Questions & Answers about A két rajtszám azonos.
Why is there no word for are in this sentence?
Hungarian often leaves out van/vannak (is/are) in the present tense, third person when one thing is being described as something.
So:
- A két rajtszám azonos. = The two race numbers are identical.
This is completely normal Hungarian.
Compare:
- A ház nagy. = The house is big.
- A lány fáradt. = The girl is tired.
In other tenses, the verb appears:
- A két rajtszám azonos volt. = The two race numbers were identical.
Why does a mean the here, not a?
In Hungarian, a and az are the definite article, so they mean the.
- a is used before consonant sounds
- az is used before vowel sounds
So:
- a két rajtszám = the two race numbers
Hungarian does not have a separate word that looks like English the. Its definite article is simply a/az.
Why is it két, not kettő?