Des que van començar les vacances de juliol, la meva filla s'aixeca més tard cada dia.

Des que means since or ever since when it is followed by a whole clause:

• Des que van començar les vacances... = Since the holidays started...

It is different from des de, which is used before a noun, pronoun, or time expression:

• des de juliol = since July
• des de dilluns = since Monday

A very common learner mistake is des de que. Standard Catalan uses:

• des que
  • clause
• des de
  • noun/time expression

So in this sentence, des que is correct because van començar les vacances de juliol is a full clause.

Van començar is the periphrastic past in Catalan, a very common way to say the simple past.

It is formed with:

• a present form of anar
• • infinitive

So:

• van
  • començar = they started

This tense is extremely common in spoken and written Catalan. In many situations, it corresponds to the English simple past:

• van començar = started

Because Catalan uses a special past construction that historically comes from anar + infinitive, but in modern Catalan it functions as a normal past tense.

So although van normally means they go, in van començar it does not mean movement. It simply marks the past:

• van començar = they started

This is just something you learn as a tense pattern, not as a literal combination of meanings.

Because the sentence combines:

• a past starting point
• with a present, ongoing habit/result

So:

• Des que van començar les vacances de juliol = a past event that began the situation
• la meva filla s'aixeca més tard cada dia = what is happening now as a regular pattern

This is very natural in Catalan, just as in English:

• Since the holidays started, my daughter gets up later every day.

The present tense in the main clause shows a current repeated action.

Because the verb here is aixecar-se, which means to get up.

The se part is a reflexive pronoun. In this sentence:

• s' = herself
• aixeca = gets up

So:

• s'aixeca = she gets up

Before a vowel, se becomes s', which is why you see:

• s'aixeca not
• se aixeca

The infinitive is aixecar-se.

Some useful forms are:

• aixecar-se = to get up
• m'aixeco = I get up
• t'aixeques = you get up
• s'aixeca = he/she gets up
• ens aixequem = we get up
• us aixequeu = you all get up
• s'aixequen = they get up

So the sentence uses the 3rd person singular present.

Because in Catalan it is very common to use the definite article before a possessive:

• la meva filla = my daughter
• el meu pare = my father
• la nostra casa = our house

This is one of the big differences from English. In English you normally do not say the my daughter, but in Catalan la meva filla is completely normal.

Usually, in standard Catalan, la meva filla is the normal choice.

Dropping the article can happen in some fixed expressions, some regional usage, or certain stylistic contexts, but for a learner, the safest and most natural form is:

• la meva filla

So in this sentence, the article is exactly what you should expect.

In Catalan, vacances is normally a plural noun.

So:

• les vacances = the holidays / vacation time

This is similar to British English holidays more than to American English vacation.

You would usually say:

• fer vacances = to be on holiday / on vacation
• les vacances d'estiu = the summer holidays
• les vacances de juliol = the July holidays

So the plural is normal and expected.

De juliol means of July or more naturally in July / the July ...

Here it describes which holidays we are talking about:

• les vacances de juliol = the July holidays / the holidays in July

It is not possession. It is just a way of specifying the time period.

Compare:

• vacances de Nadal = Christmas holidays
• vacances d'estiu = summer holidays
• vacances de juliol = July holidays

Because in Catalan, the names of months are normally written in lowercase:

• gener
• febrer
• març
• abril
• juliol

So juliol is correct, not Juliol, unless it begins a sentence or appears in a title that uses capitalization rules.

This is different from English, where month names are capitalized.

Més tard means later.

It is made of:

• més = more
• tard = late

Together they form a comparative adverbial expression:

• més tard = later

In the sentence:

• s'aixeca més tard = she gets up later

Here tard works adverbially, so it does not change form.

Because tard here is functioning as an adverb, not an adjective.

Adverbs do not agree with gender or number. So you say:

• arriba tard = he/she arrives late
• arriba més tard = he/she arrives later

But as an adjective, you could have agreement in other contexts, for example:

• una hora tardana = a late hour

In this sentence, though, tard describes when she gets up, so it stays in the invariable adverb form.

Cada dia means every day.

It shows that the action is repeated regularly. So the idea is not just that she gets up later now, but that there is a day-by-day pattern:

• s'aixeca més tard cada dia = she gets up later every day

It helps make the present tense sound habitual.

The given order is very natural, but Catalan does allow some flexibility.

The most neutral version is:

• s'aixeca més tard cada dia

You may also hear or see slight variations depending on emphasis, such as:

• cada dia s'aixeca més tard
• s'aixeca cada dia més tard

These can shift the emphasis a little, but the original sentence is perfectly standard and natural.

Because Catalan usually does not need subject pronouns unless you want emphasis or contrast.

The subject is already clear from:

• the verb ending
• and the noun phrase la meva filla

So:

• la meva filla s'aixeca...

is enough.

Adding ella would usually sound emphatic or contrastive:

• Ella s'aixeca més tard, però el seu germà no.
• She gets up later, but her brother doesn’t.

Not usually in natural English, and it is better not to think of it that way when learning Catalan.

Even if the parts look similar, the real meaning here is:

• since
• ever since

So it is best to learn des que as a fixed connector meaning since when followed by a clause.

Yes. Catalan allows that too:

• La meva filla s'aixeca més tard cada dia des que van començar les vacances de juliol.

That means the same thing. Putting Des que van començar... at the beginning simply gives the time background first, which is very common.

Because the sentence begins with a subordinate time clause:

• Des que van començar les vacances de juliol, ...

A comma after an introductory clause is normal and helps readability.

You may sometimes see punctuation vary a little in informal writing, but this comma is standard and natural.