Des de fa un any, la meva veïna va en bicicleta a la feina.

Des de fa un any means for a year now / for the last year.

Catalan often uses des de fa + period of time for something that started in the past and continues up to the present.

So:

• des de fa un any = for a year now
• des de fa dues setmanes = for two weeks now
• des de fa molt de temps = for a long time now

A literal breakdown is roughly:

• des de = since/from
• fa = makes / ago / has been
• un any = a year

But you should learn des de fa as a fixed time expression.

In Catalan, when an action began in the past and still continues now, the present tense is very often used.

So:

• Des de fa un any, la meva veïna va en bicicleta a la feina. = For a year now, my neighbor has been going to work by bike / goes to work by bike.

This is different from English, which often prefers has been going in this kind of situation.

So the Catalan present here does not mean only a simple present habit in a timeless way; with des de fa un any, it clearly means the habit has been true for the last year and is still true now.

Yes, that can be confusing.

Va can be:

1. the present tense of anar:

   • ella va = she goes

2. part of the periphrastic past when followed by an infinitive:

   • va anar = she went
   • va menjar = she ate

In your sentence, va is on its own, not followed by an infinitive, so it means:

• va = goes

So:

• la meva veïna va en bicicleta = my neighbor goes by bicycle
• but la meva veïna va anar a la feina = my neighbor went to work

In Catalan, the usual way to express a means of transport is en + vehicle/method.

So:

• en bicicleta = by bike
• en cotxe = by car
• en tren = by train
• en avió = by plane

Using amb would sound more like with in the sense of accompanying something, not the normal way to express transport.

So for transportation, en bicicleta is the natural choice.

Catalan normally uses the article in this expression:

• a la feina = to work

English drops the article in go to work, but Catalan usually does not.

Other examples:

• Vaig a la feina. = I’m going to work.
• És a la feina. = He/She is at work.
• Torna de la feina a les sis. = He/She comes back from work at six.

So this is a normal difference between English and Catalan: Catalan keeps the article where English often omits it.

Catalan usually uses the definite article + possessive + noun.

So the normal pattern is:

• la meva veïna = my neighbor
• el meu germà = my brother
• la nostra casa = our house

This differs from English, where you say simply my neighbor without the.

So la meva veïna is the standard Catalan structure.

Veïna means female neighbor.

It is the feminine form of:

• veí = male neighbor / neighbor
• veïna = female neighbor

The two dots over the ï are a diaeresis. They show that the i is pronounced separately, not merged into a different vowel sound.

So veïna is pronounced roughly as separate syllables, not like a single blended vowel.

This spelling is important in Catalan and appears in many words.

No. Catalan any means year.

So:

• un any = one year / a year
• dos anys = two years

It is a false friend for English speakers, because it looks like English any, but it has a completely different meaning.

Examples:

• Té vint anys. = He/She is twenty years old.
• Fa un any que viu aquí. = He/She has lived here for a year.

Yes. Catalan is flexible about word order, especially with time expressions.

Your sentence:

• Des de fa un any, la meva veïna va en bicicleta a la feina.

could also be:

• La meva veïna va en bicicleta a la feina des de fa un any.

Both are grammatical. Putting des de fa un any at the beginning gives it more emphasis and sets the time frame right away.

Yes. A very common alternative is:

• Fa un any que la meva veïna va en bicicleta a la feina.

This also means:

• My neighbor has been going to work by bike for a year.

So both of these are natural:

• Des de fa un any, la meva veïna va en bicicleta a la feina.
• Fa un any que la meva veïna va en bicicleta a la feina.

They are very close in meaning. Learners should recognize both patterns.

Yes. Without any other context, va en bicicleta a la feina naturally describes a habit or regular way of commuting:

• She goes to work by bike
• She rides her bike to work

With des de fa un any, the idea becomes:

• this habit started a year ago
• it is still true now

So the whole sentence describes an ongoing routine, not a one-time trip.