després

Després is a Catalan word used as an adverb meaning "afterwards" or "later." It can introduce a later step in a sequence or a later moment in time, as in Després vam sopar (Afterwards we had dinner). In combination with de, it forms the prepositional phrase després de, meaning "after" in relation to a noun or event, for example Després de la reunió, vam tornar a casa (After the meeting, we returned home).

The term is standard across Catalan varieties and is widely used in both formal and informal registers. It is common in Valencian and Balearic speech and writing, with the same core meaning and functions. As a simple adverb, després typically precedes the main verb in narrative or discourse, while després de introduces a temporal noun phrase.

Etymology and relatives: després is of Catalan origin and has a cognate in Spanish, después, reflecting a shared Romance-language lineage related to the Latin post meaning "after." The spelling and pronunciation follow Catalan orthography, distinguishing it from related forms in other Romance languages.

Usage notes: In narrative writing, després can help sequence events without repeating explicit time markers. With després de, the noun following the preposition is governed by de, forming a time-linked clause. While the word is primarily temporal, its use can be extended to emphasize later events or steps in a story or explanation.

See also: después (Spanish), après (French) as cross-language cognates illustrating Romance-language development of time-related adverbs.