Quan acaba la primera funció, el públic sempre aplaudeix i demana una altra cançó.

Quan means when.

In this sentence, Quan acaba la primera funció means When the first performance ends. It introduces a time clause, telling us when the main action happens.

A useful thing to notice is that Catalan often uses the present tense after quan in sentences like this, even when English might sometimes use a different form depending on context.

Acaba comes from the verb acabar, which means to finish or to end.

Here, acaba is the 3rd person singular present tense:

• acabo = I finish
• acabes = you finish
• acaba = he/she/it finishes

So Quan acaba la primera funció literally means When the first performance finishes/ends.

Catalan usually uses the definite article more often than English does.

So:

• la primera funció = the first performance

Using la is completely normal here. In English, we also say the first performance, so this part matches quite well.

Funció usually means performance, show, or presentation, depending on context.

In this sentence, the most natural meaning is:

• the first performance
• the first show

For example, in a theatre or concert context, funció is a scheduled performance.

In Catalan, el públic is a singular collective noun, just like the audience can be in English.

So even though it refers to many people, grammatically it is treated as singular here:

• el públic aplaudeix
• el públic demana

That is why the verbs are singular:

• aplaudeix = applauds
• demana = asks

Not aplaudeixen or demanen, unless you changed the subject to something plural like els espectadors (the spectators/audience members).

Aplaudeix comes from aplaudir, meaning to applaud or to clap.

Here it is the 3rd person singular present:

• jo aplaudeixo = I applaud
• tu aplaudeixes = you applaud
• ell/ella aplaudeix = he/she applauds

So el públic sempre aplaudeix means the audience always applauds/claps.

Sempre means always.

Its position here is very natural in Catalan:

• el públic sempre aplaudeix

This is similar to English:

• the audience always applauds

Catalan adverbs like sempre often go before the verb, especially in straightforward sentences like this one.

Demana comes from demanar, which usually means to ask for or to request.

Here, demana una altra cançó means:

• asks for another song
• requests another song

It does not mean simply asks in the sense of asking a question. The meaning here is clearly asking for something.

Una altra cançó means another song.

In Catalan, altre / altra often combines with the indefinite article:

• un altre = another
• una altra = another

So:

• una altra cançó = another song

This is the normal, idiomatic way to say it.

Because cançó is a feminine singular noun.

So the words that go with it must match:

• una = feminine singular
• altra = feminine singular
• cançó = feminine singular

Compare:

• un altre llibre = another book
• una altra cançó = another song

This is basic gender and number agreement.

Catalan often omits subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the subject clear, or when the subject noun is already stated.

Here, the subject is explicitly given:

• el públic

So Catalan does not need a pronoun:

• el públic sempre aplaudeix i demana...

Adding a pronoun would usually be unnecessary unless you wanted emphasis.

Because the grammatical subject is still el públic, which is singular.

Catalan follows the grammatical form of the subject:

• el públic demana = the audience asks

Even though the meaning refers to many individuals, the noun itself is singular, so the verb is singular too.

Yes, the whole sentence is in the present tense:

• acaba
• aplaudeix
• demana

This present tense is being used to describe a habitual action or something that regularly happens:

• When the first performance ends, the audience always applauds and asks for another song.

Catalan often uses the present tense for general truths, routines, and repeated events, just like English does here.

Cançó means song.

The accent mark on ó shows that the stress falls on the last syllable:

• can-ÇÓ

Also, the ç is pronounced like an s sound, not like a k.

So cançó sounds approximately like:

• kan-SO

The accent helps you know both the correct stress and the correct written form.

The accents show where the stress goes:

• funció → stress on the last syllable: fun-ci-Ó
• públic → stress on the first syllable: PÚ-blic
• cançó → stress on the last syllable: can-ÇÓ

These accents are important in Catalan spelling and pronunciation. They are not optional.

In context, it can feel similar, but the literal meaning is When the first performance ends.

• quan = when
• després que or després de would be closer to after

So the best direct translation is still when, even if in some contexts English might naturally phrase it with after.

The comma separates the introductory time clause from the main clause:

• Quan acaba la primera funció, = introductory clause
• el públic sempre aplaudeix i demana una altra cançó. = main clause

This is similar to English punctuation:

• When the first performance ends, the audience always applauds and asks for another song.

So the comma is used for the same reason it often is in English.