Vostè sap si avui es venen bitllets a la taquilla o només per internet?

Vostè is the formal way to say you in Catalan. It is used when speaking politely to a stranger, a customer, an older person, or in a more respectful situation.

So this sentence sounds like a polite question, something like what you might say to staff at a station or theater.

If you were speaking informally to a friend, you would normally use tu instead: Saps si avui es venen bitllets a la taquilla o només per internet?

Because vostè takes the third-person singular verb form, not the usual second-person form.

• tu saps = you know (informal)
• vostè sap = you know (formal)

This is similar to Spanish usted sabe if you know Spanish. Even though vostè means you, grammatically it behaves like he/she.

Here si means whether or if in an indirect question.

So Vostè sap si... means Do you know whether... / Do you know if...

This is not the same as English if in a conditional sentence like If it rains... Even though the same Catalan word si is used, the function here is to introduce a clause after know.

Es venen bitllets is a very common Catalan structure meaning tickets are sold or more naturally they sell tickets.

This is called a kind of passive or impersonal construction with es.

• Es venen bitllets = tickets are sold
• Es ven un bitllet = a ticket is sold

It is often used when the person doing the action is not important or not mentioned.

Without es, venen bitllets would usually sound more like they sell tickets, with an implied subject, rather than the more neutral are tickets being sold idea.

Because bitllets is plural, and in this es + verb structure the verb agrees with the thing being sold.

• Es ven un bitllet = one ticket is sold
• Es venen bitllets = tickets are sold

So the plural noun bitllets causes the verb to be plural: venen.

Bitllets is the plural of bitllet.

It can mean tickets, but the exact English word depends on context:

• train tickets
• bus tickets
• concert tickets
• admission tickets

In some contexts bitllet can also mean a banknote or bill. But in this sentence, because of taquilla and per internet, it clearly means tickets.

Here taquilla means the ticket office, ticket window, or box office.

So a la taquilla means at the ticket office / at the box office.

Be aware that taquilla can mean other things in other contexts, such as a locker. But in this sentence, it clearly refers to the place where tickets are sold in person.

Because the two phrases express different ideas:

• a la taquilla = at the ticket office, a physical place
• per internet = through / via the internet, a method or channel

So:

• a is used for location here
• per is used for means or medium

This is very natural in Catalan.

You may also hear:

• per Internet
• en línia = online

Yes. Catalan often drops subject pronouns because the verb already shows the person clearly enough.

So you could also say: Sap si avui es venen bitllets a la taquilla o només per internet?

That is still perfectly natural. Including vostè makes the sentence sound a bit more explicit or polite.

Catalan does not usually need auxiliary verbs like English do to form questions.

English says: Do you know if...?

Catalan simply says: Vostè sap si...?

Question meaning is shown by:

• intonation in speech
• the question mark in writing
• context

So Catalan question word order is often the same as statement word order.

Yes. Sap vostè si... is also possible and still polite.

Both are grammatical:

• Vostè sap si...?
• Sap vostè si...?

The version with Vostè first is very straightforward and common. The version with the verb first can sound slightly more formal or more like careful written speech, depending on context.

Només means only.

The accent mark shows the stressed syllable and helps distinguish it in writing. In speech, the stress falls on the second syllable: no-MÉS.

So:

• o només per internet = or only online / or only through the internet

A very natural informal version would be:

Saps si avui venen bitllets a la taquilla o només per internet?

A few things changed:

• vostè → tu
• sap → saps
• many speakers might also say venen bitllets instead of es venen bitllets in casual speech, depending on style and region

Another common option is: Saps si avui es poden comprar bitllets a la taquilla o només per internet? This means something like Do you know if tickets can be bought at the ticket office today or only online?

The tricky part is the ll.

In standard Catalan, ll is traditionally a palatal sound, something like the lli sound in some careful pronunciations of million, though many speakers pronounce it more like a y sound.

Roughly:

• bitllets ≈ bee-TLYETS or for many learners closer to bee-YETS
• taquilla ≈ ta-KEE-lya or sometimes closer to ta-KEE-ya

You do not need to pronounce it perfectly at first to be understood, but it is good to notice that ll is not the same as English l.

Yes. Avui is the standard Catalan word for today.

It is extremely common and useful:

• avui = today
• demà = tomorrow
• ahir = yesterday

In this sentence, avui tells you the question is specifically about ticket sales today, not in general.