Dopo la lezione, facciamo merenda in giardino prima di tornare a casa.

Facciamo is the 1st person plural form of fare in the present indicative.

• fare = to do / to make
• facciamo = we do / we make

In Italian, the present tense is often used not only for general habits but also for things that are part of a routine or a planned action. So here it can mean:

• we have a snack
• we eat a snack

Even though fare literally means to do/make, in the expression fare merenda it means to have a snack.

Italian usually drops subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The ending -iamo in facciamo already tells you the subject is we. So noi is unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

For example:

• Facciamo merenda = We have a snack
• Noi facciamo merenda, loro no = We have a snack, they don’t

So in your sentence, leaving out noi is completely normal.

Fare merenda is a very common Italian expression meaning to have a snack.

It does not usually mean to make a snack in the literal English sense. It means to eat something small between meals, often in the afternoon, though it can be used more generally.

Examples:

• I bambini fanno merenda alle quattro. = The children have a snack at four.
• Vuoi fare merenda con noi? = Do you want to have a snack with us?

So you should learn fare merenda as a set phrase.

It is very close to snack, but merenda has a strong everyday cultural feel in Italian.

It often refers to:

• a small meal between lunch and dinner
• especially an afternoon snack
• something simple like fruit, bread, yogurt, biscuits, or a sandwich

Children often fanno merenda, but adults can too.

So merenda = snack, but with a very familiar Italian everyday flavor.

After dopo, you can directly use a noun phrase.

So:

• dopo la lezione = after the lesson
• dopo pranzo = after lunch
• dopo il lavoro = after work

You do not need di before a noun here.

However, with a verb, you often get:

• dopo aver mangiato = after eating
• dopo essere arrivati = after arriving

So:

• dopo + noun
• dopo + infinitive structure with forms like aver / essere

The comma separates the introductory time phrase from the main clause:

• Dopo la lezione, = After the lesson,
• facciamo merenda... = main part of the sentence

In Italian, this comma is common and natural, especially when the opening phrase sets the scene. It is not always absolutely required in every short sentence, but it is very normal here.

Both can be possible, but they do not always feel the same.

• in giardino often means in the garden / out in the garden in a general sense
• nel giardino means in the garden too, but can sound more specifically like inside the garden or in the particular garden

In many everyday sentences about location, Italian often prefers the simpler expression:

• mangiamo in giardino
• giochiamo in giardino
• facciamo merenda in giardino

So in giardino sounds very natural here.

This is a very important Italian structure:

• prima di + infinitive

It means before doing something.

So:

• prima di tornare = before returning
• prima di uscire = before going out
• prima di mangiare = before eating

In your sentence:

• prima di tornare a casa = before going back home / before returning home

This structure is used when the subject of both actions is the same. Here, we have a snack, and we return home.

Because a casa is a fixed, very common expression meaning home.

Italian usually says:

• andare a casa = to go home
• tornare a casa = to return home
• essere a casa = to be at home

Using alla casa would usually mean going to a specific physical house, not simply home in the usual sense.

So:

• torno a casa = I’m going home / I return home
• torno alla casa di Maria = I return to Maria’s house

It can mean both, depending on context.

• tornare = to return
• also very often = to go back

So prima di tornare a casa could be understood as:

• before returning home
• before going back home

Both are good translations.

Because Italian uses the present tense very often for:

• habits
• routines
• scheduled actions
• near-future actions

So facciamo merenda can mean:

• we have a snack as a routine
• we’re having a snack in a planned sense
• we’ll have a snack depending on context

This is very normal in Italian and often broader than the English present simple.

Yes, Italian word order is somewhat flexible, but some orders sound more natural than others.

The original sentence:

• Dopo la lezione, facciamo merenda in giardino prima di tornare a casa.

is very natural because it goes:

1. time
2. main action
3. place
4. earlier/later relationship

You could also say:

• Prima di tornare a casa, facciamo merenda in giardino dopo la lezione.

This is grammatically possible, but it sounds less smooth and less natural in everyday speech.

So the original order is a very good, idiomatic choice.

Not usually in the same natural way.

Italian strongly prefers fare merenda as the normal expression for having a snack.

• facciamo merenda = natural
• mangiamo una merenda = unusual in most contexts

You might say mangiamo qualcosa per merenda = we eat something for a snack, but if you simply mean have a snack, use fare merenda.

Prima on its own means before / earlier / first, but when it is followed by a verb in the infinitive, Italian normally uses di:

• prima di partire = before leaving
• prima di dormire = before sleeping

So in your sentence:

• prima di tornare a casa

If there is no infinitive after it, you may just have prima:

• Prima facciamo merenda, poi torniamo a casa.
• First we have a snack, then we go home.

So:

• prima di + infinitive
• prima alone in other uses

Often, yes, but not always exactly.

Lezione usually means:

• lesson
• class
• a teaching session

Depending on context, Dopo la lezione could be translated as:

• After the lesson
• After class

If the meaning has already been given to the learner, the important thing is that lezione refers to the teaching period that has just finished.

You would change the verb to the 1st person singular:

• Dopo la lezione, faccio merenda in giardino prima di tornare a casa.

That means:

• After the lesson, I have a snack in the garden before going home.

So:

• faccio = I do / I have
• facciamo = we do / we have

This is a useful way to see how the verb changes with the subject.