A kár mértéke nagy.

In Hungarian, the verb to be is usually left out in the present tense, third person.

So:

• A kár mértéke nagy. = The extent of the damage is great.

But in other persons, Hungarian does use the verb:

• Nagy vagyok. = I am big.
• Nagy vagy. = You are big.

So the missing is here is completely normal.

A is the definite article, meaning the.

So:

• a kár = the damage
• a mérték = the measure / extent

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:

• a before most consonants
• az before vowels

For example:

• a ház = the house
• az autó = the car

Here kár means damage, loss, or harm, depending on context.

In this sentence, it most naturally means damage:

• A kár mértéke nagy. = The extent of the damage is great.

You may also see kár in other meanings, such as:

• Ez kár. = That’s a pity.

So kár is a word with more than one related use, and context tells you which meaning is intended.

Because mértéke means its measure or its extent.

The ending -e here is a possessive suffix. Hungarian often expresses possession directly on the noun instead of using a separate word like of.

So:

• mérték = measure, extent
• mértéke = its measure / its extent

In A kár mértéke, the possessed thing is mértéke (its extent), and the possessor is a kár (the damage).

So literally, the structure is something like:

• the damage’s extent

More natural English:

• the extent of the damage

It is a Hungarian possessive structure.

Breakdown:

• a kár = the damage → the possessor
• mértéke = its extent → the possessed noun

Hungarian commonly forms X of Y ideas this way:

• possessor first
• possessed noun second
• possessive suffix on the possessed noun

So instead of saying extent of the damage with a separate of, Hungarian says something closer to:

• the damage extent-its

This is one of the most important structures in Hungarian.

In this kind of basic possessive phrase, the possessor often appears without any extra ending.

So:

• a kár mértéke = the extent of the damage

Hungarian can also mark the possessor more explicitly with -nak/-nek, especially for emphasis, contrast, or clarity:

• a kárnak a mértéke

But in ordinary neutral style, a kár mértéke is very natural.

Nagy means big, great, or large.

Here it means something like great / considerable:

• A kár mértéke nagy. = The extent of the damage is great.

Hungarian adjectives usually do not change for singular/plural or gender when used like this.

So nagy stays nagy.

Hungarian also does not have grammatical gender, so there is no need for different forms like big / bigs, or masculine/feminine versions.

Nagy is grammatical and natural, but in real-life contexts speakers might also use more specific adjectives depending on tone.

For example:

• jelentős = significant
• súlyos = serious
• magas = high (sometimes used with degree/amount)

So depending on context, you could also hear things like:

• A kár mértéke jelentős.
• A kár mértéke súlyos. (less common in this exact pairing, but possible by meaning)

Still, nagy is simple, clear, and perfectly correct.

Yes, Hungarian word order is fairly flexible, but changes usually affect focus or emphasis.

The neutral order here is:

• A kár mértéke nagy.

If you change the order, you may highlight something different. For example:

• Nagy a kár mértéke.

This puts more emphasis on nagy (great), somewhat like Great is the extent of the damage or The extent of the damage is large indeed.

So the original sentence is the most neutral and straightforward version.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• a = short aw
• kár = like kaar with a long a
• mértéke = roughly mayr-tay-keh
• nagy = roughly nody or nawdj, though the gy sound does not exist exactly in English

A more detailed breakdown:

• á is a long vowel
• é is like ay in say, but pure and slightly longer
• gy is a soft consonant, somewhat like the d in British duke or the dy in module for some speakers

Stress in Hungarian is always on the first syllable of each word:

• A
• KÁR
• MÉR-té-ke
• NAGY

The -e is the third person singular possessive suffix.

It shows that something belongs to him/her/it—or, more naturally here, to the damage.

Compare:

• mérték = measure / extent
• mértékem = my measure
• mértéked = your measure
• mértéke = his/her/its measure

In this sentence, its is not translated separately into English, because English prefers:

• the extent of the damage

rather than:

• the damage’s extent
• its extent referring back to damage

It sounds mostly neutral to formal.

The noun mértéke (extent, degree) gives it a slightly official or technical tone, which fits contexts like:

• insurance
• legal language
• reports
• assessments of damage

In everyday speech, people might say something simpler depending on the situation, but this sentence itself is very normal and natural.

Yes, very often. This pattern is extremely common in Hungarian.

Examples:

• A ház teteje magas. = The roof of the house is high.
• A film vége jó. = The end of the film is good.
• A probléma oka világos. = The cause of the problem is clear.

So A kár mértéke nagy is a very useful model sentence for learning how Hungarian possession works.