La classe acabarà abans de dinar.

The class will end before lunch.

Breakdown of La classe acabarà abans de dinar.

• abans de: before
• dinar: to have lunch
• la classe: the class
• acabar: to finish

Questions & Answers about La classe acabarà abans de dinar.

Why is it la classe and not el classe?

Because classe is a feminine noun in Catalan, so it takes the feminine singular article la.

• la classe = the class
• una classe = a class

This is something you often just have to learn with the noun. It does not always match English patterns, and it may or may not match the gender of the equivalent word in other Romance languages.

What does classe mean here exactly: class, lesson, or classroom?

Here classe most naturally means class in the sense of a lesson/session at school.

So in this sentence:

• La classe acabarà abans de dinar.
• The class will end before lunch.

Depending on context, classe can sometimes refer to:

• a school class/group
• a lesson
• more generally, class time

It does not normally mean classroom here. For classroom, Catalan would usually use aula.

What tense is acabarà?

Acabarà is the future tense, third person singular, of acabar = to end / to finish.

The verb forms are:

• jo acabaré = I will finish
• tu acabaràs = you will finish
• ell/ella acabarà = he/she/it will finish

Since la classe is singular, the sentence uses acabarà:

• La classe acabarà = The class will end

Why does acabarà have an accent?

The accent in acabarà shows both stress and meaning.

• acabara without an accent is not the standard future form
• acabarà means will end / will finish

The accent tells you the stress falls on the last syllable:

• a-ca-ba-rà

This is very common in Catalan future forms:

• parlarà = he/she will speak
• sortirà = he/she will go out
• arribarà = he/she will arrive

Why is it abans de dinar and not just abans dinar?

Because in Catalan, abans is normally followed by de:

• abans de = before

So:

• abans de dinar = before lunch / before eating lunch

This is a fixed pattern. English learners sometimes want to leave out de, but in Catalan it is needed here.

Compare:

• abans de sortir = before leaving
• abans de classe = before class
• abans de dinar = before lunch

Is dinar here a verb or a noun?

It can be understood as either, and that is one reason this structure is so common.

dinar can mean:

• to have lunch / to eat lunch as a verb
• lunch as a noun

So abans de dinar can be understood as:

• before having lunch
• before lunch

In practice, the English translation often depends on context, but both ideas are built into the Catalan phrase very naturally.

Why is there no article before dinar? Why not abans del dinar?

Because abans de dinar is the normal general expression for before lunch / before eating lunch.

With meals, Catalan often uses the bare word without an article in this kind of expression:

• esmorzar = breakfast
• dinar = lunch
• sopar = dinner

So:

• abans de dinar = before lunch
• després de sopar = after dinner

You might see an article in more specific contexts, but here the article is not needed.

Does dinar mean lunch or dinner?

In Catalan, dinar normally means lunch, the midday meal.

This is important for English speakers because the word may look similar to dinner, but the usual meanings are:

• esmorzar = breakfast
• dinar = lunch
• sopar = dinner/supper

So in this sentence, abans de dinar means before lunch, not before dinner.

Could this sentence also be said as La classe s’acabarà abans de dinar?

Yes, that is possible.

Both can work:

• La classe acabarà abans de dinar
• La classe s’acabarà abans de dinar

The version without s’ is straightforward and very common: the class will end.

The version with s’acabarà can sound a bit more like will come to an end or will be over, though in many contexts the difference is small.

For a learner, the version in your sentence is simple and completely natural.

Why is the word order La classe acabarà abans de dinar? Could I move the time phrase?

Yes. The given word order is the most neutral and natural:

• La classe acabarà abans de dinar.

But Catalan can also move the time phrase for emphasis:

• Abans de dinar, la classe acabarà.

That version puts more focus on before lunch. It is grammatically fine, but the original order is the most standard in everyday speech.

How do you pronounce classe, acabarà, and dinar?

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker:

• classe ≈ CLAH-suh
• acabarà ≈ ah-kah-bah-RAH
• dinar ≈ dee-NAR

A few useful notes:

• The ll in acabarà is just a regular l sound here because there is only one l
• The final à in acabarà is stressed
• The r at the end of dinar is usually pronounced more lightly than in most English accents

If you are learning standard Central Catalan pronunciation, the unstressed vowels may sound weaker than you expect.

Can abans de dinar mean both before lunch and before eating lunch?

Yes. In many situations, Catalan does not force a sharp distinction between those two ideas.

So this phrase can mean:

• before lunch as a scheduled time
• before eating lunch as an action

Usually the context makes the intended meaning clear. In a school context, English would most naturally say before lunch.

How would I negate this sentence?

You normally put no before the verb:

• La classe no acabarà abans de dinar.
• The class will not end before lunch.

This is the regular way to make a negative sentence in Catalan.

What would the plural version be?

If you want to say The classes will end before lunch, you would make both the noun and the verb plural:

• Les classes acabaran abans de dinar.

Changes:

• la → les
• classe → classes
• acabarà → acabaran

So the verb agrees with the subject, just as in English.