Abans de la festa, la meva neboda vol penjar globus blaus a la sala.

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

• la meva neboda = my niece
• el meu germà = my brother
• les nostres amigues = our friends

This is different from English, where we normally say my niece without the.

Catalan can sometimes drop the article in certain family expressions or vocatives, but in a normal sentence like this, la meva neboda is the standard form.

Abans de means before.

• abans de la festa = before the party

Catalan uses de after abans when it introduces a noun or an infinitive:

• abans de la festa = before the party
• abans de sortir = before leaving / before going out

So de is just part of the normal structure here.

After vol (wants), Catalan uses the infinitive, just like English:

• vol penjar = wants to hang
• vol menjar = wants to eat
• vol dormir = wants to sleep

The verb vol is from voler (to want), and penjar is the infinitive (to hang).

So the structure is:

• subject + vol + infinitive

Here penjar means to hang or to put up.

In the context of decorations, penjar globus means to hang balloons or to put balloons up.

It can also be used in other situations:

• penjar un quadre = to hang a picture
• penjar la roba = to hang the clothes
• penjar el telèfon = to hang up the phone

Because adjectives in Catalan agree with the noun in gender and number.

• globus is masculine plural
• so the adjective must also be masculine plural: blaus

Agreement here is:

• globus blau = blue balloon
• globus blaus = blue balloons
• pilota blava = blue ball
• pilotes blaves = blue balls

So blaus matches globus.

In Catalan, adjectives often come after the noun.

So:

• globus blaus = blue balloons
• literally: balloons blue

This is very normal in Catalan. Some adjectives can come before the noun, but color adjectives like blau/blava usually come after it.

In this sentence, a la sala most naturally means in the living room / in the room or into the room, depending on context.

Catalan a can cover meanings that English often separates into to, at, or sometimes in.

Here, with penjar globus a la sala, the idea is that the balloons are being hung there, so in natural English it is usually understood as:

• in the living room
• in the room

Also, sala often means living room, hall, or main room, depending on context.

Because Abans de la festa is an introductory time expression:

• Abans de la festa, ... = Before the party, ...

The comma helps separate that opening phrase from the main clause. In English, we often do the same thing:

• Before the party, my niece wants to hang blue balloons in the living room.

In Catalan, this comma is very natural and helps readability.

Because the subject is la meva neboda (my niece), which is third person singular.

The verb voler in the present tense includes:

• jo vull = I want
• tu vols = you want
• ell/ella vol = he/she wants
• nosaltres volem = we want
• vosaltres voleu = you all want
• ells/elles volen = they want

So la meva neboda vol = my niece wants.

Because neboda means niece, which is feminine.

Compare:

• nebot = nephew
• neboda = niece

Catalan often marks feminine nouns with -a, though not always. Here that also explains why the article and possessive are feminine:

• la meva neboda

not

• el meu neboda

Normally, no. A la sala is the standard form because sala is a specific noun and it takes the definite article:

• a la sala = in the room / in the living room

Catalan uses articles more often than English in many situations. So even where English might say in the room, Catalan naturally says a la sala.

A very literal breakdown is:

• Abans de la festa = before the party
• la meva neboda = my niece
• vol penjar = wants to hang
• globus blaus = blue balloons
• a la sala = in the living room / in the room

So the whole structure is:

• Before the party, my niece wants to hang blue balloons in the living room.

This literal mapping is quite close to the natural English meaning, which makes the sentence relatively beginner-friendly.