Després de la festa, les meves filles recullen les galetes i els gots de la taula.

Breakdown of Després de la festa, les meves filles recullen les galetes i els gots de la taula.

la taula
the table
i
and
meu
my
la filla
the daughter
després de
after
de
from
el got
the glass
la festa
the party
la galeta
the cookie
recollir
to pick up

Questions & Answers about Després de la festa, les meves filles recullen les galetes i els gots de la taula.

Why is it després de? Does després always need de here?

Yes. Després de is the normal way to say after before a noun phrase:

  • després de la festa = after the party

If després appears without de, it usually means afterward / later:

  • Primer sopem i després sortim. = First we have dinner and then we go out.
Why is there a comma after festa?
Because Després de la festa is an introductory time phrase. Catalan often separates that kind of opening phrase with a comma, just as English often does in After the party, .... In a shorter sentence the comma can sometimes be omitted, but here it is very natural.
Why does Catalan say les meves filles instead of just meves filles?

Catalan usually puts the definite article before a possessive and noun:

  • el meu pare = my father
  • la meva mare = my mother
  • les meves filles = my daughters

So where English says my daughters, Catalan normally says the equivalent of the my daughters.

Why is it meves?

Because the possessive has to agree with the noun it describes.

Filles is:

  • feminine
  • plural

So the possessive must also be feminine plural:

  • meu = masculine singular
  • meva = feminine singular
  • meus = masculine plural
  • meves = feminine plural

That is why it is les meves filles.

What form is recullen?

Recullen is the 3rd person plural present indicative of recollir.

It matches les meves filles = my daughters / they.

So:

  • elles recullen = they collect / they pick up / they clear away

In this sentence, because it happens after a party, the most natural sense is pick up or clear away.

Why are les galetes and els gots both definite?

Catalan naturally uses the definite article here because the items are specific and identifiable in the situation: the cookies and glasses that are on the table after the party.

So:

  • les galetes = the cookies
  • els gots = the glasses

This is very normal Catalan.

Why is it les galetes but els gots?

Because the article must agree with the noun’s gender and number:

  • les = feminine plural
  • els = masculine plural

So:

  • la galetales galetes
  • el gotels gots
What does de la taula mean here?

Here de la taula means from the table, and in natural English you would often say off the table.

So the idea is that the daughters are picking up the cookies and glasses from / off the table.

Does de la taula apply only to els gots, or to both les galetes i els gots?

Normally it is understood as applying to both:

  • the cookies and the glasses from the table

So the meaning is that they pick up both the cookies and the glasses that are on the table.

If a speaker wanted to make it apply only to els gots, they would usually reword the sentence to make that clearer.

Can recollir mean both collect and pick up?

Yes. Recollir is a very useful verb with several related meanings, including:

  • collect
  • gather
  • pick up
  • clear away
  • tidy up

The exact English translation depends on context. In this sentence, pick up or clear away is the best fit.

Is the word order special here?

No, this is a very neutral and standard word order:

  • Després de la festa = time expression
  • les meves filles = subject
  • recullen = verb
  • les galetes i els gots de la taula = object

So this is a good model sentence for a learner.

Could Catalan also use a continuous form here, like are picking up?

Catalan can use a continuous structure, but it does not need to. The simple present recullen can often cover meanings that English expresses with either pick up or are picking up, depending on context.

So recullen here is perfectly normal and does not sound incomplete.

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