally, for cleaning it

Other examples:

• Vaig al mercat per comprar fruita = I’m going to the market to buy fruit
• Necessito aigua per cuinar = I need water to cook

In your sentence, agafo un drap per netejar-lo means I take a cloth to clean it.

In Catalan, object pronouns are often attached to the end of an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative imperative.

So:

• netejar-lo = to clean it
• veure’l = to see him/it
• fer-ho = to do it

This is completely normal Catalan grammar.

By contrast, with a conjugated verb, the pronoun usually goes before the verb:

• El netejo = I clean it

But with the infinitive netejar, it attaches to the end:

• per netejar-lo = to clean it

-lo refers to el prestatge, which is masculine singular.

So the idea is:

• There is dust on the shelf,
• so I take a cloth
• to clean the shelf

That is why Catalan uses the masculine singular object pronoun:

• el prestatge → -lo

It is not referring to pols, because pols is feminine: la pols. If the sentence meant to clean the dust, the pronoun would need to match that noun differently, and in practice Catalan would usually phrase the idea another way.

So netejar-lo clearly means to clean the shelf.

Not naturally. Even though sobre can sometimes correspond to over or above, the natural English translation here is on the shelf.

So the best translation is:

• There is dust on the shelf, so I take a cloth to clean it.

A very literal word-for-word translation would sound odd in English, so it is better to translate by meaning.

Yes, the sentence is in the present tense:

• Hi ha = there is
• agafo = I take

Catalan, like English, can use the present tense to describe what is happening now or what someone habitually does in a situation.

So this sentence can mean something like:

• There is dust on the shelf, so I take a cloth to clean it
• or more contextually, There’s dust on the shelf, so I’m taking a cloth to clean it

This use of the present is very normal.

Yes, absolutely.

Both are possible:

• per netejar el prestatge = to clean the shelf
• per netejar-lo = to clean it

Using -lo avoids repeating el prestatge, so it sounds smoother and more natural once the noun has already been mentioned.