This is the 17th most frequent Catalan word.
van
"Van" in Catalan is the third-person plural present indicative form of the verb "anar," meaning "they go."
In this sentence, 'van' is the third person plural form of the auxiliary verb 'anar' (to go) used in the periphrastic past tense.
Els alumnes van arribar tard a classe.
The students arrived late to class.
Here, 'van' refers to a type of vehicle, which is a common substantive usage.
Els meus avis tenen un van per viatjar.
My grandparents have a van for traveling.
In this usage, 'van' operates again as an auxiliary verb in the periphrastic past, indicating a completed action in the past.