Breakdown of Annak ellenére, hogy tele van, a gyűjtőpont nyitva marad.
Questions & Answers about Annak ellenére, hogy tele van, a gyűjtőpont nyitva marad.
What does annak ellenére, hogy mean here?
It introduces a contrast or concession. In natural English, it means something like although, even though, or despite the fact that.
So:
- Annak ellenére, hogy tele van... = Although it is full...
This expression is a bit more explicit and formal-sounding than just bár.
Why is it annak and not just az?
Because ellenére takes the dative form, marked by -nak/-nek.
The pattern is:
- valaminek ellenére = despite something
So:
- annak = to that / of that in the required form
- annak ellenére = despite that
When followed by hogy, it points forward to a whole clause:
- annak ellenére, hogy... = despite the fact that...
Why is there no subject in hogy tele van?
Hungarian often leaves out the subject when it is clear from context.
In English, you need it is full. In Hungarian, the equivalent subject can be omitted if it is understood. Here, the missing subject is the same thing as a gyűjtőpont in the main clause.
So the sentence works like this:
- hogy tele van = that it is full
- implicit it = a gyűjtőpont
You could add a pronoun for emphasis, but normally you would not.
Why do we say tele van instead of just tele?
Because tele is normally used in the fixed predicative expression tele van, meaning is full.
This is one of those Hungarian patterns that does not match English word-for-word. Even though many Hungarian adjective predicates drop van in the 3rd person present, tele usually appears with van:
- A doboz nagy. = The box is big.
- A doboz tele van. = The box is full.
So tele van is the natural pattern to learn as a chunk.
If I want to say what it is full of, what form do I use?
Usually Hungarian uses the instrumental ending -val/-vel after tele van.
Examples:
- tele van vízzel = full of water
- tele van emberekkel = full of people
- tele van szeméttel = full of rubbish
So the structure is:
- tele van + noun in -val/-vel
What does nyitva marad mean exactly?
It means remains open or stays open.
The two parts are:
- nyitva = in an open state
- marad = remains, stays
So:
- nyitva van = is open
- nyitva marad = stays/remains open
In this sentence, the idea is not just that the collection point is open now, but that it continues to be open despite being full.
Why is it nyitva and not nyitott?
Because nyitva is the usual form for describing the state of being open, especially with places, doors, shops, offices, etc.
Examples:
- Az ajtó nyitva van. = The door is open.
- A bolt nyitva marad. = The shop stays open.
Nyitott is also a real word, but it behaves more like a regular adjective and often has slightly different uses, such as:
- nyitott kérdés = open question
- nyitott ember = open-minded person
For whether a place is operating or accessible, nyitva is the more idiomatic choice.
Can the word order be changed?
Yes. Hungarian word order is flexible, and different orders shift the emphasis.
The original sentence puts the contrast first:
- Annak ellenére, hogy tele van, a gyűjtőpont nyitva marad.
You could also say:
- A gyűjtőpont annak ellenére, hogy tele van, nyitva marad.
- A gyűjtőpont nyitva marad, annak ellenére, hogy tele van.
All are grammatical, but the original strongly highlights the unexpected fact first: it is full, yet it stays open.
Why are there commas in this sentence?
Because the sentence contains a subordinate clause introduced by hogy.
Hungarian normally separates this kind of clause with commas:
- one before hogy
- another one after the whole fronted clause, before the main clause
So the structure is:
- Annak ellenére, hogy tele van, = subordinate concessive clause
- a gyűjtőpont nyitva marad. = main clause
The commas help show the clause boundaries clearly.
Could I replace annak ellenére, hogy with bár?
Yes. A very natural alternative is:
- Bár tele van, a gyűjtőpont nyitva marad.
That also means Although it is full, the collection point remains open.
The difference is mostly stylistic:
- bár = shorter, simpler, very common
- annak ellenére, hogy = more explicit, a bit heavier, often slightly more formal or emphatic
What kind of word is gyűjtőpont?
It is a compound noun:
- gyűjtő = collecting / collector
- pont = point
So gyűjtőpont literally means something like collection point or drop-off point, depending on context.
Hungarian forms many nouns this way, by combining smaller parts into one word. That is very common and worth getting used to.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning HungarianMaster Hungarian — from Annak ellenére, hogy tele van, a gyűjtőpont nyitva marad to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions