El món és gran.

In Catalan, it is very normal to use the definite article with nouns in general statements.

So el món is the natural way to say the world.
Unlike English, Catalan often uses the article where English might not focus on it as much.

• el = masculine singular the
• món = world

So el món is a complete noun phrase.

És is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb ser (to be).

It matches el món, which is singular:

• jo sóc = I am
• tu ets = you are
• ell / ella és = he / she is

Since el món is treated like it, Catalan uses és.

Catalan has two main verbs that can mean to be: ser and estar.

Here, ser is used because gran describes a general, essential, or defining characteristic of the world, not a temporary state.

So:

• El món és gran = the world is big

Using estar here would sound unnatural in normal Catalan.

A simple rule:

• ser = what something is
• estar = how something is or where it is, in many contexts

The accent in món shows which syllable is stressed and also helps indicate the vowel quality.

So the word is stressed on that vowel:

• món

In Catalan, accent marks are very important because they often tell you how to pronounce a word correctly.

Here, the accent tells you that the stressed vowel is ó.

A simple English-friendly approximation is:

el MON es GRAN

A bit more carefully:

• el = roughly el or a softer uhl, depending on accent
• món = like mon with a clear o
• és = like ess
• gran = roughly grahn with a tapped or rolled r

A broad IPA version is:

[əl mon es ɡɾan] in many pronunciations

The exact sound of el may vary by dialect.

Here gran is not directly modifying the noun inside a noun phrase like a big world.
Instead, it is the adjective in a sentence with to be:

• El món = subject
• és = verb
• gran = adjective describing the subject

This is called a predicate adjective.

So the structure is:

subject + verb + adjective

That is normal in both Catalan and English:

• El món és gran
• The world is big

Yes. In Catalan, adjectives agree with the noun they describe in gender and number.

Here:

• món is masculine singular
• gran is singular

An interesting detail: gran has the same form for masculine and feminine singular.

Examples:

• el món és gran
• la casa és gran

But in the plural, it changes:

• els mons són grans
• les cases són grans

So the plural form is grans.

No, that would not be normal Catalan.

You need the article here:

• El món és gran

Catalan generally does not drop the article in this kind of sentence.

Gran is an adjective. It means big or large.

It can appear:

• after a noun: un món gran
• after the verb ser: El món és gran

Be aware that in some contexts gran can also mean great, important, or grown-up/older, depending on the noun and position. But here it simply means big.

The normal order here is:

El món és gran

This is the most neutral and natural order:
subject + verb + adjective

Catalan can sometimes change word order for emphasis, but for a basic statement like this, the standard order is the best one to learn first.

The plural would be:

Els mons són grans.

Changes:

• el → els
• món → mons
• és → són
• gran → grans

This is useful for seeing agreement, even though the worlds are big is less common as an everyday sentence.