Després de sopar, hem de netejar la taula i la cuina.

In Catalan, després usually takes the preposition de before a noun, infinitive, or pronoun.

• després de sopar
• després de classe
• després de tu

So després de works like after in English when something follows it. Using després by itself is possible only when nothing comes after it, as in Ja ho farem després (We’ll do it later / afterwards).

Sopar here is being used in a general sense, like after dinner in English. Catalan often uses meal names without an article in this kind of expression:

• abans de dinar
• després de sopar

If you say després del sopar, that usually sounds more specific: after the dinner / after the meal—for example, a particular dinner event.

So:

• després de sopar = after dinner, after eating dinner
• després del sopar = after the dinner, after that specific meal

Hem de + infinitive is a very common Catalan structure meaning obligation or necessity.

It is built with:

• hem = we have
• de
• infinitive verb: netejar

So:

• hem de netejar = we have to clean

This structure is based on the verb haver, and it is one of the main ways to express have to / must in Catalan.

No. Even though hem comes from haver and looks like have, here it is not a perfect tense.

Compare:

• hem netejat = we have cleaned
  
  • this is the perfect tense
• hem de netejar = we have to clean
  
  • this is an obligation structure

So the presence of de is very important. It changes the meaning from a completed action to obligation.

After hem de, Catalan uses the infinitive form of the main verb:

• hem de menjar
• hem de sortir
• hem de netejar

This is similar to English have to + base verb:

• we have to clean
• we have to eat

So netejar stays in the infinitive because the conjugated part is already in hem.

Catalan often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.

• hem already tells you the subject is we
• so (nosaltres) hem de netejar is usually just hem de netejar

You can include nosaltres for emphasis or contrast, but it is not normally necessary.

Normally, Catalan repeats the article before each noun:

• la taula i la cuina

That is the most natural and standard wording here.

Leaving out the second article, as in la taula i cuina, sounds incomplete or unnatural in normal Catalan. Repeating the article is especially expected when you are listing separate things.

Because both nouns are feminine singular:

• la taula = feminine singular
• la cuina = feminine singular

So both take the article la.

This is a good reminder that noun gender in Catalan is grammatical, not always logical. You simply learn each noun with its article.

In this sentence, la cuina most naturally means the kitchen as a room or area to clean.

The word cuina can also refer to cooking or cuisine in other contexts, but here the verb netejar makes it clear that it means the physical kitchen.

The comma separates the introductory time expression from the main clause:

• Després de sopar, hem de netejar...

This is similar to English punctuation in sentences like:

• After dinner, we have to clean...

In Catalan, this comma is natural and helps readability, especially when the sentence begins with a time phrase.

Yes. Catalan allows some flexibility in word order, though the original is very natural:

• Després de sopar, hem de netejar la taula i la cuina.

You could also say:

• Hem de netejar la taula i la cuina després de sopar.

Both are correct. The version with Després de sopar at the beginning gives a slightly stronger focus to the time expression.

A learner-friendly pronunciation is roughly:

• neh-teh-JAR

The j in netejar is not like English j in job. It is the Catalan sound usually written like the s in measure or the g in genre.

So netejar sounds approximately like:

• neh-teh-ZHAR

The exact pronunciation can vary a little by dialect, but that is a good practical approximation for learners.

Usually hem de is a neutral, everyday way to express obligation, and in many contexts it matches English have to very well.

Depending on tone and context, it can sometimes feel closer to must, but it is generally not dramatically strong by itself.

So in most learner situations, it is best to think of:

• hem de netejar = we have to clean

rather than a very forceful command.