Question 1

What does público mean in this context?

Accepted Answer

In this sentence, público means “audience” – the group of people watching the show.

Question 2

Why is there el before público?

Accepted Answer

Spanish often uses the definite article before nouns when talking about them in general or about a specific group. So el público literally means “the audience.”

Question 3

Could I use la audiencia instead of el público?

Accepted Answer

Yes. La audiencia also means “the audience.” However, el público is more common in Latin American Spanish for theater or concerts, while audiencia can sound more formal or refer to a legal hearing.

Question 4

What does al final de la función mean and why use al?

Accepted Answer

Al is the contraction of a + el, so al final means “at the end.” The whole phrase al final de la función means “at the end of the performance.”

Question 5

Why do we say al final de la función instead of a final de la función?

Accepted Answer

Here final is a noun (“the end”), and in Spanish nouns usually require an article. You need el, which contracts with a to become al. Saying a final without the article would be ungrammatical.

Question 6

What does función mean here?

Accepted Answer

In this context, función means a performance, show or screening (e.g., in a theater or cinema). It does not carry the mathematical sense of “function.”

Question 7

Why is función feminine?

Accepted Answer

Nouns ending in -ión are always feminine in Spanish, so it’s la función.

Question 8

Why is aplaude in the present tense?

Accepted Answer

Spanish uses the simple present (presente de indicativo) for habitual actions (“the audience always applauds”) or even to narrate past events more vividly (the so-called “historic present”). If you want to state a completed action in the past, you could say aplaudió.

Question 9

How is aplaudir conjugated in the present tense?

Accepted Answer

Present-tense conjugation of aplaudir (to applaud):
yo aplaudo  
tú aplaudes  
él/ella/usted aplaude  
nosotros/as aplaudimos  
vosotros/as aplaudís  
ellos/ellas/ustedes aplauden

Question 10

Why is aplaude singular? What if I use a plural subject?

Accepted Answer

El público is a singular collective noun, so it takes the third-person singular verb aplaude. If you use a plural noun like los espectadores, you’d say aplauden.

Question 11

Where does the stress fall in público and función?

Accepted Answer

Público is esdrújula, stressed on the third-to-last syllable: PÚB-li-co.  
Función is aguda, stressed on the last syllable: funcIÓN.

El público aplaude al final de la función.

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