Appena funziona il ricevitore, il delegato ascolta.

Here appena means as soon as.

So the structure is:

• Appena + clause = as soon as + clause

For example:

• Appena arriva, mangiamo. = As soon as he/she arrives, we eat.
• Appena finisco, ti chiamo. = As soon as I finish, I’ll call you.

Be careful: appena can also mean just in other contexts:

• Ho appena mangiato. = I just ate.

So the meaning of appena depends on how it is used in the sentence.

Italian often uses the present tense in clauses like this, especially with words such as appena, quando, se, and similar time or condition words.

So:

• Appena funziona il ricevitore... literally looks like
• As soon as the receiver works/functions...

In natural English, you may still translate it with present or future depending on context:

• As soon as the receiver works, ...
• As soon as the receiver starts working, ...
• Once the receiver is working, ...

This is normal in Italian. The present tense can describe:

• a general situation
• a repeated action
• something expected to happen

Both are possible.

• Appena funziona il ricevitore, il delegato ascolta.
• Appena il ricevitore funziona, il delegato ascolta.

Italian word order is more flexible than English word order. Putting the verb before the subject can sound a little more natural in some contexts, especially after a linking word like appena.

So funziona il ricevitore is not wrong or strange grammatically. It is just a different ordering.

That said, for a learner, il ricevitore funziona may feel easier to recognize because it matches the basic subject + verb pattern more closely.

Italian uses definite articles much more often than English.

So where English might say:

• the receiver
• the delegate

Italian says:

• il ricevitore
• il delegato

In many cases, Italian wants an article where English might sometimes omit one, but in this sentence both nouns are naturally definite, so il is expected.

Also:

• ricevitore is masculine singular, so it takes il
• delegato is masculine singular, so it also takes il

Because Italian usually does not need subject pronouns when the verb ending already tells you the person.

• ascolto = I listen
• ascolti = you listen
• ascolta = he/she listens or you-formal listen
• ascoltiamo = we listen
• ascoltate = you plural listen
• ascoltano = they listen

Here, the subject is stated explicitly as il delegato, so there is no need to add lui.

Using lui would usually add emphasis:

• Il delegato ascolta. = The delegate listens.
• Lui ascolta. = He listens.
• Il delegato, lui ascolta. = The delegate, he listens. (emphatic or contrastive)

This is a very common question.

• ascoltare = to listen
• sentire = to hear

So:

• Il delegato ascolta = The delegate listens
• Il delegato sente = The delegate hears

The difference is similar to English:

• listen usually suggests attention or intention
• hear is more about perceiving sound

Example:

• Ascolto la radio. = I listen to the radio.
• Sento un rumore. = I hear a noise.

So ascolta is the right choice if the idea is active listening.

It can mean either, depending on context.

funzionare means to function / to work.

So funziona can be understood as:

• works
• is working
• functions

Examples:

• Il telefono non funziona. = The phone doesn’t work.
• Ora funziona. = Now it’s working.
• Se funziona, lo usiamo. = If it works, we’ll use it.

Italian simple present often covers both the English simple present and present progressive, depending on the situation.

The comma separates the introductory clause from the main clause.

Structure:

• Appena funziona il ricevitore = subordinate clause
• il delegato ascolta = main clause

So the comma helps show:

• first, the time condition
• then, the main action

This is similar to English punctuation:

• As soon as the receiver works, the delegate listens.

If the order were reversed, the comma might be less necessary:

• Il delegato ascolta appena funziona il ricevitore.

Yes. Appena has more than one common use, so learners often need to check which one is meant.

Main uses:

1. as soon as

   • Appena arriva, partiamo.
   • As soon as he/she arrives, we leave.

2. just

   • È appena arrivato.
   • He has just arrived.

3. Sometimes it can suggest barely / only just, depending on context.

   • Si vede appena.
   • You can barely see it.

In your sentence, the structure appena + verb clause strongly points to the as soon as meaning.

It is grammatically correct, but it may sound a little unusual depending on the context, mainly because the combination of ideas is a bit specific.

• il ricevitore funziona = the receiver works / starts working
• il delegato ascolta = the delegate listens

A native speaker would understand it, but in real life they might choose a slightly more explicit sentence if they wanted to make the relationship clearer, for example:

• Appena il ricevitore comincia a funzionare, il delegato ascolta.
• Non appena il ricevitore funziona, il delegato si mette ad ascoltare.

Still, the original sentence is useful for learning grammar because it clearly shows:

• appena as a conjunction
• present tense usage
• article usage
• normal verb conjugation

Yes.

• Appena funziona il ricevitore, il delegato ascolta.
• Non appena funziona il ricevitore, il delegato ascolta.

Non appena also means as soon as. It is often felt to be a bit more formal or a bit more explicit than plain appena.

So both are correct, and the choice is mostly about style and register.