Quan comença la funció, el públic fa silenci.

when

Breakdown of Quan comença la funció, el públic fa silenci.

• començar: to begin
• el públic: the audience
• la funció: the performance

Questions & Answers about Quan comença la funció, el públic fa silenci.

Why is quan used here? Is it a question word or a conjunction?

Here quan is a conjunction meaning when, introducing a time clause: Quan comença la funció...

Catalan quan can do two jobs:

• as a question word: Quan comença la funció? = When does the show start?
• as a conjunction: Quan comença la funció, el públic fa silenci. = When the show starts, the audience falls silent / becomes quiet.

So in this sentence, it is not asking a question. It links two parts of the sentence.

Why is comença in the present tense?

Comença is the 3rd person singular present of començar = to begin / to start.

Catalan often uses the present tense for general truths, routines, and things that regularly happen. This sentence describes a typical situation:

• Quan comença la funció, el públic fa silenci.

That is like saying:

• Whenever the performance starts, the audience becomes quiet.

So the present tense works naturally here, just as in English sentences like When class starts, everyone sits down.

What exactly does la funció mean here?