Després de caminar, encara tinc set.

Després usually means after / afterwards, but when it is followed by a noun or an infinitive verb, it normally takes de.

• després de caminar = after walking
• després del dinar = after lunch

If després stands alone, it usually means later / afterwards:

• Primer estudio i després descanso. = First I study and afterwards I rest.

So in this sentence, després de caminar is the normal way to say after walking.

In Catalan, after després de, you often use an infinitive to express an action in a general way:

• després de menjar = after eating
• després de córrer = after running
• després de caminar = after walking

This works a lot like English after walking. Catalan does not need a separate -ing form here; the infinitive does the job.

Here encara means still.

So:

• encara tinc set = I am still thirsty

It shows that the condition continues. The speaker was thirsty before, and even after walking, that is still true.

Be careful: encara can also sometimes mean yet, depending on the sentence.

Examples:

• Encara no ha arribat. = He/She hasn’t arrived yet.
• Encara estic cansat. = I’m still tired.

Catalan expresses thirst with the verb tenir (to have), not ser (to be).

• tinc set = literally I have thirst
• natural English translation: I am thirsty

This is very similar to Spanish tener sed and different from English.

Other common expressions built the same way are:

• tenir gana = to be hungry
• tenir son = to be sleepy
• tenir fred = to be cold
• tenir calor = to be hot

So tinc set is the normal and correct way to say I’m thirsty.

Set is a noun meaning thirst.

That is why Catalan uses tenir with it:

• tenir set = to have thirst = to be thirsty

This is not the number seven in Catalan. The number seven is set too, but the meaning is clear from context.

Compare:

• Tinc set. = I’m thirsty.
• Tinc set llibres. = I have seven books.

In expressions like tenir set, tenir gana, tenir por, Catalan usually does not use an article.

So you say:

• Tinc set.
• Tens gana?
• Té por.

Not normally:

• tinc la set in this basic meaning

These are fixed idiomatic expressions, and it is best to learn them as whole chunks.

Yes, that word order is possible, but Després de caminar, encara tinc set sounds more natural and neutral.

Catalan word order is somewhat flexible, especially with adverbs like encara, but placement affects emphasis and naturalness.

• Encara tinc set = the most straightforward way to say I’m still thirsty
• Tinc encara set = possible, but less common in everyday speech

For learners, encara before the verb is a very good default pattern.

The comma after caminar is natural and helpful because Després de caminar is an introductory phrase.

• Després de caminar, encara tinc set.

Without the comma, the sentence is still understandable:

• Després de caminar encara tinc set.

But the comma makes it clearer and more natural in writing.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

duh-SPRES duh kuh-mee-NAR, un-KAH-ruh TEENK set

A few useful points:

• després has stress on the last syllable: -prés
• caminar has stress on the last syllable: -nar
• encara has stress on ca
• tinc ends with a clear k sound
• set is pronounced like a short set, not like English sat

Pronunciation varies somewhat by dialect, but this is a good starting point.

The sentence is already natural. But depending on context, a speaker might also say:

• Després de caminar, encara tinc molta set. = After walking, I’m still very thirsty.
• Després de caminar, encara tinc una mica de set. = After walking, I’m still a little thirsty.
• Encara tinc set després de caminar. = I’m still thirsty after walking.

All of these are correct, but Després de caminar, encara tinc set is perfectly good standard Catalan.