Tan bon punt inflis la cambra d'aire, mirarem la vàlvula.

Tan bon punt is a time expression meaning as soon as.

It is a perfectly correct and standard Catalan expression. It can sound a bit more formal or written than some everyday alternatives, but it is still very natural. Common alternatives include:

• quan = when
• així que = as soon as / once
• de seguida que = as soon as

So Tan bon punt inflis... means something like As soon as you inflate...

Inflis is the present subjunctive form of inflar for tu.

This happens because after certain time expressions referring to the future, Catalan often uses the subjunctive, not the future or the present indicative. Tan bon punt is one of those triggers.

So:

• tan bon punt inflis = as soon as you inflate
• not tan bon punt inflaràs

A native English speaker often expects a future form here because English refers to future time, but Catalan structures it differently.

Inflis is:

• verb: inflar = to inflate
• tense/mood: present subjunctive
• person: second person singular
• subject: implied tu

So the full grammatical idea is:

• (tu) inflis = that you inflate / when you inflate

In this sentence, the tu is not written because Catalan usually leaves subject pronouns out unless they are needed for emphasis or clarity.

Because the clause refers to an action that has not happened yet.

In Catalan, time clauses that point to a future event often use the subjunctive after expressions like:

• quan
• tan bon punt
• abans que
• fins que

So the logic is:

• first, you will inflate the inner tube
• then, we will inspect the valve

Since the inflating is still pending, Catalan marks that with the subjunctive: inflis.

Mirarem is the future tense of mirar for nosaltres:

• mirarem = we will look at / we will check

The main clause describes what we will do after the other action happens, so the future tense fits naturally.

Catalan sometimes uses the present tense for near-future meaning in everyday speech, but mirarem is very straightforward and standard here.

Literally, cambra d'aire means air chamber, but in many practical contexts it means inner tube, especially in bicycle or tire-related language.

So if this sentence is about a bike tire, la cambra d'aire is the inflatable tube inside the tire.

This is a good example of how Catalan may use a more transparent literal phrase where English often prefers a fixed technical term.

Because de becomes d' before a vowel sound.

So:

• de + aire → d'aire

This is very common in Catalan:

• d'aigua
• d'oli
• d'aire

It works much like elision in French or Italian. The apostrophe helps pronunciation flow more naturally.

Catalan often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Here:

• inflis clearly points to tu
• mirarem clearly points to nosaltres

So Catalan does not need to say:

• Tan bon punt tu inflis...
• nosaltres mirarem...

Those pronouns are possible, but they would usually add emphasis, contrast, or clarity rather than being neutral.

Yes, absolutely.

That would also be correct, and it would mean something like:

• When you inflate the inner tube, we’ll check the valve
• or Once you’ve inflated the inner tube, we’ll check the valve

The difference is mainly nuance:

• tan bon punt emphasizes immediately as soon as
• quan is more neutral: when

So tan bon punt is a bit more precise about sequence and immediacy.

The comma separates the introductory subordinate clause from the main clause:

• Tan bon punt inflis la cambra d'aire, = subordinate time clause
• mirarem la vàlvula. = main clause

This is very natural punctuation in Catalan, especially when the time clause comes first. It helps readability and reflects the pause you would normally make when speaking.

La vàlvula means the valve.

Catalan, like other Romance languages, often uses the definite article where English might also use one, especially with ordinary countable nouns in specific contexts.

Here it is a specific valve, presumably the valve of the inner tube, so la vàlvula is exactly what you would expect.

Also note the accent mark:

• vàlvula

The accent shows the stressed syllable is the first one: VÀL-vu-la.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

tan bon punt in-FLEES la CAM-bra DAI-re, mi-ra-REM la VAL-vu-la

A few useful notes:

• inflis is stressed on the -flis
• cambra is stressed on cam
• d'aire flows together
• mirarem is stressed on the last syllable: -rem
• vàlvula is stressed on the first syllable because of the accent: vàl-

Exact pronunciation varies somewhat by dialect, but that stress pattern is stable.

It sounds mostly neutral to slightly formal, mainly because of tan bon punt.

The rest of the sentence is very ordinary and practical. In more casual speech, someone might choose a slightly simpler connector, such as:

• Quan inflis la cambra d'aire, mirarem la vàlvula.
• Així que inflis la cambra d'aire, mirarem la vàlvula.

But the original sentence is completely natural and correct Catalan.