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Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A túra ma kezdődik. - The outing starts today.

Hardcore Hungarian
/Renting a canoe for a lake trip
/A túra ma kezdődik.

A túra ma kezdődik.

Word

A túra ma kezdődik.

Meaning

The outing starts today.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Hungarian

Lesson

Renting a canoe for a lake trip

Breakdown of A túra ma kezdődik.

an outing or tour

Questions & Answers about A túra ma kezdődik.

What does a mean in 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.

What exactly does túra mean?

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.

Why is ma in the middle of the sentence?

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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.

Why is the verb kezdődik and not just kezd?

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.

What tense is kezdődik here?

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.

Does kezdődik have a subject ending?

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.

Is kezdődik the dictionary form?

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.

How do you pronounce túra and kezdődik?

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.

Why are there accent marks in túra and kezdődik?

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.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

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.

Could I also say Ma kezdődik a túra?

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.

Is this sentence formal or informal?

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.

Can ma appear somewhere else, or does it always come before the verb?

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.

What is the most literal word-for-word breakdown of the sentence?

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.

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