Quan arribo al pis, encenc la llum de la cuina.

Catalan often uses the present tense for things that happen regularly, typically, or as part of a sequence.

So Quan arribo al pis, encenc la llum de la cuina can mean something like Whenever I get to the apartment, I turn on the kitchen light.

This is very natural in Catalan, just as English can also say When I get home, I turn on the kitchen light.

Catalan usually drops the subject pronoun when it is clear from the verb ending.

• arribo = I arrive
• encenc = I turn on / light

Because the endings already show the subject is first person singular, jo is not necessary.

You could say Quan jo arribo al pis..., but that would usually add emphasis or contrast.

Al is the contraction of:

• a = to / at
• el = the

So:

• a + el = al

This is very common in Catalan.

Examples:

• al pis = to the apartment / at the apartment
• al cotxe = to the car / in the car
• al carrer = to the street / on the street

In Catalan, pis commonly means apartment / flat.

This can confuse English speakers because in some contexts related words in other languages can mean floor. Here, though, al pis means to the apartment or home to the apartment.

Depending on context, Catalan speakers might also use:

• casa = home / house
• apartament = apartment, though pis is very common for an ordinary flat/apartment

The verb is encendre, meaning to turn on, to light, or to switch on depending on context.

Its first person singular form is irregular:

• jo encenc
• tu encens
• ell/ella encén
• nosaltres encenem
• vosaltres enceneu
• ells/elles encenen

So encenc is simply the correct I form of encendre.

This verb is especially common with:

• la llum = the light
• el foc = the fire
• una espelma = a candle

Yes, literally it is close to I turn on the light or I light the light, but in Catalan this is the normal idiomatic way to say it.

Encendre la llum is the standard expression for turning on a light.

Similarly:

• apagar la llum = to turn off the light

So even if it feels slightly different from English, it is completely natural Catalan.

Catalan often expresses this idea with de:

• la llum de la cuina = the light of the kitchen = the kitchen light

This structure is very common.

Other examples:

• la porta de la casa = the house door
• la finestra de l’habitació = the bedroom window
• la taula del menjador = the dining-room table

Catalan can sometimes use other structures, but noun + de + noun is extremely common.

The comma separates the when-clause from the main clause:

• Quan arribo al pis, = When I get to the apartment,
• encenc la llum de la cuina. = I turn on the kitchen light.

This is similar to English, where a comma is also commonly used when the time clause comes first.

If the order were reversed, the comma might disappear:

• Encenc la llum de la cuina quan arribo al pis.

Yes. A very natural alternative is:

• Encenc la llum de la cuina quan arribo al pis.

The meaning is basically the same. The version with Quan arribo al pis first gives a little more focus to the arrival as the starting point.

A rough guide:

• llum sounds approximately like lyoom in many accents, though the exact ll sound varies by dialect
• cuina sounds roughly like KWEEN-uh

A few details:

• ll in Catalan is traditionally a palatal sound, though in many speakers it sounds close to y
• ui in cuina forms a glide, so it is not pronounced as two fully separate vowels

So the whole phrase la llum de la cuina is roughly:

• luh LYOOM duh luh KWEEN-uh

That is only an approximation, but it is a useful starting point.

Very often, yes, when talking about habitual actions or general situations.

Examples:

• Quan estudio, escolto música. = When I study, I listen to music.
• Quan arribes, truca’m. = When you arrive, call me.

But the tense after quan depends on meaning. Catalan can also use past tenses, future-related meanings, and so on, depending on context.

In this sentence, the present works because it describes a normal repeated action.

Yes. Encendre has a broad meaning covering the idea of causing something to start burning or shining or operating.

So it can be used for:

• encendre la llum = turn on the light
• encendre una espelma = light a candle
• encendre el foc = light the fire

The exact English translation depends on what is being turned on or lit.

In many everyday situations, yes, arribar a casa is very common if the speaker means get home.

But arribar al pis is also perfectly natural when you specifically want to say arrive at the apartment rather than just get home.

So the difference is mostly about how specific you want to be:

• a casa = home
• al pis = to the apartment / flat