Al despatx, l'equip parla del projecte mentre mira l'horari.

Because al is the normal contraction of a + el in Catalan.

• a el despatx → al despatx

This works like:

• del = de + el
• al = a + el

So al despatx means in/to the office, depending on context. In this sentence, it indicates location.

Catalan often drops the vowel of the article el or la before a word beginning with a vowel or silent h.

So:

• el equip → l'equip
• el horari → l'horari

This is very common in Catalan and helps pronunciation flow more naturally.

Del is the contraction of de + el.

• de el projecte → del projecte

The verb parlar de means to talk about. So:

• parlar del projecte = to talk about the project

This is important because in Catalan, parlar often takes de when introducing the topic.

Because Catalan uses the preposition de with parlar when you mean talk about something.

Compare:

• parlar de política = to talk about politics
• parlar del projecte = to talk about the project

So de is required here. Without it, the sentence would be ungrammatical or would mean something different.

Because l'equip is grammatically singular, even though it refers to a group of people.

So Catalan treats it like a singular noun:

• l'equip parla
• l'equip mira

This is similar to English the team talks in some varieties of English, though English can sometimes use plural agreement depending on dialect. In standard Catalan, singular agreement is the normal choice here.

Yes. Mentre means while and links two actions happening at the same time.

In this sentence:

• parla del projecte = one action
• mentre mira l'horari = another simultaneous action

So mentre introduces the idea of at the same time.

Catalan often omits subject pronouns when the verb form already makes the subject clear, or when the subject has already been stated.

Here, the subject is l'equip, and that subject carries over to both verbs:

• l'equip parla
• (l'equip) mira

So the sentence means that the team is both talking and looking.

Not if the subject stays l'equip.

Since l'equip is singular, the correct verb form is mira.
You would use miren only with a plural subject, for example:

• Els membres de l'equip parlen del projecte mentre miren l'horari.

So:

• l'equip → mira
• els membres → miren

The comma separates the opening location phrase from the main clause:

• Al despatx, = in the office
• l'equip parla del projecte mentre mira l'horari. = main statement

This kind of comma is common when a sentence begins with a setting or time expression. It helps readability, though punctuation can sometimes vary.

Usually, yes, but it often suggests an office room or workspace, especially a professional one.

Depending on context, despatx can mean:

• an office
• a study
• a room where administrative or professional work is done

So in many cases, office is the best translation, but the exact nuance depends on context.

Horari is a masculine noun, which is why it takes l' from el:

• el horari → l'horari

It usually means:

• schedule
• timetable

So in this sentence, it refers to some kind of planned schedule or timetable the team is checking.

Projecte is the Catalan noun for project. It comes from the same Latin source as the English word, but the form developed differently.

A rough pronunciation is:

• pro-JEK-tuh

More approximately in Catalan IPA: /pɾuˈʒɛk.tə/ in many varieties.

A few useful notes:

• the j in Catalan is not like English j
• it sounds more like the s in measure or zh
• the final e is pronounced, unlike in English project

Yes. Catalan allows some flexibility with word order, especially for adverbial phrases like place and time expressions.

For example:

• Al despatx, l'equip parla del projecte mentre mira l'horari.
• L'equip parla del projecte mentre mira l'horari al despatx.

Both are possible, but the first one foregrounds the location more clearly. Starting with Al despatx sets the scene right away.