Questions & Answers about Avui el tren arriba amb retard.
Why does the sentence start with Avui?
Avui means today and it is an adverb of time. Catalan often puts time expressions near the beginning of the sentence, especially when setting the scene.
So:
- Avui el tren arriba amb retard. = Today the train arrives late / is delayed today.
You could move avui elsewhere, but starting with it sounds very natural if today is the main time reference.
Why is it el tren and not just tren?
Catalan usually uses the definite article much more often than English.
- el tren = the train
In English, you might sometimes say trains are delayed or train arrives late in headline style, but normal Catalan usually wants the article with a specific noun:
- el tren
- la noia
- els cotxes
So el tren arriba... is the normal way to say the train arrives...
Why is the verb arriba?
Arriba is the 3rd person singular present tense of arribar (to arrive).
The subject is el tren = the train, which is third person singular, so the verb must match it: