A fém hideg.

A is the Hungarian definite article, so it usually means the.

• a fém = the metal
• Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:
  • a before consonant sounds
  • az before vowel sounds

Because fém starts with f, Hungarian uses a.

In Hungarian, the verb to be is often left out in the present tense, third person singular when the sentence is equational or uses an adjective.

So:

• A fém hideg. = The metal is cold.

There is no separate word for is here, but it is understood.

Compare:

• Én hideg vagyok. = I am cold.
• Te hideg vagy. = You are cold.
• A fém hideg. = The metal is cold.

So the omission happens specifically in forms like he/she/it is or X is Y in the present tense.

In this sentence, hideg is not directly describing the noun inside a noun phrase. It is the predicate adjective: it tells you what the metal is like.

So:

• A fém hideg. = The metal is cold.

But if you want cold metal, where cold directly modifies metal, then Hungarian puts the adjective before the noun:

• hideg fém = cold metal

So the difference is:

• A fém hideg. = the metal is cold
• A hideg fém... = the cold metal...

A simple pronunciation guide:

• fém ≈ faym, but with a pure long é sound, not an English diphthong
• hideg ≈ hee-deg

More carefully:

• f is like English f
• é is a long vowel, roughly like the vowel in they, but cleaner and without much glide
• i is like ee in see
• d and g are pronounced clearly
• the stress in Hungarian is always on the first syllable

So:

• FÉM
• HI-deg

The accent on é shows that the vowel is long.

In Hungarian, vowel length matters: a short vowel and a long vowel can change the word.

So:

• e and é are different vowels
• é is longer and tenser

This is an important part of pronunciation, not just a spelling decoration.

It can depend on context.

Most directly, A fém hideg means The metal is cold.

But Hungarian often uses the definite article when speaking about something in a general class too. So in the right context, a fém can also refer to metal as a material.

That said, without more context, a learner should understand this sentence first as:

• The metal is cold.

This is the neutral word order.

• A fém hideg. = neutral statement: the metal is cold

Hungarian word order is more flexible than English and often changes for focus or emphasis.

For example:

• Hideg a fém. puts more emphasis on cold

Both are possible, but A fém hideg is the straightforward basic form.

Use:

• a before a consonant sound
• az before a vowel sound

Examples:

• a fém = the metal
• a ház = the house
• az alma = the apple
• az ember = the person / man

Since fém begins with f, the correct article is a.

Fém is in its basic dictionary form, the nominative.

It is the subject of the sentence:

• A fém = the metal
• hideg = cold

There is no special ending on fém here because it is not in another case such as accusative, dative, etc.

No. Hungarian does not have grammatical gender like many European languages do.

That means:

• nouns are not masculine, feminine, or neuter
• adjectives do not change for gender
• there is no issue like cold vs different masculine/feminine forms

So fém is just fém, and hideg stays hideg.

This is one reason the sentence is structurally quite simple.

Yes.

Singular:

• A fém hideg. = The metal is cold.

Plural:

• A fémek hidegek. = The metals are cold.

Notice two changes:

• fém → fémek for plural noun
• hideg → hidegek for plural predicate adjective

So in plural third person, Hungarian does show plural marking.

Not always. Hideg can also be used in wider senses, just like English cold:

• physically cold
• emotionally cold
• cold in tone or atmosphere

In A fém hideg, the natural meaning is physical temperature: the metal is cold to the touch.