Mi hermana compra peras y uvas en la frutería antes de volver a casa.

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb or the context.

• compra = he/she buys
• mi hermana already tells us who the subject is

So Mi hermana compra... is completely natural. Adding ella would usually only be for emphasis or contrast.

Because mi here is the possessive adjective meaning my.

Compare:

• mi hermana = my sister
• para mí = for me

The form mí with an accent is a pronoun used after prepositions, but that is not what we have here.

compra is the third-person singular present indicative of comprar.

So it matches mi hermana:

• yo compro
• tú compras
• él / ella compra

In a sentence like this, the Spanish present can mean:

• a habitual action: My sister buys pears and grapes...
• a present-time narration: My sister is buying pears and grapes...

The exact nuance depends on context.

In Spanish, plural count nouns often appear without an article when talking about things in a general, non-specific way after verbs like buy, eat, sell, etc.

So:

• compra peras y uvas = she buys pears and grapes / some pears and grapes

If you wanted to sound more specific or emphasize quantity, you could say:

• compra unas peras y unas uvas

But the version without articles is very natural.

Frutería is a fruit shop or greengrocer’s. In Spain, it commonly refers to a shop that sells fruit and often vegetables too.

It comes from:

• fruta = fruit
• -ería = a suffix often used for shops or places associated with something

So frutería is literally a place connected with fruit.

Because en shows the location where the action happens.

• compra peras y uvas en la frutería = she buys pears and grapes at/in the fruit shop

If you used a, that would usually suggest movement toward the shop:

• va a la frutería = she goes to the fruit shop

So:

• a la frutería = destination
• en la frutería = location

Because Spanish uses antes de + infinitive to mean before doing something.

So:

• antes de volver = before returning / before going back

This is the normal structure.

Useful comparison:

• antes de salir = before leaving
• antes de comer = before eating

If a full clause with a different subject follows, Spanish usually uses antes de que + subjunctive:

• antes de que vuelva = before she returns

That a is the preposition used with movement toward a destination.

• volver a casa = to return home
• ir a casa = to go home
• llegar a casa = to arrive home

So the a is not random; it marks the destination.

Because casa often appears without an article in fixed expressions when it means home, especially someone’s own home or the idea of home in general.

Common examples:

• ir a casa = to go home
• volver a casa = to return home
• llegar a casa = to get home
• estar en casa = to be at home

If you mean a specific house as a building, la casa is possible:

• Volvió a la casa de su abuela = She returned to her grandmother’s house

No, Spanish word order is fairly flexible, but this sentence uses a very neutral, natural order:

• Mi hermana compra peras y uvas en la frutería antes de volver a casa.

You could also say:

• Antes de volver a casa, mi hermana compra peras y uvas en la frutería.

That version puts more focus on the time expression antes de volver a casa. Both are correct.

Yes, y changes to e before words that begin with an i sound.

Examples:

• padre e hijo
• España e Italia

But uvas begins with a u sound, not an i sound, so y uvas is correct.

The stress falls on the í:

• fru-te-rí-a

The written accent mark shows that stressed syllable clearly. Without the accent, the stress would normally be expected elsewhere, so the accent is important.