El pare no vol arribar tard a la feina.

In Catalan, it is very common to use the definite article with family members: el pare, la mare, l’avi, etc.

So el pare here means the father / dad in a natural Catalan way. English usually does not use the in the same situation, so this often feels strange to English speakers at first.

Note, though, that in direct address you would not usually use the article:

• Pare, escolta’m. = Dad, listen to me.

In Catalan, no normally goes directly before the conjugated verb.

So:

• no vol = does not want

This is the regular pattern:

• No menja. = He/She doesn’t eat.
• No podem anar-hi. = We can’t / don’t want to go there depending on context

In your sentence, vol is the conjugated verb, so no comes before it:

• El pare no vol...

Vol is the 3rd person singular present tense of voler (to want).

So:

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

Because el pare is he, the verb is vol.

After voler, Catalan normally uses the infinitive directly, with no extra preposition.

So:

• vol arribar = wants to arrive
• vol menjar = wants to eat
• vol sortir = wants to leave/go out

English uses to, but Catalan does not add a word equivalent to to here.

Because it depends on the conjugated verb vol.

This is a very common structure in Catalan:

• conjugated verb + infinitive

Here:

• vol = wants
• arribar = to arrive

So vol arribar literally works like wants arrive, but in natural English we translate it as wants to arrive.

Here tard functions as an adverb, meaning late.

So:

• arribar tard = to arrive late

This is similar to English, where late can also behave differently from a typical adverb ending in -ly.

Examples:

• Arribo tard. = I’m arriving late / I arrive late.
• Va venir tard. = He/She came late.

Do not confuse it with tarda, which means afternoon.

A is the preposition to / at, and la feina means work or the workplace/job, depending on context.

So:

• arribar a la feina = to arrive at work

Catalan often uses the article here, where English usually says just at work without the.

Compare:

• Vaig a la feina. = I’m going to work.
• És a la feina. = He/She is at work.

So even though English often drops the article, Catalan normally keeps it.

Feina often means work, job, or the place where you work, depending on context.

In this sentence, a la feina most naturally means at work or to work in the sense of the workplace.

Treball also means work, but it is often a bit more general or abstract:

• Tinc molta feina. = I have a lot of work / a lot to do.
• El treball és important. = Work is important.

In everyday Catalan, anar a la feina and arribar a la feina are very common expressions for going to or arriving at work.

Yes. Catalan often leaves out subject pronouns and sometimes even noun subjects if the context is clear.

So if everyone already knows you are talking about the father, you could simply say:

• No vol arribar tard a la feina.

Catalan is a pro-drop language, meaning the verb ending often gives enough information. However, since el pare is a full noun phrase, including it can make the sentence clearer or more specific.

This is the normal order in Catalan:

• infinitive verb: arribar
• adverb: tard
• prepositional phrase: a la feina

So:

• arribar tard a la feina = to arrive late at work / to work

Catalan word order is often similar to English here, although Catalan is sometimes a bit more flexible. This sentence sounds completely natural in the order given.

It can correspond to either, depending on context.

• pare is the standard dictionary word for father
• in many everyday contexts, it can also be understood as dad

The sentence itself does not force a very formal or very informal reading. A translation could choose father or dad depending on tone.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation is:

el PA-rə no VOL ə-rri-BAR TART ə lə FAY-nə

A few useful notes:

• pare has two syllables: PA-re
• vol sounds roughly like bol with a softer v/b sound, since Catalan v and b are often pronounced similarly
• arribar has stress on the last syllable: arri-BAR
• tard ends with a clear d sound in careful speech
• feina sounds roughly like FAY-na

Exact pronunciation varies somewhat by dialect, but this will guide you well.

Yes, but it is not exactly the same nuance.

• arribar tard a la feina = to arrive late at work / to the workplace
• arribar tard a treballar = to arrive late to work / to go work late

The version with a la feina focuses more naturally on the destination or workplace. It is the most idiomatic choice in this sentence. The version with a treballar is possible, but it shifts the focus slightly toward the activity of working rather than the place.