El meu germà ja està llest per al viatge.

Catalan normally uses the definite article before a possessive adjective, so el meu germà is the standard way to say my brother.

So, even though it looks more like the my brother word-for-word, that is completely normal in Catalan.

Some examples:

• el meu amic = my friend
• la meva mare = my mother
• els seus llibres = his/her/their books

Because meu agrees with the noun being possessed, not with the person who owns it.

Here, germà is masculine singular, so the possessive must also be masculine singular:

• el meu germà = my brother
• la meva germana = my sister

So even if the speaker is a woman, she would still say el meu germà, because germà is masculine.

Ja usually means already, now, or by now, depending on context.

In this sentence, it most naturally means already or now:

• El meu germà ja està llest per al viatge. = My brother is already ready for the trip.

It suggests a change of state: maybe earlier he was not ready, but now he is.

This is a very important Catalan distinction.

• estar llest = to be ready
• ser llest = to be clever, smart, or sometimes sly

So:

• El meu germà està llest = My brother is ready
• El meu germà és llest = My brother is clever

Catalan often uses estar for temporary states or conditions, and ser for more permanent characteristics. With llest, the meaning changes a lot depending on which verb you use.

Yes. Llest is an adjective, so it agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes.

Here it matches germà, which is masculine singular:

• llest = masculine singular

Other forms are:

• llesta = feminine singular
• llestos = masculine plural
• llestes = feminine plural

Examples:

• La meva germana ja està llesta.
• Els meus germans ja estan llestos.

It means for the trip.

Here, per al is the standard contraction of per a + el:

• per a el viatge → per al viatge

So:

• per al viatge = for the trip

You cannot normally say per el viatge in standard Catalan.

In standard Catalan, per a is often used to express ideas like destination, purpose, or intended use. In this sentence, the idea is that he is ready for the trip, so per a fits well.

That said, the difference between per and per a varies quite a bit by dialect and by level of formality. In everyday speech, many speakers use per in places where formal written Catalan prefers per a.

So:

• per al viatge is a good standard written form
• in some spoken varieties, you may hear slightly different usage

Because that is the most natural position for ja in this kind of sentence.

Catalan often places short adverbs like ja before the conjugated verb:

• ja està
• ja tinc
• ja vindrà

So El meu germà ja està llest sounds neutral and natural.

A different word order may be possible in special contexts, but this is the normal one learners should copy.

Yes. Preparat can also mean prepared or ready.

So this would also work:

• El meu germà ja està preparat per al viatge.

The difference is mostly one of nuance:

• llest often sounds very natural for ready
• preparat can sound a bit more like prepared

In many contexts, both are fine.

The accent marks show the stressed syllable.

• germà is stressed on the last syllable: ger-MÀ
• està is stressed on the last syllable: es-TÀ

These accents are important in Catalan spelling and pronunciation.

They also help distinguish forms and meanings in some cases, so it is best to learn them as part of the word, not as optional marks.

A rough guide is lyest, although the exact sound depends on the dialect.

Two helpful points:

• ll is traditionally a sound like the lli in million for some English speakers
• in some modern accents, it may sound closer to y

So llest may sound roughly like:

• lyest
• or in some accents, almost yest

You do not need to worry too much at first; the main thing is to recognize that ll is a normal Catalan spelling and pronunciation pattern.