Si el ratolí no funciona, no puc obrir l'arxiu.

If the mouse does not work, I cannot open the file.

Breakdown of Si el ratolí no funciona, no puc obrir l'arxiu.

• no: not
• poder: to be able to
• obrir: to open
• si: if

Questions & Answers about Si el ratolí no funciona, no puc obrir l'arxiu.

What does si mean here, and what kind of sentence is this?

Si means if. This is a conditional sentence: one thing depends on another.

In this sentence, Catalan uses si + present indicative for a real or possible situation:

Si el ratolí no funciona, no puc obrir l'arxiu.

That is the normal pattern for everyday conditions like this. You do not use the subjunctive after si here.

Why is there el before ratolí?

El is the masculine singular definite article, meaning the.

Catalan usually keeps the article with nouns in places where English sometimes leaves it out. Here, el ratolí means the mouse, referring to the specific mouse being used.

So ratolí by itself would usually sound incomplete in this sentence.

Is ratolí really the word for a computer mouse?

Yes. Ratolí is the normal Catalan word for both the animal mouse and the computer mouse, just like in English.

The context makes the meaning clear. Since the sentence talks about opening a file, it obviously means the computer mouse.

Why are there two nos in the sentence?