A túra ma kezdődik.

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

• a túra = the tour / the hike / the trip
• Hungarian has two forms of the:
  • a
  • az

Which one is used depends on the following sound. Before most consonants, Hungarian uses a. Before vowels, it uses az.

So here:

• a túra is correct because túra starts with t, a consonant.

Túra can mean several related things depending on context, such as:

• tour
• trip
• excursion
• hike

So the exact English translation depends on the situation. If this sentence appears in a travel context, tour may be best. If it is about walking in nature, hike may be better.

That is very common in Hungarian: one word can cover a range that English splits into several words.

Because Hungarian word order is more flexible than English word order.

This sentence has a neutral, natural structure:

• A túra = the topic, what we are talking about
• ma = today
• kezdődik = starts / begins

So A túra ma kezdődik is a normal way to say The tour starts today.

Hungarian often moves words around to change emphasis. For example:

• Ma kezdődik a túra. = It is today that the tour starts / The tour starts today.
• A túra kezdődik ma. = possible, but less neutral in many contexts

So the position of ma is not random; it helps shape what is emphasized.

This is one of the most useful things to notice in the sentence.

• kezd usually means to start something
• kezdődik means to start / to begin on its own

Compare:

• A tanár kezdi az órát. = The teacher starts the lesson.
  • Here someone starts something.
• Az óra kezdődik. = The lesson begins.
  • Here the event begins by itself.

So in A túra ma kezdődik, the tour is not starting something else; the tour itself is beginning. That is why kezdődik is the natural choice.

It is present tense, third person singular.

Literally, it is begins / starts.

But just like in English, Hungarian often uses the present tense for scheduled future events, especially when a time expression is present.

So:

• A túra ma kezdődik. can mean
• The tour starts today.

This is not strange in Hungarian at all. The word ma already places the action in time, so a separate future form is not necessary.

Yes. Kezdődik is a fully conjugated verb form.

In this sentence it is:

• third person singular
• present tense
• indefinite conjugation

The subject is a túra (the tour), and Hungarian does not need a separate pronoun like it because the verb ending already matches the subject.

So Hungarian says:

• A túra ma kezdődik.

It does not need an extra word for it starts.

Not quite. The dictionary form is the infinitive:

• kezdődni = to begin / to start

The form in the sentence, kezdődik, is the 3rd person singular present form:

• (it) begins
• (it) starts

So if you look it up in a dictionary, you would usually search for kezdődni.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• A = short aw or uh
• túra ≈ TOO-raw
• ma = maw
• kezdődik ≈ KEZ-dur-dik or KEZ-dø-dik, depending on how precisely you want to imitate Hungarian vowels

A few helpful points:

• Hungarian stress is usually on the first syllable:
  • TÚ-ra
  • MA
  • KEZ-dő-dik
• ú is a long vowel
• ő is a long front rounded vowel; English does not really have this exact sound
• sz in Hungarian sounds like English s
• plain s in Hungarian sounds like English sh

There is no sz in this sentence, but learners often ask about Hungarian spelling in general.

The accent marks are part of the spelling and they matter.

In Hungarian, accents usually show vowel quality and often vowel length too.

Here:

• ú is a long version of u
• ő is a long version of ö

These are not optional marks. They can change pronunciation and sometimes meaning.

So you should learn:

• tura and túra are not the same spelling
• kezdödik would also be incorrect

In Hungarian, accents are much more essential than in English.

Because this sentence does not need is at all.

The main verb is kezdődik = begins / starts.

English sometimes uses to be in different sentence types, but here English also uses a normal lexical verb:

• The tour starts today.

So Hungarian is doing the same thing: it uses the verb kezdődik, not a form of to be.

Yes, absolutely.

Both are correct:

• A túra ma kezdődik.
• Ma kezdődik a túra.

The difference is mainly emphasis and information structure.

• A túra ma kezdődik. = neutral statement about the tour
• Ma kezdődik a túra. = stronger focus on today

So if someone asked When does the tour start?, Ma kezdődik a túra would be especially natural.

It is neutral and works in both formal and informal contexts.

You could use it in:

• conversation
• travel information
• an email
• an announcement

Nothing in the sentence is slangy or overly formal. It is just standard Hungarian.

It can appear in different places, but the most natural position depends on what you want to emphasize.

Common possibilities:

• A túra ma kezdődik. = neutral
• Ma kezdődik a túra. = focus on today
• A túra kezdődik ma. = possible, but usually less natural unless the context supports that emphasis

So ma does not have one fixed position like some English adverbs do. Hungarian word order is strongly connected to focus and topic, not just grammar rules.

A very close breakdown is:

• A = the
• túra = tour / hike / trip
• ma = today
• kezdődik = begins / starts

So literally:

• The tour today begins

But natural English is:

• The tour starts today.