Quan tinc fam, només vull pa i sopa.

In Catalan, hunger is usually expressed with the verb tenir (to have), not to be. So:

• tinc fam = I am hungry / literally I have hunger

This is similar to Spanish tengo hambre and different from English.
Other common Catalan expressions work the same way:

• tenir set = to be thirsty
• tenir son = to be sleepy
• tenir fred = to be cold
• tenir calor = to be hot

So Quan tinc fam... is the normal, natural way to say When I’m hungry...

Catalan often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb ending. In tinc, the ending already tells you the subject is I.

So:

• Quan tinc fam... = When I’m hungry...
• Jo tinc fam... also exists, but jo is usually added only for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

For example:

• Jo tinc fam, però ell no. = I’m hungry, but he isn’t.

In your sentence, leaving out jo is the most natural choice.

Quan means when.

In this sentence, Quan tinc fam... means When I’m hungry...

Depending on context, quan can also sometimes feel like whenever in English:

• Quan tinc fam, només vull pa i sopa. = When/Whenever I’m hungry, I only want bread and soup.

So here it introduces a time clause: it tells you the situation in which the rest happens.

The comma separates the introductory clause from the main clause:

• Quan tinc fam, = subordinate time clause
• només vull pa i sopa. = main clause

This is very similar to English:

• When I’m hungry, I only want bread and soup.

In short sentences, punctuation can vary a little in informal writing, but the comma is standard and helpful here.

Vull is the 1st person singular present form of the verb voler (to want).

Conjugation of voler in the present tense:

• jo vull = I want
• tu vols = you want
• ell/ella vol = he/she wants
• nosaltres volem = we want
• vosaltres voleu = you all want
• ells/elles volen = they want

So:

• només vull = I only want

It is an irregular verb, so the form does not look fully predictable from the infinitive voler.

Només means only.

In només vull pa i sopa, it most naturally means:

• I only want bread and soup
• or all I want is bread and soup

Its position before the verb is very common in Catalan.

Compare:

• Només vull pa i sopa. = I only want bread and soup.
• Vull només pa i sopa. = also possible, but less neutral in many contexts

So the placement in your sentence is normal and idiomatic.

Catalan often leaves out the article when talking about food in a general, indefinite way, especially after verbs like voler, menjar, comprar, etc.

So:

• vull pa i sopa = I want bread and soup

This sounds like some bread and soup or bread and soup in general, not specific bread or a specific soup.

If you add articles, the meaning changes:

• vull el pa i la sopa = I want the bread and the soup
  (specific bread/soup, already known in context)

So in your sentence, no article is the natural choice.

The normal Catalan word for and is i.

• pa i sopa = bread and soup

Unlike Spanish, Catalan does not normally change i to e before words beginning with an i sound. So i stays i.

In standard Catalan, ll is traditionally pronounced like a palatal l sound, similar to the lli sound in million for many English speakers, though exact pronunciation varies by dialect.

So vull is roughly pronounced something like vooy or vuy, depending on accent and local pronunciation.

A few useful pronunciation notes for the whole sentence:

• Quan ≈ kwan
• tinc ≈ tingk
• fam = like fahm
• només = stress on the second syllable: no-MES
• vull = irregular-looking and irregular-sounding; listen to native audio if possible
• pa = pah
• sopa = SO-pa

Pronunciation varies across Catalan-speaking regions, especially for ll.

The accent mark shows stress.

• només is stressed on the last syllable: no-MÉS

Without the accent, a reader might expect a different stress pattern. In Catalan, written accents are important because they help show pronunciation and sometimes distinguish words.

So the accent in només is not optional in standard writing.

You could say something with afamat/afamada in some contexts, but it is much less neutral and everyday than tenir fam.

• tinc fam = I’m hungry / the normal everyday expression
• estic afamat/afamada = I’m starving / I’m famished / more emphatic or literary

So for ordinary speech, Quan tinc fam... is the most natural choice.

By itself, Quan tinc fam most naturally means when I’m hungry or whenever I’m hungry.

If you want to emphasize become/get hungry, Catalan often uses a construction like:

• Quan em ve la fam... = when hunger comes to me
• or more naturally in many contexts, you would simply keep Quan tinc fam... if the distinction is not important

So your sentence is about the state of being hungry, not specifically the moment of becoming hungry.

Yes, but the original order is the most neutral:

• Quan tinc fam, només vull pa i sopa.

Other word orders may be possible, but they can sound more marked or emphasize different parts:

• Només vull pa i sopa quan tinc fam.
  This can sound like I only want bread and soup when I’m hungry rather than in other situations.

So if you just want the straightforward meaning, keep the original order.