Si fa sol dissabte, el pare vol visitar la ciutat i després anar al cinema.

Catalan often uses the verb fer for weather expressions. So fa sol literally looks like it makes sun, but idiomatically it means it’s sunny.

A few similar patterns are:

• fa calor = it’s hot
• fa fred = it’s cold
• fa vent = it’s windy

So this is a normal weather structure in Catalan, not a strange one-off expression.

Because Catalan does not need a dummy subject like English it.

In English, we say it’s sunny, even though it does not really refer to anything. In Catalan, the verb can simply appear on its own in this kind of impersonal expression:

• fa sol
• plou
• neva

So fa sol is complete by itself.

Because si means if, and that word is written without an accent in Catalan.

Compare:

• si = if
• sí = yes

So in this sentence, Si fa sol dissabte... means If it’s sunny on Saturday...

Here dissabte means on Saturday / Saturday, referring to a specific day. In Catalan, weekdays are often used without an article when talking about one specific day.

So:

• dissabte = on Saturday / Saturday

A very useful contrast is:

• dissabte = this coming Saturday / a specific Saturday
• els dissabtes = on Saturdays / every Saturday

So the lack of article here is normal.

Yes. Time expressions in Catalan are fairly flexible.

The sentence has:

• Si fa sol dissabte, ...

But you could also hear:

• Si dissabte fa sol, ...

Both are natural. The difference is mostly one of rhythm or emphasis, not basic meaning.

Catalan very often uses the definite article with family roles:

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

This is completely normal Catalan usage. Depending on context, el pare may simply mean dad if everyone already knows whose father is being discussed.

You can also say el seu pare if you specifically want to say his father or her father, but it is not always necessary.

Because visitar takes a direct object directly.

So in Catalan you say:

• visitar la ciutat
• visitar el museu
• visitar els amics

There is no extra a before la ciutat here. That is the normal structure.

Because one verb can govern two infinitives.

Here, vol applies to both actions:

• vol visitar la ciutat
• i després anar al cinema

This is just like English:

• Dad wants to visit the city and then go to the cinema

You do not need to repeat wants to before go, and Catalan works the same way here.

Here després means afterwards / then.

So:

• i després anar al cinema = and afterwards go to the cinema

But després de is used before a noun or an infinitive:

• després del dinar = after lunch
• després de menjar = after eating

So:

• després = afterwards, then
• després de = after

Because a + el contracts to al in Catalan.

So:

• a + el cinema → al cinema

This is a standard contraction, just like:

• de + el → del

Examples:

• Va al mercat = He goes to the market
• Ve del poble = He comes from the town

Because Catalan normally uses the present tense after si when talking about a real future possibility.

So:

• Si fa sol dissabte... = If it’s sunny on Saturday...

This is very similar to English, where we also say:

• If it’s sunny tomorrow, ... not
• If it will be sunny tomorrow, ...

So the present tense after si is exactly what you expect in this kind of sentence.

Because the sentence begins with a subordinate if-clause:

• Si fa sol dissabte, ...

When that kind of clause comes first, Catalan normally separates it from the main clause with a comma. It helps show the structure clearly:

• condition first
• main statement second

So the comma is standard and helpful here.