Si gires a l'esquerra abans, trigues més i no arribes a temps.

In Catalan, after si when you mean a real possibility or a general condition, you normally use the present indicative, not the future.

So:

• Si gires a l'esquerra abans, trigues més... = If you turn left earlier, you take longer...

This works like a general rule or likely consequence.

Catalan does not usually say:

• Si giraràs... for this kind of condition

That sounds wrong in standard Catalan here.

A useful pattern is:

• Si + present, present
• Si + present, future
• Si + imperfect subjunctive / imperfect, conditional in more hypothetical structures, depending on the variety and register

Here the sentence is giving a practical consequence, so the present tense is natural.

Gires is the 2nd person singular form of girar in the present indicative:

• jo giro
• tu gires
• ell/ella gira
• nosaltres girem
• vosaltres gireu
• ells/elles giren

So si gires means if you turn.

Catalan often leaves out the subject pronoun, so it does not need tu:

• Si gires... = If you turn...
• Si tu gires... is possible, but it adds emphasis or contrast

Catalan often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject.

So:

• gires already tells you it means you turn
• trigues already tells you it means you take
• arribes already tells you it means you arrive

That is why the sentence does not need tu.

This is very common in Catalan, just like in Spanish or Italian.

A l'esquerra means to the left or left in the sense of direction.

It is made of:

• a = to
• la esquerra = the left

But la esquerra becomes l'esquerra because Catalan often uses elision before a vowel:

• a + l'esquerra = a l'esquerra

Compare:

• a la dreta = to the right
• a l'esquerra = to the left

So the apostrophe is there because esquerra begins with a vowel.

Here abans means earlier.

• Si gires a l'esquerra abans... = If you turn left earlier / sooner...

You use abans by itself when it functions as an adverb.

You use abans de before a noun or an infinitive:

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

So in this sentence, abans is correct because it means something like earlier than you should / earlier than another point.

Trigar often means to take time or to be a long time.

In this sentence:

• trigues més = you take longer

It is a very common verb in Catalan for talking about how much time something requires.

Examples:

• Trigues molt? = Does it take you long?
• He trigat deu minuts. = I took ten minutes
• Si vas per aquí, trigues menys. = If you go this way, it takes less time

So even though English often uses take, Catalan often uses trigar.

Both are understandable, but trigues més is very natural and idiomatic.

Catalan often leaves out temps when it is obvious:

• trigar més = to take longer
• trigar menys = to take less time

So:

• trigues més literally means you take more, but in context it clearly means you take more time / longer

Adding temps is possible in some contexts, but here it would sound less streamlined.

Arribar a temps means to arrive on time / in time.

In this sentence:

• no arribes a temps = you don’t arrive on time

The expression a temps is fixed and very common.

Examples:

• Arribo a temps. = I’m arriving on time / in time
• No vam arribar a temps. = We didn’t arrive in time

English distinguishes between on time and in time more sharply, but a temps can cover both ideas depending on context.

I means and.

The sentence is presenting two consequences of turning left earlier:

1. trigues més = you take longer
2. no arribes a temps = you don’t arrive on time

So i simply links those two results:

• If you turn left earlier, you take longer and you don’t arrive on time.

Catalan could sometimes use another connector in other contexts, but i is perfectly natural here.

The first part of the sentence is a conditional clause:

• Si gires a l'esquerra abans

Then comes the main clause:

• trigues més i no arribes a temps

When the si clause comes first, Catalan commonly separates it with a comma, just as English often does:

• If you turn left earlier, you take longer...

So the comma helps show the structure clearly.

It most naturally sounds like a general rule, instruction, or predictable consequence.

• Si gires a l'esquerra abans, trigues més i no arribes a temps.

This has the feel of:

• Whenever / if you turn left earlier, it takes longer and you won’t make it on time.

Catalan often uses the present tense this way for general truths, instructions, and cause-and-effect statements.

Depending on context, it could also refer to a specific likely situation, but the grammar itself strongly suggests a general practical statement.

A helpful approximate pronunciation is:

• l'esquerra ≈ les-KE-rra

A few points:

• esquerra has stress on que: es-QUER-ra
• the rr is a strong rolled or trilled r
• the ll sound is not present here; it is just l' from la

A rough learner-friendly breakdown:

• a l'esquerra ≈ a les-KE-rra

Exact pronunciation varies a bit by accent, but the important things are:

• stress the middle syllable
• make the rr stronger than a simple English r

Yes, in many contexts tombar can also be used for to turn:

• si tombes a l'esquerra...

But girar a l'esquerra is also completely normal.

The exact preference can depend on region and context. For a learner, the important point is:

• girar a l'esquerra = to turn left
• tombar a l'esquerra can also be used in many varieties

So the sentence is perfectly natural with gires.

Sometimes yes, but the meaning or emphasis can shift slightly.

Here:

• Si gires a l'esquerra abans...

means if you turn left earlier / sooner.

You might also hear structures where an adverb moves, but in this sentence the placement is very natural because abans clearly modifies the moment of turning.

Putting it here avoids ambiguity and sounds idiomatic. For a learner, this is a good model to follow.