Vam demanar el compte després de les postres.

This is the periphrastic past, one of the most common ways to talk about completed past actions in Catalan.

It is formed with:

• a present-tense form of anar (to go)
• plus an infinitive

So:

• vam = the we form used in this past construction
• demanar = to ask / to order

Together, vam demanar means we asked or we ordered, depending on context.

Even though vam comes historically from anar, in this structure it does not mean we go. It simply marks the past.

Vam is first person plural, so it means we.

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

• Vam demanar = We asked / ordered
• Nosaltres vam demanar = also possible, but more emphatic

So the subject we is understood from vam.

Catalan does have a simple past form, but in everyday language the periphrastic past is much more common, especially in standard spoken Catalan.

So a learner will hear:

• vam demanar = normal, everyday way to say we asked

  Instead of the simple past:

• demanàrem = literary, formal, or regional

So for most learners, vam demanar is the form to focus on first.

It can mean both.

Common meanings of demanar include:

• to ask for
• to request
• to order

The context tells you which meaning fits best.

In a restaurant:

• demanar el compte = to ask for the bill/check
• demanar una pizza = to order a pizza

So here, with el compte, the meaning is clearly asked for the bill/check.

Compte is a masculine noun, so it takes el.

In restaurant context, el compte means:

• the bill
• the check (in American English)

The same word compte can also mean account in other contexts, but here the restaurant meaning is the natural one.

Catalan uses definite articles more often than English in some situations.

Here:

• el compte = the bill/check
• les postres = dessert / the desserts / the dessert course

In a restaurant, el compte sounds natural because it refers to the specific bill for that meal.

With les postres, the article is also normal because Catalan often treats meal courses as nouns with articles.

So even if English might sometimes sound more natural without an article in a different phrasing, Catalan normally keeps it here.

In Catalan, les postres is usually plural, even when it refers to the dessert course in general.

So:

• després de les postres = after dessert

This is just a normal idiomatic difference between the languages. English often uses singular dessert, while Catalan commonly uses plural postres.

Després de means after.

It is used before:

• a noun phrase: després de les postres = after dessert
• an infinitive: després de menjar = after eating

So in this sentence:

• després = after
• de les postres = of the desserts / dessert course

Together: after dessert

In Catalan, de combines with some articles, but not all.

Contractions:

• de + el = del
• de + els = dels

But:

• de + la = de la
• de + les = de les

So:

• després del sopar = after dinner
• després de les postres = after dessert

That is why de les stays as two words.

Yes. The original order is completely normal:

• Vam demanar el compte després de les postres.

But Catalan can move the time expression for emphasis:

• Després de les postres, vam demanar el compte.

Both mean the same thing. The second version puts a bit more focus on after dessert.

It is the most natural word in a restaurant context.

Another word you may see is la factura, but that usually means:

• invoice
• bill in a more formal or business sense

So in a restaurant:

• Vam demanar el compte sounds natural

If you want the receipt specifically, that may be expressed differently depending on region and context.

Both exist.

You may see:

• vam demanar
• vàrem demanar

Both are valid forms of the we past construction. Vam is very common and especially frequent in everyday use. A learner should definitely recognize both, but vam is the form you will often meet first.