Doncs, tira el dau.

Doncs is a discourse marker, often meaning something like well, so, or well then depending on context. It helps move the conversation along.

In Doncs, tira el dau, it gives the sentence a natural spoken feel, as if someone is saying:

• Well then, roll the die.
• So, go ahead—roll the die.

It is not the main action of the sentence; the main command is tira el dau.

Because tira here is the imperative form, used to give a command to tu.

The verb is tirar = to throw / to roll.
Its tu imperative is tira.

Compare:

• tu tires = you throw / you are throwing → statement
• (tu) tira = throw! / roll! → command

So tira el dau means roll the die!, not you roll the die as a plain statement.

In Catalan, subject pronouns are often omitted when they are clear from the verb form. Since tira already shows that the command is directed at tu, you do not need to say tu.

So:

• Tira el dau = normal, natural
• Tu tira el dau = usually unnecessary, and can sound odd unless you want strong emphasis

This is very common in Catalan and other Romance languages.

Tirar has several meanings, and context matters.

Common meanings include:

• to throw
• to pull
• to toss
• in games, to roll a die

So in this sentence, even though the basic verb is related to throwing, the natural English meaning is roll the die.

That is a good example of how you should translate by context, not word-for-word.

Yes. Dau is the normal Catalan word for a die (the singular of dice).

Forms:

• el dau = the die
• els daus = the dice

English learners sometimes find this interesting because English often uses dice even when referring to one object in casual speech, but Catalan clearly distinguishes singular and plural:

• un dau
• dos daus

Because Catalan often uses the definite article where English might or might not use one, especially when talking about a specific object in the situation.

Here, el dau refers to the die involved in the game, so the die is natural.

In context, someone might be pointing to the game and saying:

• Doncs, tira el dau.

Using el makes it sound complete and idiomatic.

It is informal, because tira is the command form for tu.

If you wanted to address someone formally using vostè, you would say:

• Doncs, tiri el dau.

If you were speaking to more than one person informally (vosaltres), you would say:

• Doncs, tireu el dau.

So the sentence as given is the kind of thing you would say to a friend, a child, a classmate, or someone in a casual game.

Yes, it is normal and helpful. Doncs is being used as a discourse marker at the start of the sentence, so the comma shows a small pause:

• Doncs, tira el dau.

This is similar to English punctuation in sentences like:

• Well, go ahead.
• So, what now?

In informal writing, people do not always punctuate perfectly, but with standard punctuation, the comma is appropriate.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation guide would be:

• doncs ≈ dons or donks, depending on accent and how clearly it is pronounced
• tira ≈ TEE-ruh
• el dau ≈ el DOW (with dau sounding a bit like English dow)

A rough whole-sentence guide:

DONS, TEE-ruh el DOW

The exact pronunciation of doncs can vary by accent and speaking speed, so do not be surprised if native speakers reduce it a bit in fast speech.

Yes, depending on speaker and context, you may hear other ways to express the idea, but tirar el dau is a very natural and common one.

In game contexts, tirar is standard for actions like throwing or rolling dice. So for a learner, tira el dau is an excellent phrase to know and use.

Even if another expression exists in some varieties or situations, this sentence is completely idiomatic and safe.

The order is:

• Doncs = discourse marker
• tira = command verb
• el dau = direct object

So the core clause is:

• tira el dau = roll the die

This verb + object order is very normal in Catalan commands.

You could think of it as:

• [Well then], [roll] [the die].

That makes the structure easier to see.