Després de plegar i planxar la roba, la meva mare vol passar l'aspiradora i llençar les escombraries.

In Catalan, després de means after and it is normally followed by a noun or an infinitive.

So:

• després de dinar = after lunch / after eating lunch
• després de treballar = after working
• després de plegar i planxar la roba = after folding and ironing the clothes

The de is required here. This is a very common pattern in Catalan.

Here, plegar means to fold, specifically clothes.

So plegar la roba = to fold the clothes.

Be careful, because plegar can also mean other things in different contexts, such as:

• to stop working
• to leave
• to close/fold up something

But in this sentence, because it is followed by la roba, the meaning is clearly to fold clothes.

Because they depend on després de.

After després de, Catalan often uses the infinitive when the subject is the same as in the main clause or when the action is being described in a general way.

So:

• després de plegar i planxar la roba
• literally: after folding and ironing the clothes

This works much like English after folding and ironing the clothes.

Catalan usually uses the definite article before possessives:

• el meu germà = my brother
• la meva mare = my mother
• els nostres amics = our friends

That is different from English, where you would normally just say my mother.

So la meva mare is the normal Catalan way to say my mother.

There are a few special cases where the article may be left out, especially with some family terms in certain styles or fixed expressions, but for learners, using the article is the safest and most natural choice.

In Catalan, modal or semi-modal verbs like voler are followed directly by the infinitive.

So:

• vol passar l'aspiradora = wants to vacuum
• vol llençar les escombraries = wants to throw out the rubbish

There is no separate word like English to between the two verbs.

More examples:

• vull menjar = I want to eat
• volen sortir = they want to go out

Literally, it means something like to pass the vacuum cleaner, but the natural English meaning is to vacuum.

This is a common Catalan expression:

• passar l'aspiradora = to vacuum
• passar l'escombra = to sweep

Catalan often uses passar with a cleaning tool to express using it.

So even though it sounds a bit more literal than English, it is a normal everyday phrase.

Because aspiradora is a feminine singular noun that normally takes la, but when la comes before a vowel, it contracts:

• la + aspiradora → l'aspiradora

This is called elision.

More examples:

• l'escola from la escola
• l'amiga from la amiga

So passar l'aspiradora is just passar la aspiradora in contracted form.

Llençar means to throw away, to toss, or to discard, depending on context.

In this sentence:

• llençar les escombraries = to throw out the rubbish / to take out the trash

Pronunciation note:

• the ç is pronounced like s
• so llençar sounds roughly like lyen-SAR in Central Catalan-style pronunciation

Also, the ll in many varieties of Catalan sounds like the lli sound in some pronunciations of million, though pronunciation varies by dialect.

Catalan often uses definite articles where English might not.

So:

• la roba = the clothes / clothes
• les escombraries = the rubbish / the trash

Even when speaking generally about familiar household things, Catalan often keeps the article.

That is why llençar les escombraries is the normal expression for to take out the trash / throw out the rubbish.

It is very commonly used in the plural when referring to rubbish, garbage, or trash:

• les escombraries

This is much like some nouns in other languages that usually appear in one number even though English uses another pattern.

In everyday speech, llençar les escombraries is a standard fixed expression.

The comma separates the introductory time phrase from the main clause.

So the sentence structure is:

• Després de plegar i planxar la roba, = after folding and ironing the clothes,
• la meva mare vol... = my mother wants...

This is similar to English, where you often put a comma after an introductory phrase:

• After folding and ironing the clothes, my mother wants to...

Because roba is a collective noun in Catalan. It refers to clothing in a general sense and is grammatically singular.

So:

• la roba = clothes / clothing

Even though English often uses the plural clothes, Catalan uses singular roba.

Compare:

• planxar la roba = to iron the clothes / to iron the clothing
• plegar la roba = to fold the clothes

Yes. The verb vol applies to both infinitives:

• vol passar l'aspiradora
• (vol) llençar les escombraries

The second vol is omitted because it is understood.

This is very common in Catalan, just as in English:

• She wants to vacuum and throw out the rubbish.

So one vol can govern both verbs.

The accent mark in després shows the stressed syllable and is part of the correct spelling.

• després = after / afterwards

Catalan uses accent marks more systematically than English, so it is important to learn them as part of the word.

Without the accent, the spelling would be incorrect.

Yes, Catalan can sometimes move adverbial phrases around, but the version given is very natural:

• Després de plegar i planxar la roba, la meva mare vol...

You might also hear other structures in broader context, but for learners this sentence is a very standard and useful pattern:

• Després de + infinitive, then the main clause

It is a good model to remember.