Avança dues caselles i després retrocedeix una.

Here it is a command.

In Catalan, the tu imperative often has the same form as the 3rd person singular present. So avança can mean either:

• he/she moves forward in a normal statement, or
• move forward! in an instruction

The context makes it clear that this sentence is giving directions, so it is understood as a command. The same applies to retrocedeix.

A formal vostè command would be different: avanci and retrocedeixi.

Because Catalan often omits subject pronouns when they are not needed.

So instead of saying Tu avança..., Catalan normally just says Avança... The verb form and the context already show that the speaker is talking to you.

In commands, leaving out the subject is especially common. You would only add tu for emphasis, contrast, or irritation.

Because casella is a feminine noun, and the number two agrees with gender in Catalan:

• dos for masculine nouns
• dues for feminine nouns

So:

• dos llibres
• dues caselles

This is something English speakers often notice, because English two never changes form.

Here casella means a space or square on a board or game track.

More generally, casella can also mean a box, cell, or square in things like forms, grids, or tables. So it is a broader word than just a board-game square, but in this sentence the game meaning is the natural one.

Because Catalan can leave out a noun that is already understood.

So retrocedeix una means go back one [space/square], where casella is omitted because it was just mentioned earlier.

This is very similar to English, where we can say Move forward two spaces and then go back one without repeating space.

Also notice that una is feminine because it refers back to casella, which is feminine.

Yes, absolutely.

Both are correct:

• retrocedeix una
• retrocedeix una casella

The version with just una sounds more natural when the noun has already been mentioned. Repeating casella is a bit more explicit, but still perfectly normal.

Because here després is being used on its own as an adverb, meaning afterwards / then.

So:

• i després retrocedeix una = and then go back one

You use després de when it is followed by a noun or an infinitive:

• després del joc
• després de menjar

So the difference is:

• després = afterwards / then
• després de = after

A few useful things:

• ç in avança sounds like s.
  So it is not a k sound.

• The accent in després shows that the stress falls on the last syllable: des-PRÉS.

• In retrocedeix, the ending -eix is pronounced with a final sh sound in standard Catalan.

So even if Catalan spelling looks unfamiliar at first, it is quite systematic once you learn these patterns.

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

The most neutral version is:

• Avança dues caselles i després retrocedeix una.

You might also hear:

• Avança dues caselles i retrocedeix una després.

But that version is usually a bit less natural in a simple instruction like this. Putting després before the second verb makes the sequence especially clear, which is why it works well in directions and game rules.