Després de la feina, la mare vol beure llet.

In Catalan, després usually needs de before a noun, pronoun, or infinitive.

• després de la feina = after work
• després d’això = after that
• després de dinar = after eating / after lunch

By itself, després more often means later or afterwards.

De only contracts with some articles:

• de + el = del
• de + els = dels

But it does not contract with la or les:

• de la feina
• de les vacances

So després de la feina is exactly what you would expect.

Catalan often uses the definite article where English uses no article. That is very common with everyday nouns and routines.

So:

• després de la feina = after work
• vaig a la feina = I’m going to work

To an English speaker, the article may feel extra, but in Catalan it sounds natural.

Yes, but feina is often more natural here.

Both can mean work, but they are not always used in exactly the same way:

• feina often means your job, work duties, or work in everyday life
• treball can be more general, and can also mean a piece of work, schoolwork, or labor

So després de la feina is a very natural way to say after work.

In Catalan, family nouns are often used with the definite article when talking about someone:

• la mare = mother / the mother
• el pare = father / the father

Without the article, mare is more likely in direct address:

• Mare, escolta! = Mum, listen!

So la mare vol beure llet is perfectly normal Catalan.

Vol is the third-person singular form of the verb voler, which means to want.

So:

• jo vull = I want
• tu vols = you want
• ell / ella vol = he / she wants

Because the subject is la mare (she), we use vol.

After verbs like voler (to want), Catalan usually uses the infinitive directly:

• vol beure = wants to drink
• vol menjar = wants to eat
• vol dormir = wants to sleep

English needs to before the second verb, but Catalan does not add an extra word here.

Because llet here is a mass noun used in a general sense, after a verb like beure.

Catalan often leaves out the article in this kind of structure:

• beure llet = drink milk
• menjar pa = eat bread
• comprar aigua = buy water

If you say la llet, it usually sounds more specific, like a particular milk already known in the context.

Yes, that also works.

Both of these are possible:

• Després de la feina, la mare vol beure llet.
• La mare vol beure llet després de la feina.

The first version puts the time expression first for emphasis or as the starting point of the sentence. The second is a more neutral subject-verb-complement order.

Not strictly. A short opening phrase often appears without a comma, so both of these are acceptable:

• Després de la feina la mare vol beure llet.
• Després de la feina, la mare vol beure llet.

The comma adds a small pause and can make the sentence easier to read, but it is not obligatory here.

The accent shows where the stress goes: desPRÉS.

So the last syllable is stressed. The written accent is important in Catalan because it often helps show pronunciation and distinguishes correct spelling.