Сперва сестра читает повестку встречи, а потом задаёт вопросы.

Сперва means at first, first, or to begin with. In this sentence, it marks the first action in a sequence.

It is very close in meaning to сначала, and in many everyday sentences they can be interchangeable. Сперва can sound a little more conversational or narrative, while сначала is often the more neutral textbook word.

So:

• Сперва сестра читает... = First, the sister reads...
• Сначала сестра читает... would also be correct.

Сестра is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative case.

The basic dictionary form is:

• сестра = sister

Because Russian has no articles like a or the, сестра can mean:

• the sister
• a sister
• simply sister, depending on context

Here it is the person doing the actions читает and задаёт.

Both verbs are in the 3rd person singular present tense, because the subject is сестра = she.

So:

• читать = to read
• читает = she reads / is reading

and

• задавать / задать = to ask, to pose
• задаёт = she asks / poses

Russian often uses the present tense where English might also use the simple present for routines or sequences. This sentence can describe:

• a habitual action: First she reads the agenda, then she asks questions
• or a scene being described in the present

Because повестку is the direct object of читает.

The noun повестка is feminine, and feminine nouns ending in -а usually change to -у in the accusative singular when they are direct objects.

So:

• повестка = nominative
• повестку = accusative

Compare:

• Повестка лежит на столе. = The agenda is lying on the table.
• Она читает повестку. = She is reading the agenda.

Повестка встречи literally means the agenda of the meeting.

Here:

• повестка = agenda
• встречи = of the meeting

The word встречи is in the genitive singular because Russian often expresses X of Y by putting Y in the genitive case.

So:

• повестка встречи = meeting agenda
• literally: agenda of the meeting

This is a very common Russian structure.

Вопросы is the plural form of вопрос (question).

It is also the direct object of задаёт. Since вопрос is an inanimate masculine noun, its accusative plural looks the same as its nominative plural.

So:

• вопрос = question
• вопросы = questions

That same form is used here after the verb:

• задаёт вопросы = asks questions

In this sentence, а потом means and then / and after that, but а adds a slight sense of transition or contrast between the two steps.

So the sentence is structured like:

• first this happens,
• and then that happens.

Russian а is often not a strong but; it can simply connect two parts while showing a shift from one stage to another.

Here, а потом sounds very natural because the sentence presents two consecutive actions.

The letter ё shows both the correct vowel sound and the stress:

• задаёт

In many Russian texts, especially informal ones, ё is often written as е, so you may also see:

• задает

But the correct pronunciation still has ё, and the stress falls on that syllable.

For learners, keeping ё is very helpful because it makes pronunciation clearer.

No, Russian word order is fairly flexible, but this version is a very natural, neutral one.

The sentence:

• Сперва сестра читает повестку встречи, а потом задаёт вопросы.

sounds straightforward and clear.

Other word orders are possible, but they may change the emphasis. For example, moving сперва or потом can highlight the sequence differently. Russian uses word order more for focus and style than English does.

It can often mean either, depending on context.

Because both verbs are in the imperfective present:

• читает
• задаёт

the sentence can describe:

• a regular procedure: First the sister reads the agenda, then she asks questions
• or a present-time description of what is happening in a scene

Without more context, Russian leaves that open, just as English sometimes does with the simple present.

Usually yes, сестра means sister. But in some contexts it can also mean:

• nurse
• medical sister in older or formal usage
• religious sister in certain contexts

However, if the meaning has already been given to the learner, then in this sentence it should be understood according to that context. Grammatically, the word itself is still the same noun сестра.