Quan tinc mal al nas, no respiro gaire bé.

not

Breakdown of Quan tinc mal al nas, no respiro gaire bé.

• bé: well
• quan: when
• respirar: to breathe

Questions & Answers about Quan tinc mal al nas, no respiro gaire bé.

What does quan do in this sentence?

Quan means when and introduces a time clause:

• Quan tinc mal al nas = When my nose hurts / When I have pain in my nose

It is followed here by the present tense because Catalan often uses the present for general situations or repeated facts:

• Quan plou, em quedo a casa. = When it rains, I stay home.
• Quan tinc son, me'n vaig a dormir. = When I'm sleepy, I go to sleep.

So the sentence describes something that generally happens whenever that condition is true.

Why is it tinc mal and not a verb meaning hurt?

Catalan very often uses tenir mal literally to have pain rather than a direct equivalent of English to hurt.

So:

• Tinc mal = I have pain / It hurts
• Tinc mal al nas = My nose hurts / I have pain in my nose

This is a very common pattern with body parts:

• Tinc mal al cap. = My head hurts.
• Tinc mal a l'esquena. = My back hurts.
• Tinc mal a la cama. = My leg hurts.

English uses hurt, but Catalan often prefers tenir mal.