Word
A la pastisseria hi ha un pastís de xocolata molt bonic, i crec que l'oncle l'adorarà.
Meaning
At the pastry shop there is a very nice chocolate cake, and I think my uncle will love it.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of A la pastisseria hi ha un pastís de xocolata molt bonic, i crec que l'oncle l'adorarà.
un
a
molt
very
haver-hi
there be
a
at
Questions & Answers about A la pastisseria hi ha un pastís de xocolata molt bonic, i crec que l'oncle l'adorarà.
Why does the sentence start with A la pastisseria? Does a mean in here?
Yes—here a la pastisseria means at the bakery or in the bakery.
In Catalan, a is very often used for location, where English might use at, in, or sometimes to, depending on context. So:
- a la pastisseria = at/in the bakery
- a casa = at home
- a Barcelona = in Barcelona
So even though a often gets taught first as to, it also commonly marks place.
What does hi ha mean, and why are there two words?
Hi ha is the standard Catalan way to say there is or there are.
Examples:
- Hi ha un pastís = There is a cake
- Hi ha dos llibres = There are two books
It is made up of:
- hi — a locative element, historically related to there
- ha — from the verb haver
You should learn haver-hi as a fixed expression:
- hi ha = there is / there are
- hi havia = there was / there were
- hi haurà = there will be
So A la pastisseria hi ha un pastís... literally works like At the bakery, there is a cake...
Why is it un pastís de xocolata instead of a direct equivalent of ?