A la primavera, una papallona blanca sempre passa per sobre de la gespa.

A la primavera means in spring or more literally at the springtime.

In Catalan, seasons are often used with the article, so la primavera = spring. The preposition a is commonly used here to express time.

So:

• a la primavera = in spring
• a l’estiu = in summer
• a la tardor = in autumn
• a l’hivern = in winter

This is a very natural way to talk about when something happens.

Because primavera is a feminine noun.

In Catalan:

• a + el = al
• but a + la stays a la

So:

• al parc = to the park
• a la primavera = in the spring

There is no contraction with la here.

Catalan often uses the definite article with seasons, where English often does not.

So Catalan says:

• la primavera
• l’estiu
• la tardor
• l’hivern

Even when English would simply say spring, Catalan commonly keeps the article. This is normal and idiomatic.

Una papallona blanca means a white butterfly.

Catalan usually places many adjectives after the noun, unlike English.

So:

• una papallona blanca = a white butterfly
• una casa gran = a big house
• un cotxe vermell = a red car

This word order is very common in Catalan.

Because papallona is a feminine singular noun, and the adjective must agree with it.

Agreement in Catalan means the adjective changes form to match the noun’s:

• gender
• number

Here:

• papallona = feminine singular
• so the adjective is blanca = feminine singular

Compare:

• un paper blanc = a white paper
• una papallona blanca = a white butterfly
• papallones blanques = white butterflies

Sempre means always.

It modifies the verb phrase and tells us that the action happens regularly or every time in that context.

In this sentence:

• una papallona blanca sempre passa...
• literally: a white butterfly always passes...

Its position before the verb is very natural in Catalan. Catalan adverbs like sempre, sovint, mai, and ja are often placed before the main verb.

Here passa comes from the verb passar.

Depending on context, passar can mean:

• to pass
• to go by
• to move past
• sometimes to happen

In this sentence, it means something like passes or goes over/across.

So passa per sobre de la gespa gives the idea that the butterfly moves over the grass.

Also, passa is:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense

So it agrees with una papallona.

Per sobre de is a common Catalan expression meaning over, above, or across the top of something.

So:

• per sobre de la gespa = over the grass

It emphasizes movement above something. This works well with a butterfly flying over the lawn.

You could compare:

• sobre la taula = on the table / over the table, depending on context
• passar per sobre de la gespa = to pass over the grass

Here, per sobre de is more explicitly about movement across an area while staying above it.

Because the full expression is per sobre de + noun.

So the structure is:

• per sobre de
  • la gespa
• per sobre del riu
• per sobre de la casa

You should learn per sobre de as a set expression meaning over / above.

The de belongs to that expression, so it is required.

Gespa means grass, especially lawn grass or a grassy surface like a lawn.

So la gespa here is not just grass in the most general abstract sense, but more like the lawn or the grass as a surface the butterfly flies over.

Catalan often uses the definite article where English may or may not use one.

So la gespa is perfectly natural and means the grass or the lawn.

In this sentence, it refers to a specific visible area or natural surface in the scene, so the article sounds very normal.

The given word order is very natural, but Catalan allows some flexibility.

The sentence:

• A la primavera, una papallona blanca sempre passa per sobre de la gespa.

is a neutral, clear way to say it.

You could change the order for emphasis, for example:

• Una papallona blanca sempre passa per sobre de la gespa a la primavera.
• Sempre passa una papallona blanca per sobre de la gespa a la primavera.

But these may sound slightly different in emphasis or style. For a learner, the original version is an excellent standard pattern.

In standard Catalan, papallona is pronounced approximately like pah-puh-LYO-nuh.

The ll in Catalan is usually pronounced like a palatal sound, similar to the lli sound in some pronunciations of million, though exact pronunciation depends somewhat on dialect.

So the important thing for learners is:

• papallona
• not with a plain English l
• and not exactly like Spanish ll in every dialect either

Listening to native audio is especially helpful for this word.

Yes. Catalan uses the present tense very naturally for habitual actions, just like English does.

So:

• sempre passa = always passes

This does not mean it is happening only right now. It means it is something that regularly happens, especially in spring.

That is a very common use of the present tense in Catalan.