Hi ha una avaria.

Hi ha is the standard Catalan way to express existence, like English there is or there are.

So in Hi ha una avaria, hi ha is the part that means there is.

A useful way to learn it is as one chunk:

• hi ha = there is / there are

You will see it constantly:

• Hi ha un problema = There is a problem.
• Hi ha moltes persones = There are many people.

They come from the verb haver-hi, which is used for existence.

• ha is a form of haver
• hi is a little particle that historically relates to location/existence, something like there

For a learner, the easiest approach is not to translate them separately every time. Just treat hi ha as a fixed expression meaning there is / there are.

In normal standard Catalan, you should not drop hi here.
So:

• Hi ha una avaria = correct
• Ha una avaria = not correct for this meaning

Because Catalan uses haver-hi for existence, not ser or estar.

Compare:

• Hi ha una avaria = There is a breakdown/fault.
• L’avaria és greu = The breakdown is serious.

In the first sentence, you are saying that something exists.
In the second, you are describing that thing.

So if you mean there is/there are, use hi ha.

Because avaria is a feminine singular noun.

That means it takes the feminine singular indefinite article:

• una avaria = a breakdown / a fault

If the noun were masculine, you would use un:

• un problema
• un error

So the article agrees with the noun:

• una
  • feminine singular noun
• un
  • masculine singular noun

Avaria usually refers to a fault, breakdown, malfunction, or outage.

It is often used for:

• machines
• vehicles
• electrical systems
• plumbing
• internet/phone service
• infrastructure problems

So depending on context, Hi ha una avaria could mean:

• there is a breakdown
• there is a fault
• there is a malfunction
• there is an outage

For example, if a power company says it, it may mean there is a fault in the network. If someone says it about a car, it means the car has a mechanical problem.

A simple learner-friendly approximation is:

ee AH OO-nuh uh-vuh-REE-uh

A few helpful points:

• hi is pronounced like ee
• ha is like ah
• avaria has the stress on ri

Depending on the Catalan variety, the unstressed vowels may sound a bit different, so you may also hear something closer to:

• ee AH oo-nah ah-vah-REE-ah

The most important thing is:

• clear hi
• open ha
• stress on -ri- in avaria

In standard Catalan, hi ha is used for both singular and plural.

So:

• Hi ha una avaria = There is a fault.
• Hi ha dues avaries = There are two faults.

This can feel strange to English speakers, because English changes:

• there is
• there are

But standard Catalan normally keeps hi ha.

You may hear nonstandard plural forms such as hi han in some speech, but for learners, the safe standard rule is:

• use hi ha with both singular and plural

The normal order is:

Hi ha + noun phrase

So:

• Hi ha una avaria

That is the most natural neutral order.

You can sometimes move other information around:

• Hi ha una avaria al tren = There is a fault on the train.
• Al tren hi ha una avaria = On the train, there is a fault.

But for a simple basic sentence, Hi ha una avaria is the standard pattern to copy.

Very simply:

Negative:

• No hi ha una avaria = There is not a fault / There isn’t a fault

Question:

• Hi ha una avaria? = Is there a fault?
• Que hi ha una avaria? = Is there a fault?

In everyday speech, intonation often does the job:

• Hi ha una avaria?

So once you know hi ha, you can easily build:

• affirmative: Hi ha una avaria
• negative: No hi ha una avaria
• question: Hi ha una avaria?

Because in Catalan, una normally stays una before a vowel.

So:

• una avaria = correct

You do not shorten it the way some other word combinations change in Catalan. For this phrase, just keep the full form:

• una avaria

That is completely normal and standard.

It works in both formal and everyday Catalan.

You could hear it:

• in daily conversation
• in customer service
• in transport announcements
• in utility-company messages
• in repair contexts

It sounds natural and standard. If you want a neutral, correct way to say there is a fault / breakdown, Hi ha una avaria is a very good sentence to learn.