Vull saber el preu de la carn abans d'anar a la caixa.

Vull means I want. It is the 1st person singular form of the verb voler (to want).

Catalan often drops the subject pronoun when it is already clear from the verb ending, so:

• Vull saber... = I want to know...
• Jo vull saber... = also possible, but jo adds emphasis, like I want to know...

So in a normal sentence, vull by itself is completely natural.

Saber means to know in the sense of knowing a fact or finding out information.

So:

• Vull saber el preu = I want to know the price

This is different from conèixer, which is used for knowing a person, place, or being familiar with something.

Compare:

• Sé el preu = I know the price
• Conec aquesta botiga = I know this shop / I’m familiar with this shop

So saber is the correct choice because the speaker wants information.

Catalan uses the definite article very often, sometimes more often than English does.

So:

• el preu = the price

Even if English might sometimes say just price in certain contexts, Catalan usually prefers the article here.

This sentence is literally:

• I want to know the price of the meat...

Using el makes the noun sound complete and natural in Catalan.

De la carn means of the meat.

So:

• el preu de la carn = the price of the meat

This structure is very common in Catalan:

• el nom de la ciutat = the name of the city
• el color de la camisa = the color of the shirt

It is just the normal way to connect price with meat.

De la carn refers to the meat as a specific thing, such as the meat being sold there.

If you said de carn, it would sound less natural here because that can feel more general or more like a material/category use.

In this sentence, the speaker wants to know the price of a specific product category at the shop, so de la carn is the normal choice.

Because de becomes d' before a vowel sound.

• abans de + anar becomes
• abans d'anar

This is a very common Catalan contraction called elision.

Other examples:

• d'estiu = de estiu
• d'arribar = de arribar

So abans d'anar simply means before going or before going to...

Because Catalan normally uses abans de before an infinitive.

So:

• abans d'anar = before going
• abans de menjar = before eating
• abans de pagar = before paying

This is different from English, where we just say before going without a separate word like de.

So for learners, it helps to remember:

• abans de + infinitive

A la caixa means to the checkout, to the cash register, or to the till, depending on the variety of English you prefer.

• caixa literally can mean box in some contexts
• but in a shop, la caixa usually means the checkout/cash register area

So:

• anar a la caixa = to go to the checkout

In this sentence, it means the speaker wants to know the price before going to pay.

Because the verb anar (to go) normally takes the preposition a when it indicates destination.

So:

• anar a casa = to go home
• anar a l'escola = to go to school
• anar a la caixa = to go to the checkout

The a is necessary here.

Yes. Catalan allows some flexibility in word order.

For example, these are both natural:

• Vull saber el preu de la carn abans d'anar a la caixa.
• Abans d'anar a la caixa, vull saber el preu de la carn.

The second version puts more emphasis on before going to the checkout.

The original order is very natural and neutral.

Usually, yes. Carn normally means meat.

But, as in English, the exact meaning depends on context. In a supermarket or butcher’s shop, it clearly refers to meat as food.

So here:

• el preu de la carn = the price of the meat

If you want to be more specific, Catalan can also say:

• carn de porc = pork
• carn de vedella = beef
• carn de pollastre = chicken meat

It is actually quite close to English:

• Vull = I want
• saber = to know
• el preu = the price
• de la carn = of the meat
• abans d'anar = before going
• a la caixa = to the checkout

So word-for-word, it is very similar to:

• I want to know the price of the meat before going to the checkout.

That makes this sentence a good example of a structure that transfers fairly easily from English to Catalan.