Hagyományos főételt készítünk.

Because Hungarian usually leaves out subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

In készítünk, the ending -ünk means we. So the sentence already contains the idea of we without needing mi.

• készítünk = we prepare / we make
• mi készítünk = we prepare / we make, but with extra emphasis on we

So omitting mi is the normal, natural choice.

The -t is the accusative ending, which marks the direct object of the verb.

Here, főétel means main dish / main course, and főételt means a main dish as the thing being prepared.

So:

• főétel = main dish
• főételt = main dish as the object

Hungarian often marks direct objects explicitly this way, unlike English.

Because in Hungarian, when an adjective comes directly before a noun, the case ending usually appears only on the noun, not on the adjective.

So:

• hagyományos főételt = traditional main dish in the accusative

Not:

• hagyományost főételt ❌

The adjective hagyományos stays in its basic form.

However, if the adjective stands alone without the noun, then it can take the ending:

• Hagyományosat készítünk. = We are making a traditional one / something traditional.

This is about the Hungarian indefinite vs. definite conjugation.

Készítünk is the indefinite form, used because the object is indefinite here: hagyományos főételt does not refer to one specific, already-known main dish.

Compare:

• Hagyományos főételt készítünk. = We are making a traditional main dish.
• A hagyományos főételt készítjük. = We are making the traditional main dish.

So:

• készítünk = indefinite object
• készítjük = definite object

This is a very common Hungarian pattern.

Because Hungarian often leaves out the equivalent of English a/an when something is indefinite and nonspecific.

In English, you must say a traditional main dish. In Hungarian, it is very common to say simply:

• hagyományos főételt

without egy.

If you add egy, it is still possible in some contexts, but it feels more explicit:

• Egy hagyományos főételt készítünk.

So the version without an article is completely natural.

Yes, főétel is one word. It is a compound:

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

So főétel literally means something like main dish or main course.

Hungarian makes a lot of compounds like this, and they are often written as one word.

Yes, Hungarian word order is flexible, and it is not fixed in the same way as English word order.

Hagyományos főételt készítünk is a very natural sentence. Putting the object before the verb is common in Hungarian.

Other word orders are possible, but they can change the emphasis or sound less neutral depending on context. For example:

• Hagyományos főételt készítünk. = natural statement
• Mi hagyományos főételt készítünk. = emphasizes we
• Készítünk hagyományos főételt. = possible, but the information structure feels different

So yes, you can change the order, but not always freely if you want the same nuance.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Hungarian present tense often covers both:

• we make
• we are making

So készítünk can be:

• habitual: we make
• current action: we are making

In the right context, Hungarian present can even refer to a near future action, but by itself this sentence is simply present tense.

Not exactly. Készít means make, prepare, or produce.

With food, it often means prepare rather than specifically cook.

So in this sentence, készítünk can be understood as:

• we prepare
• we make

If you want a verb that more specifically means cook, Hungarian often uses főz. But készít is perfectly natural when talking about making a dish.

A few useful points:

• Stress is on the first syllable of each word:
  • HAgyományos
  • FŐételt
  • KÉszítünk

Important sound notes:

• s = sh
• sz = English s
• gy is a soft consonant, somewhat like dy
• ő and ü are front rounded vowels, with no exact English equivalent

A rough guide is:

HA-dyo-maa-nyosh FŐ-ay-telt KAY-see-tuunk

That is only approximate, but it helps with the rhythm and stress.