This is the 7th most frequent Catalan word.
els
"Els" is the Catalan definite article meaning "the" (plural, masculine).
In this sentence, 'els' is a definite article in Catalan, used to specify that we are talking about particular boys.
Els nois juguen a futbol.
The boys are playing football.
Here, 'els' also serves as a definite article, referring to specific books that are on the table.
Veig els llibres sobre la taula.
I see the books on the table.
In this context, 'els' is a direct object pronoun in Catalan, referring to a group of people.