A la nevera hi ha maduixes, però encara no les menjo.

In Catalan, both a and en can relate to location, but with places like la nevera, a la nevera is very natural and common.

Here, a la nevera means in the fridge or literally at the fridge. Catalan often uses a where English would use in.

So:

• A la nevera hi ha maduixes = There are strawberries in the fridge

You may also hear dins de la nevera if someone wants to be more explicit about being physically inside it.

Hi ha means there is or there are.

It is made of:

• hi = a little locative particle, often connected to place or existence
• ha = has from the verb haver

Together, hi ha works as a fixed expression meaning:

• there is
• there are

Examples:

• Hi ha pa. = There is bread.
• Hi ha maduixes. = There are strawberries.

Even though ha looks singular, hi ha is used for both singular and plural nouns.

Both are possible.

Catalan is flexible with word order, and putting A la nevera first helps set the scene first:

• A la nevera hi ha maduixes = In the fridge, there are strawberries
• Hi ha maduixes a la nevera = There are strawberries in the fridge

Starting with A la nevera puts a little more focus on the location. It is similar to English when we say In the fridge, there are strawberries.

Because Catalan often leaves out the article when talking about the mere existence of something after hi ha.

So:

• Hi ha maduixes = There are strawberries
• not necessarily the strawberries, just strawberries in general

If you said Hi ha les maduixes, it would sound like you mean some specific strawberries already known in the conversation, and in many contexts that would sound unnatural.

Però means but.

Encara usually means still or yet, depending on the sentence.

So:

• però encara no les menjo = but I’m not eating them yet / but I still don’t eat them

In this sentence, encara no is best understood as not yet.

Examples:

• Encara no ve. = He/She isn’t coming yet / hasn’t come yet
• Encara menja. = He/She is still eating

So encara can mean either still or yet, depending on whether the sentence is affirmative or negative.

Because Catalan often replaces a direct object noun with a direct object pronoun, just as English can say I eat them instead of I eat the strawberries.

Here:

• les maduixes = the strawberries
• les = them referring to a feminine plural noun

So:

• encara no les menjo = I’m still not eating them yet

You could repeat the noun:

• però encara no menjo les maduixes

That is grammatical, but using les is very natural because the strawberries were just mentioned.

Because object pronouns usually go before the conjugated verb in Catalan.

So:

• les menjo = I eat them
• literally something like them I eat

This is normal Catalan word order with object pronouns.

More examples:

• La veig. = I see her/it
• Els compro. = I buy them
• No la tinc. = I don’t have it

With most normal finite verbs, the pronoun comes before the verb.

Because maduixes is a feminine plural noun.

The singular is:

• la maduixa = the strawberry

The plural is:

• les maduixes = the strawberries

So the matching direct object pronoun is:

• les = them for feminine plural nouns

Compare:

• el llibre → el = it
• els llibres → els = them
• la maduixa → la = it
• les maduixes → les = them

Because Catalan usually drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Here, menjo means I eat, so jo is not necessary.

• menjo = I eat
• jo menjo = I eat with extra emphasis

So:

• però encara no les menjo = neutral, natural
• però jo encara no les menjo = more emphasis on I

This is common in Catalan, as in Spanish and Italian.

It can mean either one depending on context.

Catalan present tense often covers both:

• a general present: I don’t eat them
• a current situation: I’m not eating them

With encara in this sentence, the most natural interpretation is:

• but I’m not eating them yet
• or but I haven’t eaten them yet, depending on the wider context

So the exact English tense can vary, even though the Catalan uses the simple present.

In Catalan, no comes before the verb, and if there is an object pronoun, it comes before the verb too.

So the order is:

• no + object pronoun + verb

Here:

• no les menjo

This is the normal pattern.

Examples:

• No el veig. = I don’t see him/it
• No la conec. = I don’t know her
• No els compro. = I don’t buy them

Yes, absolutely.

That version is also correct:

• Però encara no menjo les maduixes

The difference is mainly one of style and information flow:

• encara no les menjo sounds more natural when the strawberries have just been mentioned
• encara no menjo les maduixes repeats the noun for clarity or emphasis

Native speakers often prefer the pronoun once the object is already known.

The dictionary form is menjar, meaning to eat.

Menjo is the first person singular present form:

• jo menjo = I eat

Some other forms are:

• tu menges = you eat
• ell/ella menja = he/she eats
• nosaltres mengem = we eat
• vosaltres mengeu = you all eat
• ells/elles mengen = they eat

So in the sentence, menjo clearly tells you the subject is I.

Sort of, but not exactly.

In hi ha, the whole expression means there is/there are. You should usually learn hi ha as one chunk.

English uses there in a special way in sentences like there are strawberries. Catalan uses hi ha for that function.

So while hi contributes to that meaning, it is best not to translate it word-for-word every time. Just remember:

• hi ha = there is / there are

That will help you most.