Després, la meva germana vol escoltar la ràdio.

Després means afterwards, later, or then depending on context. Here it sets the time for the whole sentence: first something happens, and after that, your sister wants to listen to the radio.

It is often placed at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis or clarity:

• Després, la meva germana vol escoltar la ràdio.
• La meva germana vol escoltar la ràdio després.

Both are possible, though starting with Després is very natural.

The comma is used because Després is acting like an introductory adverb at the start of the sentence. In writing, Catalan often separates that kind of sentence opener with a comma.

So:

• Després, la meva germana vol escoltar la ràdio.

This is similar to English writing Afterwards, my sister wants to listen to the radio.

In Catalan, possessives are very often used together with the definite article.

So Catalan normally says:

• la meva germana = my sister
• el meu germà = my brother
• la nostra casa = our house

For an English speaker, this feels unusual, because English usually does not combine the with my. But in Catalan, this is normal.

That is the normal word order in Catalan with possessives:

• la meva germana
• el meu cotxe
• la seva mare

So the pattern is usually:

article + noun + possessive

This is different from Spanish, where mi hermana is more common. In Catalan, placing the possessive after the noun is standard in this kind of phrase.

Catalan often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed, because the verb form already helps identify the subject.

In this sentence, the subject is explicitly stated as la meva germana, so adding ella would be unnecessary.

• La meva germana vol escoltar la ràdio. = perfectly natural
• Ella vol escoltar la ràdio. = also possible, but now she is the subject and my sister is no longer said

Catalan is a language that often drops subject pronouns unless they are needed for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

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

In this sentence, la meva germana is singular, so the verb is vol:

• la meva germana vol = my sister wants

After voler in Catalan, the next verb normally stays in the infinitive.

So:

• vol escoltar = wants to listen
• vol menjar = wants to eat
• vol dormir = wants to sleep

This works similarly to English want + to + verb, except Catalan does not use a separate word like English to here.

So English:

• wants to listen

Catalan:

• vol escoltar

This is an important distinction.

• escoltar = to listen
• sentir = to hear (and also to feel in some contexts)

So in your sentence, escoltar is used because your sister wants to actively listen to the radio.

Compare:

• Escolto la ràdio. = I listen to the radio.
• Sento un soroll. = I hear a noise.

An English speaker should be careful not to use sentir when they mean deliberate listening.

Catalan often uses the definite article with general objects, especially when talking about things like media, instruments, or everyday activities.

So:

• escoltar la ràdio = listen to the radio
• mirar la televisió = watch television / watch TV

Also, ràdio is a feminine noun, so it takes la.

In many contexts, la ràdio can mean:

• the radio set
• radio broadcasting / the radio as a medium

Here, it naturally means the radio in the general sense.

The accents help show stress and sometimes vowel quality.

• Després has an acute accent: é
• ràdio has a grave accent: à

These accents tell you which syllable is stressed:

• des-PRÉS
• RÀ-di-o

For learners, the key thing is that the accents are not optional spelling marks. They are part of the correct written form.

Yes, Catalan word order is somewhat flexible, although some versions sound more natural than others.

For example:

• Després, la meva germana vol escoltar la ràdio.
• La meva germana vol escoltar la ràdio després.

Both are possible.

However, the original version is especially natural if you want to organize events in time and begin with afterwards.

The most neutral structure here is:

• Després, + subject + verb + infinitive + object

A simple rough guide is:

des-PRES, la ME-va jer-MA-na vol es-kol-TAR la RA-di-o

A few useful points:

• germana: the g before e sounds softer, roughly like the j in French jour or the s in measure in many accents
• escoltar: the e at the start is clearly pronounced
• ràdio: three syllables, RÀ-di-o
• vol: short and simple, roughly like bol with a v/b sound that may vary by dialect

If your goal is just a good learner pronunciation, keeping the stress right is one of the most important things:

• desPRÉS
• gerMAna
• escolTAR
• RÀdio