Kiam la infanoj finis manĝi, ili devis viŝi la tablon pli zorge ol kutime.

Kiam means when and introduces a time clause.

So the sentence is built in two parts:

• Kiam la infanoj finis manĝi = the time/background part
• ili devis viŝi la tablon pli zorge ol kutime = the main action

A very literal structural breakdown is:

• Kiam... = when...
• ili devis... = they had to...

The comma separates the introductory subordinate clause from the main clause.

• Kiam la infanoj finis manĝi, = subordinate time clause
• ili devis viŝi... = main clause

Esperanto commonly uses a comma here, just as English often does with an opening when-clause.

Because -j marks the plural in Esperanto.

• infano = child
• infanoj = children

So la infanoj means the children.

The -n marks the direct object, called the accusative.

• la infanoj = the children, the subject doing the actions
• la tablon = the table, the thing being wiped

So:

• ili devis viŝi la tablon = they had to wipe the table

The children are doing the wiping, and the table receives the action, so tablo becomes tablon.

La is the definite article, meaning the.

It is used here because both nouns are understood as specific:

• la infanoj = the children being talked about
• la tablo / la tablon = the specific table in that situation, probably the one they ate at

Esperanto has only one definite article, la, for all genders and numbers.

After a verb like fini (to finish), Esperanto normally uses the infinitive for the next verb.

• fini manĝi = to finish eating
• finis manĝi = finished eating

So:

• finis is the conjugated verb
• manĝi stays in the infinitive

This is similar to English finished eating, though Esperanto uses the infinitive form more directly here.

It does not need an object if the thing being eaten is either unknown, unimportant, or obvious from context.

So finis manĝi simply means finished eating.

Just like in English, you do not have to say what they were eating unless it matters.

Devi means to have to or must.

In this sentence:

• devis = had to
• viŝi = wipe

So devis viŝi means had to wipe.

Again, Esperanto uses:

• a conjugated verb: devis
• plus an infinitive: viŝi

This is a very common pattern:

• mi devas iri = I have to go
• ili devis viŝi = they had to wipe

Because once la infanoj has already been mentioned, Esperanto usually uses the pronoun ili (they) to avoid repetition.

So:

• la infanoj introduces the group
• ili refers back to that same group

This works just like English.

Viŝi means to wipe.

That is a good choice here because the action is specifically wiping the table, not necessarily thoroughly cleaning it in a broader sense.

For comparison:

• viŝi la tablon = wipe the table
• purigi la tablon = clean the table

So viŝi focuses on the wiping action itself.

Because it modifies the verb viŝi, so Esperanto uses an adverb.

• adjectives end in -a
• adverbs end in -e

Here the sentence is describing how they had to wipe, not what kind of table it was.

So:

• zorga = careful
• zorge = carefully

And:

• pli zorge = more carefully

Ol means than in comparisons.

So:

• pli zorge ol kutime = more carefully than usual

Kutime is an adverb meaning usually or as usual. In this kind of comparison, Esperanto often uses it in a shortened expression:

• ol kutime = than usual / than they usually did

A fuller idea behind it could be something like:

• more carefully than they usually wiped it

But Esperanto, like English, often leaves that extra material unstated.

The special letters are the main thing to notice:

• ĝ sounds like the j in judge
• ŝ sounds like the sh in shoe

So approximately:

• manĝi ≈ MAHN-jee
• viŝi ≈ VEE-shee

Also remember that Esperanto stress normally falls on the second-to-last syllable:

• MAN-ĝi
• VI-ŝi
• zoRGe? Wait: ZOR-ge
• kuTI-me? Actually second-to-last: ku-TI-me

So:

• MANĝi
• VIŝi
• ZORge
• kuTIme