El retard del tren és un problema perquè la meva companya arribarà tard a la reunió.

Yes. In Catalan, retard is a normal, neutral noun meaning delay. So El retard del tren simply means the train’s delay or the delay of the train.

This is one of those cases where a word looks familiar to English speakers but behaves very differently in Catalan.

Del is the contraction of de + el.

• de = of
• el = the
• del = of the

So:

• el retard del tren = the delay of the train / the train delay

This contraction is mandatory in standard Catalan, just like:

• al = a + el
• del = de + el

És is the verb to be in the 3rd person singular present:

• és = is

The accent helps distinguish it from es, which is a pronoun used in other constructions.

So here:

• és un problema = is a problem

Perquè means because in this sentence.

Catalan distinguishes several similar-looking forms:

• perquè = because
• per què = why / for what
• per a què = so that / for what purpose in some contexts
• el perquè = the reason

Here it introduces the cause:

• és un problema perquè... = it is a problem because...

In Catalan, possessives are very often used with a definite article:

• la meva companya = my colleague / my female companion

This is very common and natural in Catalan, especially in central varieties. English does not use an article before my, but Catalan often does.

So the pattern is often:

• el meu...
• la meva...
• els meus...
• les meves...

You may sometimes hear possessives without the article in certain styles or dialects, but la meva companya is completely standard and very common.

Companya is the feminine form of company.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• female colleague
• female companion
• female classmate
• partner in some contexts

In this sentence, colleague or coworker is probably the most natural interpretation because of la reunió (the meeting).

The masculine form is company.

Arribarà is the 3rd person singular future of arribar (to arrive).

• arribar = to arrive
• arribarà = he/she/it will arrive

So:

• la meva companya arribarà tard = my colleague will arrive late

Catalan often leaves out the subject pronoun when it is clear from the verb form. You do not need to say ella arribarà unless you want emphasis or contrast.

Tard is an adverb meaning late, so it does not change for gender or number.

• arribarà tard = will arrive late

This placement is very normal in Catalan: verb + adverb.

Examples:

• Arribo tard = I arrive late / I’m late
• Van arribar tard = They arrived late

So even if the subject changes, tard stays the same.

The preposition a is used here with reunió to mean to the meeting.

• a = to / at
• la reunió = the meeting
• a la reunió = to the meeting / at the meeting, depending on context

With arribar, Catalan commonly uses a before the destination or event:

• arribar a casa = to arrive home
• arribar a l’estació = to arrive at the station
• arribar a la reunió = to arrive at the meeting

In this sentence, English would usually say late to the meeting, while Catalan says tard a la reunió.

Catalan normally uses the indefinite article here:

• és un problema = it is a problem

That is the standard way to identify something as one example of a category.

Compare:

• És un problema = It is a problem
• És el problema = It is the problem

So un is important because it gives the sense of a problem, not the problem.

The sentence as written is very natural:

• El retard del tren és un problema perquè la meva companya arribarà tard a la reunió.

But Catalan does allow some flexibility, especially for emphasis.

For example, the because clause could come first:

• Perquè la meva companya arribarà tard a la reunió, el retard del tren és un problema.

That is grammatical, but it sounds less neutral and more marked. The original order is the most straightforward and natural for everyday use:

1. statement
2. reason introduced by perquè

So yes, the order can change, but the original version is the normal one.

The accents mainly show stress.

• arribarà is stressed on the last syllable: ar-ri-ba-rà
• reunió is also stressed on the last syllable: re-u-ni-ó

This matters because stress in Catalan is not always predictable from spelling alone.

The accent in arribarà also helps distinguish it from other forms of the verb. For example:

• arribara would be a different form in some contexts
• arribarà clearly marks the future form will arrive

So the accents are not optional; they are part of the correct spelling and help with both pronunciation and grammar.