Megkóstoljuk a főételt, ami már kész.

Megkóstoljuk comes from the verb kóstol = to taste / to sample.

It has three main parts:

• meg-: a verbal prefix
• kóstol: the basic verb stem
• -juk: we with a definite object

So megkóstoljuk means something like we taste it / we will taste it / we’ll sample it, depending on context.

The prefix meg- often gives the sense of a completed or whole action. With kóstol, it can make the action sound more like have a taste of / taste properly rather than just the bare idea of tasting.

Because Hungarian uses two kinds of verb conjugation:

• indefinite conjugation
• definite conjugation

Here the object is a főételt = the main course, which is a definite object.
Because of that, the verb uses the definite ending:

• megkóstolunk = we taste / we will taste something nonspecific
• megkóstoljuk = we taste / we will taste it, referring to a specific thing

So -juk is used because the sentence is talking about the main course, not just a main course.

Hungarian usually does not need a separate subject pronoun if the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

In megkóstoljuk, the ending -juk already tells you the subject is we.

So:

• (Mi) megkóstoljuk a főételt.
• Megkóstoljuk a főételt.

Both are possible, but the second is more natural unless you want extra emphasis on we.

The -t marks the accusative case, which is used for the direct object of the verb.

• főétel = main course
• főételt = main course as the thing being tasted

Since the sentence is about tasting the main course, Hungarian marks that noun as the direct object with -t.

This is very common:

• kenyér → kenyeret
• levest from leves
• főétel → főételt

It is a noun phrase made of:

• a = the
• főételt = main course in the accusative

So grammatically it is the direct object of the sentence.

A useful thing to notice: the article a does not change here. The case ending goes on the noun, not on the article.

Both ami and amely can introduce a relative clause referring to a thing, but ami is much more common in everyday speech.

So:

• a főételt, ami már kész
• a főételt, amely már kész

Both are grammatical, but ami sounds more natural and conversational.

In this sentence, ami refers back to a főételt.

It is a relative clause describing a főételt.

• ami = which / that
• már = already
• kész = ready

So this part gives extra information about the main course: it is the one that is already ready.

In Hungarian, relative clauses commonly follow the noun they describe, just like here.

In Hungarian, a relative clause is normally separated by a comma.

So:

• a főételt, ami már kész

That comma is standard punctuation before the clause introduced by ami.

Hungarian often leaves out the verb to be in the present tense, third person.

So:

• ami már kész literally looks like which already ready
• but it means which is already ready

This happens very often:

• A leves kész. = The soup is ready.
• A főétel finom. = The main course is tasty.

But in past or future tense, or in first/second person, a form of van would appear.

Már usually means already.

Here it modifies kész:

• ami már kész = which is already ready

Its position is natural and very common. It usually comes before the word or idea it is closely connected to.

Compare:

• már kész = already ready
• már megkóstoljuk would suggest something different in emphasis and is not the intended structure here

Formally, megkóstoljuk is present tense, but Hungarian present tense can often express a near future action when the context makes that clear.

So depending on context, it could be understood as:

• We taste the main course
• We’re tasting the main course
• We’ll taste the main course

This is very normal in Hungarian. Context tells you which time sense is intended.

Yes. The sentence is natural Hungarian.

Hungarian word order is flexible and often depends on topic and focus, not just fixed subject-verb-object order.

Because the subject we is not stated separately, beginning with Megkóstoljuk sounds perfectly normal. Then a főételt gives the object, and ami már kész adds extra information about it.

A fuller version with an explicit subject would be:

• Megkóstoljuk a főételt, ami már kész.
• Mi megkóstoljuk a főételt, ami már kész.

The second has extra emphasis on we.

Yes.

It is made from:

• fő = main / principal
• étel = food / dish

So főétel is the main dish or main course.

It is a very common food-related word in Hungarian.