A la terrassa del restaurant hi ha cadires blanques i taules petites.

A la terrassa means on the terrace or at the terrace.

• a = to / at / on depending on context
• la terrassa = the terrace

In this sentence, a is used to show location. So A la terrassa del restaurant means On the restaurant terrace / At the terrace of the restaurant.

Catalan often puts the place first, especially when setting the scene.

Because terrassa is a feminine singular noun.

In Catalan:

• a + el = al
• a + la = a la (no contraction)

So:

• al restaurant = to/at the restaurant
• a la terrassa = to/on the terrace

There is no contraction with la.

del is a contraction of de + el.

So:

• de = of
• el restaurant = the restaurant
• del restaurant = of the restaurant

This is exactly like:

• de + el = del

So la terrassa del restaurant means the terrace of the restaurant or more naturally the restaurant’s terrace.

hi ha means there is or there are.

It is the normal Catalan way to say that something exists or is present somewhere.

Examples:

• Hi ha una cadira. = There is a chair.
• Hi ha dues cadires. = There are two chairs.

So in your sentence, hi ha cadires blanques i taules petites means there are white chairs and small tables.

This is one of the most important things to notice.

In Catalan, existential hi ha does not change for singular and plural in the present tense.

So you say:

• Hi ha una taula. = There is a table.
• Hi ha dues taules. = There are two tables.

Even with plural nouns, it stays hi ha, not something like hi han.

For an English speaker, this can feel strange because English changes there is / there are, but Catalan does not here.

hi is a little locative word that originally means something like there.

In hi ha, the whole expression functions as there is / there are.

So although you can think of hi as related to there, it’s best to learn hi ha as a fixed expression meaning there is / there are.

Even when the place is already stated, Catalan still uses hi ha:

• A la terrassa del restaurant hi ha...

So this is normal and not redundant in Catalan.

Because the sentence is talking about existence, not identity or state.

Catalan uses hi ha for there is / there are.

Compare:

• Hi ha cadires a la terrassa. = There are chairs on the terrace.
• Les cadires són blanques. = The chairs are white.
• Les cadires estan a la terrassa. = The chairs are on the terrace.

So:

• hi ha = existence/presence of things
• ser = identity, classification, inherent qualities
• estar = location/state in many contexts

Here the sentence is introducing what is present on the terrace, so hi ha is the right choice.

Because the sentence is introducing them as indefinite items: chairs and small tables, not the chairs and the small tables.

So:

• hi ha cadires blanques = there are white chairs
• hi ha les cadires blanques would sound like the white chairs are there, which is a different idea

In Catalan, as in English, when you talk about things in a general indefinite way, you often leave out the article.

Because in Catalan, adjectives often come after the noun.

So:

• cadires blanques = white chairs
• taules petites = small tables

This is very common in Catalan and Romance languages generally.

English usually puts adjectives before the noun, but Catalan often puts them after.

Because adjectives in Catalan must agree with the noun in gender and number.

Here:

• cadires is feminine plural
• taules is feminine plural

So the adjectives must also be feminine plural:

• blanca → feminine singular

• blanques → feminine plural

• petita → feminine singular
• petites → feminine plural

That gives:

• cadires blanques
• taules petites

A good clue is the singular form and the article they would take:

• la cadira = the chair
• la taula = the table

Both are feminine singular nouns, so their plurals are also feminine:

• les cadires
• les taules

That is why the adjectives must also be feminine plural:

• blanques
• petites

i simply means and in Catalan.

So:

• cadires blanques i taules petites = white chairs and small tables

Unlike Spanish, Catalan normally keeps i even before words beginning with an i sound. So it’s just the standard word for and.

Yes. A very natural alternative would be:

Hi ha cadires blanques i taules petites a la terrassa del restaurant.

This means the same thing: There are white chairs and small tables on the restaurant terrace.

The version you have begins with the location:

A la terrassa del restaurant hi ha...

That structure is useful when you want to set the scene first: On the restaurant terrace, there are...

Usually it refers to an outdoor seating area, terrace, or patio. In a restaurant context, terrassa often means the outdoor part where people sit.

So depending on context, English might translate it as:

• terrace
• patio
• outdoor seating area

The exact English word can vary, but the Catalan word is very natural here.

A singular version could be:

A la terrassa del restaurant hi ha una cadira blanca i una taula petita.

That means:

On the restaurant terrace there is a white chair and a small table.

Notice the changes:

• cadires → una cadira
• blanques → blanca
• taules → una taula
• petites → petita

The adjectives change to match the singular feminine nouns.

The sentence breaks down like this:

• A la terrassa del restaurant = location
• hi ha = there is / there are
• cadires blanques i taules petites = things that are there

So the pattern is:

[place] + hi ha + [things]

This is a very useful Catalan structure for describing places:

• A l’habitació hi ha un llit. = In the room there is a bed.
• Al jardí hi ha flors. = In the garden there are flowers.
• A la terrassa del restaurant hi ha cadires blanques i taules petites.

Usually no.

For learners, the best strategy is to learn hi ha as one chunk meaning there is / there are.

If you try to translate each word separately every time, it can get confusing. It’s much more helpful to recognize:

• hi ha = there is / there are

Then the sentence becomes much easier to read quickly.