La meva veïna va en bicicleta a la feina quan fa sol.

In Catalan, possessives are very often used together with a definite article.

So:

• la meva veïna = my neighbor
• literally, this looks like the my neighbor to an English speaker

This is normal Catalan grammar. English usually does not use an article before a possessive, but Catalan often does.

A few examples:

• el meu amic = my friend
• la meva mare = my mother
• els meus llibres = my books

There are some contexts where the article may be omitted, but in a basic sentence like this one, la meva veïna is the standard form.

Yes. Veïna is feminine, so it means female neighbor.

The masculine form is:

• veí = male neighbor
• veïna = female neighbor

So the sentence is specifically talking about a woman.

This is also why the article and possessive are feminine:

• la meva veïna
• not el meu veí

The ï has a diaeresis, and it shows that the i is pronounced separately, not merged into a single vowel sound with the e.

So veïna is pronounced roughly in separate parts like:

• ve-ï-na

Without the diaeresis, a learner might expect a different pronunciation.

This mark is there to help show that the vowels belong to different syllables.

Yes, and this is a very common point of confusion.

Here, va is the present tense of anar (to go):

• jo vaig
• tu vas
• ell/ella va

So in this sentence:

• La meva veïna va en bicicleta... = My neighbor goes by bicycle...

But Catalan also has a very common past construction:

• va + infinitive

For example:

• va anar = went
• va menjar = ate
• va sortir = went out

So the key is what comes after va:

• va en bicicleta → present meaning, goes
• va anar → past meaning, went

In Catalan, the usual way to express a means of transport is with en.

So:

• en bicicleta = by bicycle / on a bicycle
• en cotxe = by car
• en tren = by train
• en avió = by plane

For that reason, va en bicicleta is the natural expression.

An English speaker may expect something like with a bicycle, but Catalan normally uses en here.

Here, a marks the destination:

• a la feina = to work

This is the normal preposition used with movement toward a place.

Examples:

• Va a casa = He/She goes home
• Va a l’escola = He/She goes to school
• Va a la feina = He/She goes to work

So in the sentence:

• va en bicicleta a la feina

  the order is:

• goes
• by bicycle
• to work

Catalan often uses the definite article with places or destinations where English would not.

So:

• a la feina = to work
• literally, to the work/job

This is completely natural in Catalan.

Compare:

• Va a la feina = She goes to work
• És a la feina = She is at work

English often drops the article in expressions like at work or to work, but Catalan usually keeps it.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Feina can refer to:

• work in a general sense
• someone’s job
• the workplace in some everyday expressions

In this sentence, a la feina is best understood as to work.

So even though the literal meaning is tied to work/job, the natural English translation is usually just to work.

Because Catalan uses a very common weather expression:

• fa sol = it’s sunny / the sun is out

The verb fer (to do/make) is used in many weather expressions:

• fa calor = it’s hot
• fa fred = it’s cold
• fa vent = it’s windy
• fa sol = it’s sunny

So quan fa sol is the normal idiomatic way to say:

• when it’s sunny
• when the sun is out

It is much more natural than trying to translate word-for-word from English.

Quan means when.

It introduces a time clause:

• quan fa sol = when it’s sunny

So the sentence means that this happens under that condition or at that time.

You can think of the structure as:

• La meva veïna va a la feina...
• quan fa sol = when it’s sunny

Other examples:

• Quan plou, es queda a casa. = When it rains, she stays home.
• Quan té temps, llegeix. = When she has time, she reads.

Yes, the word order is very natural.

The sentence follows a straightforward pattern:

• La meva veïna = subject
• va = verb
• en bicicleta = manner / means of transport
• a la feina = destination
• quan fa sol = time/condition clause

So the structure is basically:

Subject + Verb + Transport/Manner + Destination + Time clause

Catalan is fairly flexible, but this order is completely standard and easy to understand.

Yes. That is also correct and very natural.

Both of these are possible:

• La meva veïna va en bicicleta a la feina quan fa sol.
• La meva veïna va a la feina en bicicleta quan fa sol.

The difference is mostly about emphasis and flow, not basic meaning.

• va en bicicleta a la feina puts the transport a bit earlier
• va a la feina en bicicleta puts the destination first, then explains how

Both are normal Catalan.

It normally expresses a habitual action.

Catalan present tense, like English present simple, is often used for routines or repeated actions:

• La meva veïna va en bicicleta a la feina quan fa sol.
• My neighbor goes to work by bicycle when it’s sunny.

This suggests something she generally does whenever the weather is sunny.

It is not usually understood as right now at this moment. For an action happening right now, Catalan would often use a different structure or additional context.