Después de cenar, quiero leer un rato en el sofá.

Because después normally needs the preposition de before a noun or an infinitive.

So in Spanish you say:

• después de cenar = after having dinner / after dinner
• después de la cena = after dinner

Without de, it sounds incomplete in standard Spanish.

After después de, Spanish often uses an infinitive when the subject stays the same or when the action is being referred to in a general way.

So:

• Después de cenar, quiero leer... = After eating dinner, I want to read...

Here, cenar means to have dinner or having dinner, not I have dinner.

Compare:

• Después de cenar = after eating dinner
• Después de que ceno / después de que cené = after I eat / after I ate

The infinitive is very common and natural in this kind of sentence.

Yes. Both are correct, but they are slightly different in structure:

• después de cenar = after having dinner
• después de la cena = after dinner

The version with the infinitive often feels a little more action-based, while después de la cena refers more directly to the meal as a noun. In everyday speech, both are common.

Because after a conjugated verb like quiero (I want), Spanish usually uses an infinitive for the next verb.

So:

• quiero leer = I want to read
• quiero comer = I want to eat
• quiero dormir = I want to sleep

This is very similar to English: I want to read.

You do not say quiero leo.

Un rato means for a while or for a bit.

It is a very common expression in Spanish. It does not usually refer to a precise amount of time. It just means some short or moderate period.

Examples:

• Voy a descansar un rato. = I’m going to rest for a while.
• Hablamos un rato. = We talked for a bit.

So quiero leer un rato means I want to read for a while.

Because un rato functions as a time expression modifying the action leer.

• leer un rato = to read for a while

This is the natural order in Spanish. The time expression usually comes after the verb or verb phrase.

You might sometimes hear slightly different word orders for emphasis, but quiero leer un rato is the normal, neutral version.

In Spanish, it is normal to use the definite article in many places where English sometimes leaves it out.

So:

• en el sofá = on the sofa / on the couch

Spanish generally prefers the article here because you are referring to a specific, understood place.

Saying en sofá would sound wrong in standard Spanish.

Spanish often uses en where English uses in or on, depending on context.

With furniture like sofá, silla, cama, Spanish commonly uses en:

• sentado en el sofá = sitting on the sofa
• en la cama = in/on bed, depending on context
• en la silla = on the chair

So even though English uses on, Spanish naturally uses en here.

Yes, sofá is masculine:

• el sofá
• un sofá

You know because the article used is el. Also, not all nouns ending in -á or -a are feminine. Grammatical gender has to be learned with each noun.

Other examples:

• el día = masculine
• el mapa = masculine
• la mesa = feminine

So it is best to learn nouns together with their article: el sofá.

The comma separates the introductory phrase from the main clause.

• Después de cenar, = introductory time phrase
• quiero leer un rato en el sofá. = main clause

In English, we often do the same:

• After dinner, I want to read for a while on the sofa.

In Spanish, the comma is very natural here, especially when the opening phrase comes first.

Sometimes you may see short introductory phrases without a comma, especially in informal writing, but with Después de cenar the comma is standard and clearer.

So the recommended version is:

• Después de cenar, quiero leer un rato en el sofá.

That is the safest and most natural choice for learners.

Yes, absolutely. That is also correct.

Compare:

• Después de cenar, quiero leer un rato en el sofá.
• Quiero leer un rato en el sofá después de cenar.

Both mean the same thing. The difference is mostly one of emphasis:

• Starting with Después de cenar highlights the time first.
• Putting it at the end gives a more straightforward statement first.

Both are natural.

Leer is pronounced approximately leh-ER, with two vowels that are both heard.

In careful pronunciation, the two e sounds are separate enough that the word has two syllables:

• le-er

In normal speech, they may flow together a bit, but it is still basically two syllables.

This is different from English spelling habits, where double vowels often behave differently. In Spanish, you pronounce what you see much more consistently.

The written accents show where the stress falls:

• después → stress on the last syllable
• sofá → stress on the last syllable

Without the accents, Spanish stress rules would suggest a different pronunciation, so the accent marks are necessary.

This is important because stress in Spanish is regular and predictable, and accent marks help show exceptions to the default pattern.

Yes, it sounds completely natural in Spain.

Everything in the sentence is standard and everyday:

• Después de cenar = very common
• quiero leer = basic, natural structure
• un rato = very common in Spain
• en el sofá = perfectly normal

A speaker from Spain would understand and use this sentence without any problem.