Abans de la feina, em rento la cara al bany.

Before work, I wash my face in the bathroom.

Breakdown of Abans de la feina, em rento la cara al bany.

• a: in
• la feina: the work
• em: me
• abans de: before

Questions & Answers about Abans de la feina, em rento la cara al bany.

What does abans de mean, and why is there a de?

Abans de means before.

In Catalan, abans is normally followed by de when it introduces a noun or an infinitive:

• abans de la feina = before work
• abans de sortir = before leaving

So the de is just part of the normal structure. You usually learn abans de as a set phrase.

Why is it la feina and not just feina?

Catalan often uses the definite article more than English does.

So:

• la feina = literally the work / the job

But in context, it often translates naturally as just work in English:

• Abans de la feina = Before work

This is very normal in Catalan. English often drops the article where Catalan keeps it.

What exactly does feina mean here?