Kiszárítjuk a pincét.

A useful breakdown is:

• ki- = a verbal prefix, often meaning out or giving a sense of completion/result
• szárít = dry something
• -juk = we do it, with a definite object
• a = the
• pincé-t = cellar/basement
  • accusative -t

So the sentence is literally something like We dry out the cellar / We will dry out the cellar, depending on context.

Because Hungarian usually does not need subject pronouns unless you want extra emphasis or contrast.

The ending -juk already tells you the subject is we. So:

• kiszárítjuk = we dry it out

If you added mi (we), it would usually sound emphatic, like we (not someone else).

-juk is the 1st person plural definite verb ending.

That means:

• 1st person plural = we
• definite = the verb is acting on a specific, known object

Here the object is a pincét = the cellar, which is definite, so Hungarian uses the definite conjugation:

• kiszárítjuk = we dry it out / we will dry it out

This is different from an indefinite-object form such as:

• Kiszárítunk egy pincét = We dry out a cellar / We will dry out a cellar

Because pincét is the accusative form, used for the direct object of the verb.

• pince = cellar
• pincét = cellar as the thing being acted on

The accusative ending is usually -t.

Also note this common Hungarian pattern:

• final a/e often becomes á/é before endings

So:

• pince
  • -t → pincét

ki- is a verbal prefix, and in this verb it gives the sense of out, thoroughly, or to a finished result.

Compare:

• szárít = dry something
• kiszárít = dry out something

So kiszárítjuk is stronger and more result-focused than just szárítjuk. It suggests getting the cellar properly dry, not just doing some drying.

Yes. szárít is the transitive verb: it means to dry something.

Hungarian often distinguishes between:

• szárad = to dry / become dry (intransitive)
• szárít = to dry something (transitive)

So:

• A pince szárad. = The cellar is drying / becoming dry.
• Kiszárítjuk a pincét. = We dry out the cellar.

This is a very useful contrast for English speakers, because English dry can be both transitive and intransitive, but Hungarian usually uses different verbs.

Formally, it is present tense.

However, in Hungarian, present tense can often be used for the future when the context makes that clear. With a prefix like ki-, the sentence often has a result-oriented feel, so it can very naturally mean:

• We will dry out the cellar

Depending on context, it could also mean:

• We dry out the cellar
• We are drying out the cellar (less likely as a neutral reading here, but possible in context)

So if the translation you saw was future, that is completely normal.

Because this is a normal Hungarian sentence structure, especially when the subject is not stated separately.

Since we is already built into kiszárítjuk, the sentence can simply start with the verb:

• Kiszárítjuk a pincét.

Hungarian word order is quite flexible, and changes in word order often change emphasis rather than basic meaning.

For example:

• Kiszárítjuk a pincét. = neutral statement, We’ll dry out the cellar
• A pincét kiszárítjuk. = emphasis on the cellar
• Mi kiszárítjuk a pincét. = emphasis on we

Here a means the, not a.

Hungarian has:

• a / az = the
• egy = a / an

So:

• a pince = the cellar
• egy pince = a cellar

This matters for the verb too, because a definite object like a pincét triggers the definite verb form kiszárítjuk.

A good rough pronunciation is:

• KI-saa-reet-yook aw PIN-tsayt

A few key points:

• Stress is on the first syllable of each word.
• sz is pronounced like English s in see.
• c is pronounced ts.
• á is a long a sound.
• í and é are long vowels.

So:

• kiszárítjuk ≈ KI-saa-reet-yook
• a ≈ a short aw
• pincét ≈ PIN-tsayt

Also remember: Hungarian spelling is very regular, so once you learn the sound system, pronunciation becomes much easier.