Abans de respondre, has de tornar a llegir la pregunta.

Abans de means before when it is followed by a verb.

In Catalan:

• abans de + infinitive = before doing something
• abans que + conjugated verb = before someone does something

So in this sentence:

• Abans de respondre = Before answering

The de is required before an infinitive here. You cannot normally say abans respondre.

Examples:

• Abans de sortir = before leaving
• Abans de menjar = before eating

Because after abans de, Catalan uses the infinitive when the action is expressed in a general way, without a subject being separately stated.

So:

• Abans de respondre literally means before to answer / before answering

This works just like English before answering, where English also often uses a non-finite verb form.

If you wanted a full clause with its own subject, Catalan would usually use abans que instead:

• Abans que responguis, ... = Before you answer, ...

Has de means you have to.

It is made from:

• has = you have (from haver)
• de
• an infinitive

So:

• has de tornar a llegir = you have to read again

This is one of the most common ways to express obligation in Catalan.

Pattern:

• haver de + infinitive = to have to / must

Examples:

• He de marxar = I have to leave
• Has d’estudiar = You have to study
• Hem d’esperar = We have to wait

Catalan often expresses obligation with haver de + infinitive, which is very common in everyday language.

So English must or have to is very often translated with forms of haver de:

• Has de llegir-ho = You must / have to read it

There is also cal and caldre, which can express necessity, but they work differently:

• Cal llegir la pregunta = It is necessary to read the question

For a direct instruction to you, has de is the most natural choice here.

Has is the 2nd person singular present form of haver.

So it corresponds to you have.

Here is the present tense of haver in this use:

• he de = I have to
• has de = you have to
• ha de = he/she/it has to
• hem de = we have to
• heu de = you all have to
• han de = they have to

So the sentence is addressing one person informally: you have to...

Tornar a + infinitive means to do something again.

So:

• tornar a llegir = to read again
• literally, to return to read, but in real usage it simply means read again

This is a very common Catalan structure.

Examples:

• Torna a dir-ho = Say it again
• He tornat a veure la pel·lícula = I watched the film again
• No ho tornis a fer = Don’t do it again

Because the structure is fixed: tornar a + infinitive.

You should learn it as one unit:

• tornar a fer
• tornar a llegir
• tornar a començar

Without the a, it would not be the normal construction for again in this meaning.

So:

• tornar a llegir = to read again

Catalan normally uses the definite article in places where English sometimes does too, and sometimes does not. Here, la pregunta means the question.

So:

• llegir la pregunta = read the question

Using la is completely normal because it refers to a specific question already known in the context.

This is one of the things English speakers need to get used to: Catalan often uses articles very naturally and consistently with specific nouns.

Yes, the comma is natural and correct here.

The first part:

• Abans de respondre

is an introductory clause. The comma marks a pause before the main clause:

• has de tornar a llegir la pregunta

So the sentence is neatly divided into:

1. Before answering
2. you have to read the question again

In short sentences, punctuation can sometimes vary a little in informal writing, but the comma is standard and helpful here.

A close breakdown is:

• Abans de = before
• respondre = answering / to answer
• has de = you have to
• tornar a = again
• llegir = read
• la pregunta = the question

So very literally:

Before answering, you have to again read the question.

A more natural English version is:

Before answering, you have to read the question again.

Seeing the literal structure can help you notice two important Catalan patterns:

• abans de + infinitive
• tornar a + infinitive

Yes, often it could.

Both respondre and contestar can mean to answer, depending on context.

So a similar sentence could be:

• Abans de contestar, has de tornar a llegir la pregunta.

That said, respondre is a very good and standard choice here, especially when answering a question or replying in a more neutral/formal way.

For learners, it is useful to know:

• respondre = to answer, to respond
• contestar = to answer, to reply

In many contexts they overlap.

Sometimes yes, but not in exactly the same way.

• tornar a llegir = read again
• llegir de nou = read again / read anew

Both can work, but tornar a + infinitive is the more basic and common verbal structure for do again.

So in this sentence, has de tornar a llegir la pregunta sounds very natural.

De nou is possible in some contexts, but for learners, tornar a + infinitive is the safest pattern to use.