في العشاء نأكل الأرز مع السمك، وبعد العشاء أشرب ماء.

Arabic often allows a time expression to come first for context, emphasis, or natural flow.

So:

• في العشاء نأكل الأرز مع السمك = At dinner / During dinner, we eat rice with fish

This is completely normal in Arabic. You could also say:

• نأكل الأرز مع السمك في العشاء

That would still be grammatical, but starting with في العشاء highlights the time first.

Yes, في often means in, but it is also commonly used with time expressions to mean:

• at
• during

So here:

• في العشاء = at dinner or during dinner

This is similar to how English uses prepositions more flexibly in time phrases.

العشاء has the definite article الـ, so it literally means the dinner / dinner time.

In this sentence, العشاء refers to the meal or time of dinner in a general, familiar sense, so the definite form sounds natural:

• في العشاء = at dinner
• بعد العشاء = after dinner

Arabic often uses the definite article in places where English does not.

نأكل is the present/imperfect form of the verb أكل (to eat).

The prefix نـ shows first person plural, so:

• نأكل = we eat

In Arabic, the subject is often built into the verb, so you do not need to add a separate word for we unless you want emphasis.

For example:

• نأكل = we eat
• أشرب = I drink

Because Arabic verbs already show the subject.

So:

• نأكل already means we eat
• أشرب already means I drink

You could add pronouns for emphasis:

• نحن نأكل الأرز مع السمك
• أنا أشرب ماء

But in normal Arabic, the pronouns are often omitted because the verb form already tells you who is doing the action.

Both nouns have الـ, the definite article:

• الأرز = the rice
• السمك = the fish

In Arabic, generic food items are often made definite where English would simply say:

• rice
• fish

So نأكل الأرز مع السمك is a natural Arabic way to say:

• We eat rice with fish

It does not necessarily mean one specific rice and one specific fish in a narrow sense. It can simply sound natural for foods being served.

مع means with.

So:

• الأرز مع السمك = rice with fish

It is a very common preposition used to join things that accompany each other.

Examples:

• قهوة مع حليب = coffee with milk
• خبز مع جبن = bread with cheese

The و is the conjunction and, and in Arabic it is written attached to the following word.

So:

• و = and
• بعد = after
• العشاء = dinner

Together:

• وبعد العشاء = and after dinner

This attached writing is normal in Arabic. Many short particles attach directly to the next word, such as:

• و = and
• بـ = with/by
• لـ = for/to
• كـ = like/as

بعد means after. It can function like a preposition or adverbial noun, depending on context.

In this sentence:

• بعد العشاء = after dinner

The noun after بعد is in the genitive relationship, so العشاء is understood as of dinner / after dinner.

You do not need to translate that literally in English; just understand the whole phrase as after dinner.

Because the verbs are different:

• نأكل = we eat
• أشرب = I drink

So the first action is done by we, while the second is done by I.

That is perfectly possible in Arabic, just as in English:

• At dinner we eat rice with fish, and after dinner I drink water.

A learner might expect نشرب (we drink) for consistency, but the sentence intentionally changes the subject.

In the present/imperfect tense, the prefix helps identify the subject.

Here:

• أشرب starts with أ
• that usually marks first person singular

So:

• أشرب = I drink

Compare:

• أشرب = I drink
• تشرب = you drink / she drinks
• يشرب = he drinks
• نشرب = we drink

ماء without الـ is indefinite, so it means water or some water.

In this sentence:

• أشرب ماء = I drink water

That is very natural, because English also often uses a bare noun here.

If you said أشرب الماء, that would usually sound more like:

• I drink the water

which can suggest specific water already known in the context.

In everyday Arabic writing, short vowels and case endings are usually not written.

So you normally see:

• ماء

But in fully vocalized Arabic, it could appear with an ending depending on grammar, for example ماءً in some contexts.

Learners should know that standard Arabic has case endings, but most ordinary text leaves them out.

Yes, in fully vocalized formal Arabic, the words would have case endings, but they are usually omitted in normal writing.

For example, in careful grammatical pronunciation, you might have something like:

• في العَشاءِ
• نأكلُ الأرزَّ معَ السمكِ
• وبعدَ العشاءِ أشربُ ماءً

But most printed Arabic for learners and native readers leaves those short endings unwritten.

So the grammar is still there, even if the spelling does not show it.

Arabic often uses simple coordination with و (and) where English might also say:

• and
• then
• and then

So:

• وبعد العشاء أشرب ماء literally has and after dinner I drink water, but in natural English you might understand it as:
• and after dinner I drink water
• and then after dinner I drink water

Arabic does not always need a separate word for then if the sequence is already clear from context.

Word-for-word, parts of it may look like that, but that would not be natural English.

A more literal breakdown is:

• في العشاء = at/during dinner
• نأكل = we eat
• الأرز = the rice
• مع السمك = with the fish
• وبعد العشاء = and after dinner
• أشرب ماء = I drink water

But natural translation is more important than literal translation, so English usually says:

• At dinner we eat rice with fish, and after dinner I drink water.

That is the best way to understand the sentence as a learner.