En aquesta empresa es treballa molt quan hi ha un projecte gran.

In Catalan, both a and en can sometimes be translated as in or at, but en is very common with places when you mean in/within that place.

So En aquesta empresa means in this company.

A learner may expect a aquesta empresa, but that would more naturally suggest movement to the company, not location in it.

• en aquesta empresa = in this company
• a aquesta empresa = to this company

Aquesta means this.

It is feminine singular because it matches empresa, which is a feminine singular noun.

Catalan demonstratives agree with the noun:

• aquest = this (masculine singular)
• aquesta = this (feminine singular)
• aquests = these (masculine plural)
• aquestes = these (feminine plural)

So:

• aquesta empresa = this company

Es treballa is an impersonal construction in Catalan. It means something like:

• people work
• one works
• work gets done
• there is a lot of working

In this sentence, it does not mean it works. The es here is not reflexive; it is used to make the sentence general and impersonal.

So:

• En aquesta empresa es treballa molt = In this company, people work a lot / a lot of work is done

This is very common in Catalan and Spanish-style grammar. It is often used when you want to talk about what people generally do, without naming who exactly does it.

Compare:

• Treballem molt = We work a lot
• Es treballa molt = People work a lot / There is a lot of work going on

Not exactly in the usual English sense. It is better understood here as an impersonal structure rather than a true passive.

A true passive-like Catalan structure often has a plural noun that behaves like the subject, for example:

• Es venen cotxes = Cars are sold

But in es treballa molt, there is no real subject like cars. It just means people work a lot in general.

So for learners, the simplest explanation is:

• es + verb (3rd person singular) can make a general statement about what people do

Because the impersonal es construction normally uses the third person singular form of the verb when there is no specific subject.

Here:

• treballa = third person singular of treballar

Even though the meaning involves people in general, the grammar stays singular:

• es treballa
• es menja bé aquí = people eat well here / the food is good here
• es viu tranquil·lament = one lives peacefully / people live peacefully

So the singular verb is completely normal.

Molt means a lot here.

In es treballa molt, it modifies the verb treballa, so it tells you how much people work.

Word order like this is normal in Catalan:

• treballa molt = works a lot

Catalan often places adverbs like molt after the verb:

• parla molt = speaks a lot
• corre molt = runs a lot
• estudia molt = studies a lot

Quan means when.

In this sentence, quan hi ha un projecte gran refers to a real or habitual situation, so the indicative is used:

• quan hi ha = when there is / when there are

This is normal when talking about something factual, repeated, or expected:

• Quan plou, em quedo a casa = When it rains, I stay home
• Quan hi ha feina, es treballa més = When there is work, people work more

So quan here introduces a time clause with a real situation, not a hypothetical one.

Hi ha is the standard Catalan expression for there is and there are.

It comes from the verb haver plus the particle hi.

You can think of it as a fixed expression:

• hi ha un projecte = there is a project
• hi ha dos projectes = there are two projects

Unlike English, Catalan uses the same verb form ha in both singular and plural existential statements:

• hi ha un problema = there is a problem
• hi ha problemes = there are problems

So in your sentence:

• quan hi ha un projecte gran = when there is a big project

In hi ha, hi is a locative/clitic particle that is part of the fixed existential expression.

For most learners, the best approach is to learn hi ha as a single unit meaning:

• there is
• there are

Later, you may notice that hi also appears in other Catalan structures with a locative sense, but in hi ha, it is best memorized as part of the whole phrase.

So do not try to translate hi word-for-word every time.

In Catalan, adjectives usually come after the noun:

• un projecte gran = a big project
• una casa gran = a big house

That is the most neutral and common order.

Sometimes an adjective can come before the noun, but that often changes the tone or emphasis, and it is not the default pattern.

So un projecte gran is the normal way to say a big project.

Yes. Gran can mean:

• big
• large
• sometimes important or major, depending on context

So un projecte gran could suggest not only physical size, but also a project that is large in scope or importance.

That is very natural in business or work-related contexts.

Because the sentence is intentionally general.

Using es treballa lets the speaker describe a typical situation in the company without focusing on a specific group of people.

If you said:

• Els treballadors treballen molt... = The workers work a lot... that would sound more specific and direct.

But:

• En aquesta empresa es treballa molt... sounds more like a general observation about the working culture.

Sometimes yes, but be careful.

In natural English, they work a lot can be used generically, so it may sound fine in context. But grammatically, es treballa molt is more impersonal than they work a lot.

Depending on context, good English equivalents are:

• people work a lot
• they work a lot
• one works a lot (more formal)
• there’s a lot of work

So they work a lot can work as a translation, but it is not always the best way to understand the Catalan structure.

Yes. Catalan word order is flexible.

For example:

• Quan hi ha un projecte gran, en aquesta empresa es treballa molt.

This has the same basic meaning:

• When there is a big project, people work a lot in this company.

The original version starts with En aquesta empresa, which gives early emphasis to the place or setting.

The alternative starts with Quan hi ha un projecte gran, which gives early emphasis to the condition or time.

Both are correct.

The ll in Catalan is not usually the same as a plain English l.

In many varieties of Catalan, ll is pronounced like a palatal sound, roughly similar to the lli sound in some pronunciations of million, though exact pronunciation varies by dialect.

So treballa is not pronounced like an English-style trebala.

Also:

• treballa = he/she works, or part of the impersonal es treballa
• treballar = to work

If pronunciation matters for your learning, ll is definitely a sound worth practicing.

It most naturally describes a habitual or general situation.

The present tense in Catalan often expresses something that usually happens:

• En aquesta empresa es treballa molt quan hi ha un projecte gran. = In this company, people work a lot when there is a big project.

This suggests a repeated pattern, not just one specific moment.

If you wanted a single past event, the sentence would need different tense forms.