El món és gran.

The world is big.

Breakdown of El món és gran.

• ser: to be
• gran: big
• el món: the world

Questions & Answers about El món és gran.

Why is there an article el before món?

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.

What does és mean here?

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.

Why is it és and not està?

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