La neboda diu que primer hem de bufar les espelmes i després tallar el pastís.

In Catalan, nouns often take a definite article where English might not focus on it as much. La neboda means the niece.

• la = the (feminine singular)
• neboda = niece

So La neboda diu... is literally The niece says...

Catalan normally uses the article with a noun like this unless there is a reason not to.

Diu means says or is saying. It comes from the verb dir, which means to say or to tell.

Here it is in the 3rd person singular:

• jo dic = I say
• tu dius = you say
• ell/ella diu = he/she says

So La neboda diu = The niece says.

Que here means that.

So:

• La neboda diu que... = The niece says that...

Just like in English, that can sometimes be omitted in translation, but in Catalan que is very commonly used after verbs like dir.

Primer here means first.

In this sentence, it works as an adverb telling us the order of actions:

• primer = first
• després = afterwards / then

So the sentence gives a sequence:

1. first blow out the candles
2. then cut the cake

Hem de means we have to or we must.

It comes from the verb haver plus de + infinitive:

• hem de = we have to
• bufar = to blow

So:

• hem de bufar = we have to blow

This is a very common Catalan way to express obligation.

Catalan often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• hem clearly means we have
• so nosaltres is not necessary

You could say nosaltres hem de bufar, but it is usually omitted unless you want emphasis or contrast.

Here it comes from haver, not tenir.

That matters because English uses have to, but Catalan expresses this idea with:

• haver de + infinitive = to have to / must

So:

• hem de bufar = we have to blow

This is not the same as possession. It is a structure for obligation.

Bufar means to blow.

In this sentence:

• bufar les espelmes literally = to blow the candles

But in natural English, we usually say to blow out the candles. Catalan does not need a separate word equivalent to out here.

Catalan often uses the definite article with objects in a way that sounds more natural than leaving it out.

So:

• les espelmes = the candles
• el pastís = the cake

Even when English might say blow out candles in some contexts, Catalan normally says bufar les espelmes.

Espelmes is plural. The singular is espelma.

• l'espelma = the candle
• les espelmes = the candles

Notice:

• singular feminine article before a consonant: la
• plural feminine article: les

I means and, and després means afterwards, later, or then.

So:

• i després tallar el pastís = and then cut the cake

It connects the two actions and shows their order.

Tallar means to cut.

So:

• tallar el pastís = to cut the cake

It is an infinitive, just like bufar.

Because both depend on hem de.

The pattern is:

• hem de + infinitive
• hem de bufar
• hem de tallar

In this sentence, the second infinitive is coordinated with the first:

• hem de bufar les espelmes i després tallar el pastís

The second hem de is understood, so it does not need to be repeated.

A fuller version would be:

• primer hem de bufar les espelmes i després hem de tallar el pastís

But Catalan often omits the repeated part.

This is a very natural Catalan order.

A rough breakdown is:

• La neboda diu = The niece says
• que = that
• primer = first
• hem de bufar les espelmes = we have to blow out the candles
• i després tallar el pastís = and then cut the cake

Catalan often places time/order words like primer and després before the action they modify.

No. In Catalan, the correct form is primer.

Some useful comparisons:

• Catalan: primer
• Spanish: primero
• English: first

So if you are coming from Spanish, primer is the Catalan form to remember here.

Pastís means cake.

The accent mark in pastís shows the stress:

• pas-TÍS

Without the accent, the stress pattern would be unclear or different according to Catalan spelling rules. Written accents in Catalan often help show where the stress falls.

Very often, yes. Després commonly means afterwards, later, or then, depending on context.

In sequences of actions, it is very natural:

• primer... després... = first... then...

This is one of the most useful linking patterns for everyday Catalan.

A very literal translation would be:

The niece says that first we have to blow the candles and afterwards cut the cake.

That is understandable in English, but more natural English would be:

The niece says that first we have to blow out the candles and then cut the cake.

So the Catalan is natural, and the English usually needs a slightly less literal translation for idiomatic phrasing.