Ĉu mi ĵetas unu, ĉu kvin, la ludvico finiĝas.

Here ĉu ... ĉu ... means whether ... or ....

So:

• Ĉu mi ĵetas unu, ĉu kvin = Whether I throw a one or a five
• la ludvico finiĝas = the turn ends

This use of ĉu is different from the simple yes/no-question ĉu you may already know.

Esperanto often repeats ĉu to show the two alternatives clearly:

• ĉu A, ĉu B = whether A or B
• also often understood as either A or B

So:

• ĉu mi ĵetas unu, ĉu kvin literally means whether I throw one, or whether I throw five

Repeating ĉu is the normal pattern here.

No. Even though it starts with ĉu, this sentence is not functioning as a yes/no question.

Why not?

Because the structure is ĉu ... ĉu ..., which introduces alternatives rather than asking for an answer. The sentence is making a statement:

• Whether I throw one or five, the turn ends.

If it were a real question, it would normally be something like:

• Ĉu mi ĵetas unu? = Am I throwing a one?

But that is not what is happening here.

Because the sentence is describing what happens in a situation, not giving a command or expressing a wish.

• ĵetas = present tense, throw / am throwing
• ĵetu = imperative or jussive, throw! / let me throw

Here the meaning is about a condition or alternative:

• whether I throw one or five

So the ordinary present tense ĵetas is the natural choice.

Because the noun is understood from context.

In a game, unu and kvin often mean:

• a one
• a five

For example, on a die, these are the numbers rolled. Esperanto often leaves out an obvious noun when it is clear from context, just as English does:

• I rolled a one
• I rolled a five

You do not need to repeat something like punkton, okulon, or nombron unless you want to be very explicit.

Because numerals by themselves normally do not take -n in this kind of shorthand use.

You may expect a direct object after ĵeti, but in expressions like this, the number is being used almost like a fixed game expression:

• ĵeti unu
• ĵeti kvin

This is similar to how languages often treat score or result expressions compactly.

If a full noun were present, that noun would show the grammar more clearly:

• mi ĵetas kvin poentojn
• mi ĵetas la kvinon

But in the short game-style phrasing unu and kvin stand alone naturally.

Ludvico literally combines:

• ludo = game
• vico = turn, sequence, place in order

So ludvico means a turn in a game.

In natural English, you would usually translate it simply as:

• turn

So la ludvico finiĝas = the turn ends.

This is an important Esperanto distinction.

• fini = to finish something; to bring something to an end
• finiĝi = to come to an end; to end by itself

So:

• mi finas la ludvicon = I end the turn
• la ludvico finiĝas = the turn ends

In your sentence, the turn is the thing that comes to an end, so finiĝas is exactly right.

The suffix -iĝ- often means become or come to be.

So:

• fina = final
• fini = finish, end
• finiĝi = become finished, come to an end

That is why la ludvico finiĝas means the turn reaches its end, rather than someone actively ending it.

Esperanto often uses the present tense for general rules, repeated situations, and conditional-like statements, just like English can.

So this sentence is not necessarily about one specific throw happening right now. It can express a rule of the game:

• Whether I throw one or five, the turn ends.

That is a general present. English also does this:

• If you touch that square, you lose.
• When the bell rings, the game ends.

Esperanto works similarly here.

The commas separate the alternative clause from the main clause.

Structure:

• Ĉu mi ĵetas unu, ĉu kvin, = alternative clause
• la ludvico finiĝas. = main clause

The commas help the reader hear the pause and see the structure more clearly. They are especially useful here because ĉu ... ĉu ... is a paired construction.

Yes. A learner might also encounter similar ideas expressed differently.

For example:

• Se mi ĵetas unu aŭ kvin, la ludvico finiĝas.
  = If I throw a one or five, the turn ends.

• Sendepende de tio, ĉu mi ĵetas unu aŭ kvin, la ludvico finiĝas.
  = Regardless of whether I throw a one or five, the turn ends.

But the original ĉu ... ĉu ... version emphasizes the two alternatives very directly.

Putting the ĉu ... ĉu ... part first highlights the alternatives before giving the result.

So the sentence is structured like:

• Whether X or Y, Z happens.

This is a very natural pattern in Esperanto, just as it is in English:

• Whether I throw one or five, the turn ends.

You could also imagine the main clause first in some contexts, but the given order is clear and idiomatic.

Not always. Esperanto often leaves out repeated words when they are obvious.

So instead of saying the full version:

• Ĉu mi ĵetas unu, ĉu mi ĵetas kvin, la ludvico finiĝas

it is more elegant to shorten it to:

• Ĉu mi ĵetas unu, ĉu kvin, la ludvico finiĝas

The omitted words are understood automatically from the first part. This kind of ellipsis is common and natural.