Si estàs lliure a la tarda, quedarem al banc de la plaça.

Because lliure here means free/available at that moment, which is treated as a temporary state. In Catalan, temporary states usually go with estar, not ser.

So:

• estàs lliure = you’re free / available
• ets lliure would sound less natural here

This is similar to other temporary conditions:

• Estic ocupat = I’m busy
• Està cansada = She’s tired

Here lliure means free in the sense of available.

It does not mean something like free of charge here. It is about whether someone has time.

So Si estàs lliure a la tarda means:

• if you’re available in the afternoon
• if you’re free this afternoon / in the afternoon

Si means if.

It introduces a condition:

• Si estàs lliure... = If you’re free...

Be careful not to confuse this with sí (with an accent), which means yes.

• si = if
• sí = yes

Catalan commonly uses a with parts of the day:

• al matí = in the morning
• a la tarda = in the afternoon
• al vespre = in the evening
• a la nit = at night

So although English says in the afternoon, Catalan uses a la tarda.

Quedarem is the future tense of quedar, first person plural: we will meet or we’ll arrange to meet.

The verb forms are:

• jo quedaré = I will meet
• tu quedaràs
• ell/ella quedarà
• nosaltres quedarem
• vosaltres quedareu
• ells/elles quedaran

So quedarem here means we’ll meet.

In this sentence, quedar means to meet or to arrange to meet.

It is a very common Catalan verb with several meanings depending on context. For example, it can also mean:

• to remain / be left
• to suit / fit
• to agree on meeting

Here, in quedarem al banc de la plaça, it means:

• we’ll meet at the bench in the square

Yes. In everyday Catalan, the present tense is often used to talk about near-future plans:

• Si estàs lliure a la tarda, quedem al banc de la plaça.

This can sound very natural, like English If you’re free this afternoon, we’re meeting at the bench in the square or let’s meet...

The version with quedarem is still correct and clearly future.

Because Catalan usually drops subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The ending -em in quedarem already tells you the subject is nosaltres (we).

So Catalan normally says:

• quedarem = we will meet

And only adds nosaltres for emphasis or contrast:

• Nosaltres quedarem al banc de la plaça, no al cafè.

Al is the contraction of a + el.

• a = at / to
• el = the
• al = at the / to the

So:

• al banc = at the bench

This contraction is very common in Catalan.

It can mean either, depending on context.

In this sentence, banc means bench, because of de la plaça:

• el banc de la plaça = the bench in the square

A financial bank is also banc, but the context here makes bench the correct meaning.

De la plaça here identifies which bench: the one of the square, meaning the bench in the square.

So:

• el banc de la plaça = the square’s bench / the bench in the square

This use of de is very common in Catalan to specify or describe a noun.

If you said al banc a la plaça, that would sound less natural in this context.

Yes, quite similar.

The structure is:

• Si + present, future

So:

• Si estàs lliure, quedarem...
• If you’re free, we’ll meet...

This matches a normal English real condition. Catalan does not use the future in the si clause here.

So Si estaràs lliure... would be wrong in standard Catalan for this meaning.

By itself, a la tarda usually means in the afternoon. Depending on context, it can naturally be understood as this afternoon.

If you want to be more explicit, Catalan can say:

• aquesta tarda = this afternoon

So a very natural alternative would be:

• Si estàs lliure aquesta tarda, quedarem al banc de la plaça.

That is a bit more specific than a la tarda.