La spektaklo komenciĝos, eĉ se la lumigo ne funkcios.

Komenciĝos breaks down like this:

• komenc- = begin / start
• -iĝ- = become, get into a state, happen by itself
• -os = future tense

So komenciĝos means will begin or will start.

The -iĝ- part is important because it makes the verb clearly intransitive: the show itself will begin.

Esperanto learners often notice both forms.

• komenci often means to start something
• komenciĝi means to begin, to start on its own

So:

• Mi komencos la spektaklon = I will start the show
• La spektaklo komenciĝos = The show will begin

Some speakers may sometimes use komenci intransitively too, but komenciĝi is the clearest and most standard way to say that the show itself begins.

In Esperanto, tense is chosen by the actual time of the action.

Here, both things are in the future:

• the show will begin
• the lighting will not work

So using -os twice is completely natural.

This is different from English, which often uses present tense after if:

• English: even if the lighting doesn’t work
• Esperanto: eĉ se la lumigo ne funkcios

Esperanto does not have to copy that English pattern.

Se means if.

Eĉ se means even if.

The word eĉ adds emphasis: the main action still happens despite that condition.

So:

• se = if
• eĉ se = even if

That makes the contrast stronger.

In Esperanto, ne normally goes directly before the word or part it negates.

So:

• ne funkcios = will not work

That is the normal placement. English speakers may want to think of it as the standard way to negate a verb.

La is the definite article, meaning the.

It is used when the noun is specific or understood from context.

So:

• la spektaklo = the specific show being discussed
• la lumigo = the specific lighting in that situation

Esperanto uses la much like English the, although in practice Esperanto is sometimes a bit more flexible depending on context.

Good question, because these words are related but not identical.

• lumo = light
• lumigi = to light, to illuminate
• lumigo = lighting, illumination, the lighting setup/process

So la lumigo here means something like the lighting rather than just the light.

Using lumo would suggest the light itself in a more general sense, while lumigo points more naturally to stage lighting or the lighting system.

Funkcios is:

• funkci- = function, work, operate
• -os = future

So ne funkcios means will not function, will not work, or will not operate.

It is a very common verb for machines, systems, equipment, and anything that is supposed to work properly.

Because there is no direct object here.

• La spektaklo is the subject of komenciĝos
• la lumigo is the subject of funkcios

The accusative -n is usually used for a direct object or for certain motion expressions. Neither is needed here.

So the sentence is all nominative nouns.

Yes, it is normal and helpful.

The comma separates the main clause from the subordinate clause:

• La spektaklo komenciĝos
• eĉ se la lumigo ne funkcios

Esperanto punctuation is generally quite logical, and a comma before a clause introduced by se or eĉ se is standard in this kind of sentence.

No special subjunctive is needed.

Esperanto does not have a separate subjunctive form like some European languages do. Instead, it uses normal verb endings:

• -as present
• -is past
• -os future
• -us conditional
• -u command / wish

Here the straightforward future -os is enough.

A rough guide is:

ko-men-TSI-jos

More precisely:

• c in Esperanto is always like ts
• ĝ is like the j in judge
• stress is always on the second-to-last syllable

So komenciĝos is stressed on ĝos’s previous syllable:

ko-men-CI-ĜOS

And the whole sentence has regular Esperanto stress throughout.