A futár ma jön.

A is the Hungarian definite article, so a futár means the courier.

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:

• a before most consonants
• az before vowels

So:

• a futár = the courier
• az autó = the car

In this sentence, futár starts with a consonant, so a is the correct form.

Hungarian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb or the context.

So instead of saying something like He comes today, Hungarian can simply say:

• A futár ma jön.

The noun a futár already tells you who the subject is, so no extra pronoun is needed.

This is very normal in Hungarian.

Hungarian very often uses the present tense for near-future meaning, especially when there is a time word like ma (today), holnap (tomorrow), and so on.

So jön literally looks like comes, but in context it can mean:

• is coming
• comes
• sometimes even will come

In A futár ma jön, the word ma makes the time clear, so Hungarian does not need a separate future form.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Hungarian present tense is often broader than English present tense. In English, you usually have to choose between:

• comes
• is coming

But Hungarian jön can cover both ideas.

So A futár ma jön could match English as:

• The courier is coming today
• The courier comes today

In most everyday situations, is coming today is the most natural English translation.

Because jön is already a full verb meaning comes / is coming.

English often uses be + -ing for ongoing actions, but Hungarian does not build this idea in the same way. Instead, a simple verb form like jön is enough.

So you should not expect a separate word corresponding to English is here.

Futár is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the basic dictionary form, often called the nominative.

In Hungarian, the nominative usually has no ending. So:

• futár = courier
• a futár = the courier

That is completely normal. Hungarian uses endings mainly when a noun has another role, such as object, location, direction, and so on.

Yes. Hungarian word order is flexible, and changing it often changes the emphasis rather than the core meaning.

For example:

• A futár ma jön. = neutral, straightforward statement
• Ma jön a futár. = emphasis on today
• Jön ma a futár? = can sound like a question in speech, depending on intonation

So the sentence you were given is a normal neutral way to say it, but other orders are also possible.

In this neutral sentence, ma is simply the time expression today, placed before the verb. This is a very common position for time words in Hungarian.

So the structure is basically:

• A futár = the subject
• ma = time
• jön = the verb

Hungarian often puts time expressions before the verb, especially in simple statements.

No. Hungarian does not have grammatical gender like many European languages do.

So futár does not have separate masculine or feminine forms in normal use. It simply means courier.

If you need to know whether the courier is male or female, that usually comes from context, or you would add extra words if necessary.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• A ≈ short aw
• futár ≈ foo-TAAR
• ma ≈ maw
• jön ≈ something like yurn / yern with rounded lips

A few useful points:

• Hungarian j sounds like English y
• ö is a rounded front vowel, similar to German ö or French eu
• á is a long vowel, so futár has a long á

Stress in Hungarian normally falls on the first syllable of the word:

• FUtár
• JÖN

No. The dictionary form is jönni, meaning to come.

Here, jön is the conjugated form, specifically the third person singular form:

• jönni = to come
• jön = he/she/it comes, is coming

Because the subject is a futár, Hungarian uses jön.

Yes, you can, but it may sound slightly different in emphasis.

• A futár ma jön. = neutral; today is part of the normal statement
• A futár jön ma. = possible, but the rhythm/emphasis may feel a bit different

Hungarian word order is not random, though. Different orders can sound more or less natural depending on what is new, important, or contrasted in the conversation.

So A futár ma jön is a very good basic version to learn first.

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

Nothing in A futár ma jön is especially casual, formal, literary, or slangy. It is just a plain everyday sentence.

That makes it a good beginner example.