A cső csöpög.

Here a means the.

• a cső = the pipe
• Hungarian has two forms of the definite article: a and az
• a is used before consonant sounds
• az is used before vowel sounds

Since cső starts with a consonant sound, Hungarian uses a.

Because cs counts as a consonant sound.

Even though cs is written with two letters, in Hungarian it represents one consonant, pronounced like ch in church. So the noun begins with a consonant sound, which is why the article is a.

A rough guide:

• a = a short aw
• cs = ch as in church
• ő = a long rounded vowel, similar to German/French ö but held longer
• ö = the short version of that same vowel
• g = always a hard g, as in go

So:

• cső sounds roughly like chöör
• csöpög sounds roughly like chö-pög

Also, Hungarian stress normally falls on the first syllable of each word, so the main stresses are:

• A CSŐ CSÖ-pög

The exact ö/ő sound does not really exist in standard English, so it usually takes practice.

The difference is mainly vowel length.

• ö = short
• ő = long

So:

• csöpög has short ö
• cső has long ő

In Hungarian, vowel length can change the word, so it is important to notice and pronounce it.

Csöpög is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb.

Here it means:

• drips
• is dripping

Hungarian often uses the same present-tense form for both a general meaning and an action happening right now. Context tells you which one is meant.

So A cső csöpög can mean either:

• The pipe drips
• The pipe is dripping

depending on the situation.

Because it is the subject of the sentence, and Hungarian subjects in the nominative singular usually have no ending.

So the structure is simply:

• a cső = the pipe (subject)
• csöpög = drips / is dripping

This is very normal in Hungarian. The basic dictionary form of many nouns is also the form used for the subject.

No. There is no separate word for is here because csöpög is already the main verb.

English often says:

• The pipe is dripping

Hungarian expresses that with just one verb:

• A cső csöpög.

So nothing is missing. The verb itself carries the meaning.

Yes. Cső can mean pipe or tube, depending on context.

For example, in different situations it could refer to:

• a water pipe
• a tube
• a hollow cylindrical object

So the exact English translation depends on what kind of cső is being talked about.

Yes. Hungarian word order is flexible, and changing it can change the emphasis.

The neutral sentence is:

• A cső csöpög. = The pipe is dripping.

But you could also hear:

• Csöpög a cső.

That still means basically the same thing, but it can sound more like:

• The pipe is dripping!
• It’s the pipe that’s dripping.

So the original order is the most neutral, dictionary-style way to say it.

Usually, in normal everyday Hungarian, you would keep a here.

• A cső csöpög. = normal, natural
• Cső csöpög. = unusual in ordinary speech, more like a label, note, or very telegraphic style

Since English would normally say the pipe, Hungarian normally uses the definite article too.