La publiko atendas la konkurson.

The -n is the accusative ending. In Esperanto, it marks the direct object of the verb.

Here:

• La publiko = the subject, the one doing the action
• atendas = waits for / expects
• la konkurson = the thing being waited for or expected

So -n shows that konkurso is receiving the action.

Without -n, the sentence would be grammatically wrong in standard Esperanto.

La is the Esperanto word for the. It does not change for gender, number, or case.

It appears before both nouns because both are definite:

• la publiko = the public / audience
• la konkurson = the competition

Even though konkurson has -n, the article stays the same: la.

Yes, but publiko is a collective noun. It refers to a group as a single unit, much like English the public or the audience.

So:

• publiko = the public, considered as one group
• publikoj = publics, which is possible but much less common and only used in special contexts

In this sentence, singular publiko is exactly what you would expect.

Yes. In Esperanto, atendi is normally a direct transitive verb, so it takes a direct object without a preposition.

English says:

• wait for the competition

Esperanto says:

• atendi la konkurson

So the idea of for is built into the verb usage here. This is very common in Esperanto: some verbs that need a preposition in English take a direct object in Esperanto.

Yes. Because Esperanto marks the direct object with -n, the word order is more flexible than in English.

Standard order:

• La publiko atendas la konkurson.

Possible alternative:

• La konkurson atendas la publiko.

Both mean the same basic thing. The second version gives more emphasis to la konkurson.

Even so, subject–verb–object is the most neutral and common order, especially for learners.

Yes. Publiko is a noun, and it is clearly related to English public.

Esperanto nouns normally end in -o, so:

• publik- = the root
• -o = noun ending

Related forms include:

• publika = public, as an adjective
• publike = publicly
• publikigi = to make public, to publish in the sense of making something known

So publiko is a regular Esperanto noun built from a familiar root.

Konkurso can mean competition, contest, or a similar event where people compete.

The exact English word depends on context:

• a school event might be a contest
• a sporting event might be a competition
• an arts event might also be a competition

So konkurso is a fairly broad word. The sentence itself does not tell you exactly what kind of competition it is.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

La publiko atendas la konkurson
lah poob-LEE-koh ah-TEN-dahs lah kon-koor-SON

A few useful pronunciation points:

• Esperanto stress is almost always on the second-to-last syllable
• publiko → pu-BLI-ko
• atendas → a-TEN-das
• konkurson → kon-kur-SON

Also:

• u sounds like oo
• e sounds like eh
• o sounds like oh

Yes. Atendi can mean both wait for and expect, depending on context.

So this sentence could potentially suggest either:

• the public is waiting for the competition to begin
• the public is expecting the competition

Usually the surrounding context makes the intended meaning clear. This is normal in Esperanto, just as many English words also have more than one closely related sense.