Després de la classe, hi tornaré amb la meva germana.

Breakdown of Després de la classe, hi tornaré amb la meva germana.

amb
with
la germana
the sister
meu
my
després de
after
la classe
the class
tornar
to go back
hi
there

Questions & Answers about Després de la classe, hi tornaré amb la meva germana.

What does després de mean, and why is there a de?

Després de means after.

In Catalan, després is normally followed by the preposition de:

  • després de la classe = after class / after the lesson
  • després de dinar = after lunch
  • després de treballar = after working

So unlike English, where you just say after, Catalan usually needs de after després.

Why does it say de la classe instead of just classe?

Because després de is followed by a noun phrase, and here that noun phrase is la classe.

  • la classe = the class / the lesson

So:

  • després de la classe = after the class / after the lesson

In some contexts, Catalan can also say després de classe, which can sound a bit more general, like after class as an activity or routine.
But després de la classe points more clearly to a specific class.

What does hi mean here?

Hi is a very common Catalan pronoun that often replaces a place.

In this sentence, hi means something like:

  • there
  • to that place
  • back there

So hi tornaré means I’ll go back there or I’ll return there.

Catalan uses hi a lot where English might simply use there, or sometimes where English leaves the place implied.

Why is hi needed? Could you just say tornaré?

Yes, you could say tornaré if the place is already obvious from context, but hi tornaré is more explicit because it clearly refers back to a location.

Compare:

  • Tornaré. = I’ll come back / I’ll return.
  • Hi tornaré. = I’ll go back there / I’ll return there.

So hi tells you that the speaker is returning to a place already known from the conversation.

Why does hi come before tornaré?

Because in Catalan, object and adverbial pronouns like hi, en, el, la, li, etc. usually go before a conjugated verb.

So:

  • hi tornaré
  • hi vaig
  • hi anirem

This is normal Catalan word order for pronouns.

What form is tornaré?

Tornaré is the first person singular future of tornar.

  • tornar = to return / to go back / to come back
  • tornaré = I will return / I will go back

The ending marks the future tense for jo in this verb:

  • jo tornaré = I will return
Does tornar mean to return, to come back, or to go back?

It can mean all of those, depending on context.

Catalan tornar is broader than a single fixed English translation:

  • return
  • come back
  • go back

So hi tornaré could be translated as:

  • I’ll return there
  • I’ll go back there
  • I’ll come back there

The best English choice depends on the situation and point of view.

Why is it amb la meva germana and not just amb meva germana?

In Catalan, possessives are often used with the definite article, especially with family words.

So Catalan normally says:

  • la meva germana = my sister
  • el meu pare = my father
  • la nostra mare = our mother

This is different from English, which does not use the here.

So:

  • amb la meva germana literally looks like with the my sister
  • but it simply means with my sister
What does amb mean? Can it also be with in the sense of accompaniment?

Yes. Amb means with, and here it shows accompaniment:

  • amb la meva germana = with my sister

So the speaker is saying they will return there together with their sister.

Is the comma after classe necessary?

The comma is natural here because Després de la classe is an introductory time phrase.

So the sentence is structured like:

  • Després de la classe, = After class,
  • hi tornaré amb la meva germana. = I’ll go back there with my sister.

In short sentences, punctuation can vary a little, but this comma is very normal and helps readability.

Could the sentence be written in a different word order?

Yes, Catalan allows some flexibility, though the original is very natural.

For example:

  • Hi tornaré després de la classe amb la meva germana.
  • Amb la meva germana, hi tornaré després de la classe.

These are grammatical, but the original sentence sounds very straightforward and neutral:

  • Després de la classe, hi tornaré amb la meva germana.

Putting Després de la classe first emphasizes when it will happen.

How is hi pronounced?

Hi is pronounced like ee.

  • The h is silent.
  • The i sounds like the ee in see.

So hi tornaré sounds roughly like:

  • ee تور-na-REH
    or more simply:
  • ee tor-na-RE

The stress in tornaré falls on the last syllable: tor-na-RÉ.

Is germana specifically sister, and what would brother be?

Yes.

  • germana = sister
  • germà = brother

So:

  • la meva germana = my sister
  • el meu germà = my brother

This is a useful pair to remember because both are very common family words in Catalan.

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