Breakdown of Després de treballar, volem caminar al bosc.
Questions & Answers about Després de treballar, volem caminar al bosc.
Després de is the normal Catalan way to say after before a noun or an infinitive.
- després de treballar = after working / after work
- després de dinar = after eating lunch
- després de classe = after class
So in this sentence, després de + infinitive is completely natural.
Because after a preposition like de, Catalan often uses the infinitive, especially when English would use a gerund (working) or a short time expression (after work).
So:
- després de treballar = after working
- abans de sortir = before leaving
- sense parlar = without speaking
English and Catalan do not always match word-for-word here. Catalan prefers the infinitive.
Grammatically, treballar is the infinitive, so literally it is to work. But in this structure, English usually translates it more naturally as working or after work.
So even though the form is infinitive in Catalan, the best English equivalent is often not an infinitive.
The phrase Després de treballar is an introductory time expression, and Catalan often separates that kind of phrase with a comma.
- Després de treballar, volem caminar al bosc.
The comma helps readability. In a short sentence, some writers might omit it, but using it is very normal and clear.
Volem is the 1st person plural present tense of voler (to want).
The present tense forms are:
- vull = I want
- vols = you want
- vol = he/she/it wants
- volem = we want
- voleu = you all want
- volen = they want
So volem means we want.
Because voler is followed directly by an infinitive.
- volem caminar = we want to walk
- vull menjar = I want to eat
- volen venir = they want to come
English uses to before the second verb, but Catalan does not insert anything here. So volem caminar is the normal pattern.
Because a + el contracts to al in Catalan.
- a + el = al
- de + el = del
So:
- al bosc = to the forest / in the forest
- al parc = to the park
- al cotxe = to the car / in the car, depending on context
You should not write a el bosc in standard Catalan.
Catalan often uses the definite article with places where English may or may not use one.
So these are very natural:
- anar al bosc
- anar a la platja
- anar al cinema
- anar al parc
In English, we sometimes say go to the forest, but sometimes just go walking in the woods. Catalan generally keeps the article here.
It can be a little ambiguous by itself, because a often marks destination. In context, many people will understand it as walk in the forest or go walking in the forest.
If you want to be more explicitly through/in the forest, Catalan often uses:
- caminar pel bosc
Here pel = per + el, and it strongly suggests movement through or around the forest.
So:
- caminar al bosc = understandable, often fine in context
- caminar pel bosc = more clearly walk through/in the forest
Yes. Both are natural, but they are slightly different in feel.
- Després de treballar focuses on the action: after working
- Després de la feina focuses on the time or event: after work
Both work well in everyday Catalan.
Yes, but that is normal. Catalan often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.
- volem already tells you it means we want
You can add nosaltres for emphasis or contrast:
- Nosaltres volem caminar al bosc.
But in a neutral sentence, leaving it out is more natural.
The accent in després shows that the stress falls on the last syllable:
- des-PRÉS
That is important, because without the accent you would expect a different stress pattern.
A simple pronunciation guide would be:
- després ≈ dess-PRES
- volem ≈ voh-LEM
- bosc ≈ bosk
The exact vowel sounds depend on dialect, but the stress pattern above is the key thing for a learner.