A barátom haladó.

My friend is advanced.

Breakdown of A barátom haladó.

• barát: the friend
• az: the
• haladó: an advanced learner

Questions & Answers about A barátom haladó.

Why does the sentence start with a if barátom already means my friend?

In Hungarian, a is the definite article, meaning the.

So a barátom literally looks like the my-friend. That may feel strange to an English speaker, but it is normal in Hungarian. When a possessed noun has a specific meaning, Hungarian often uses the definite article before it.

So:

• barátom = my friend
• a barátom = my friend / the friend of mine in a definite, specific sense

In a full sentence like this, a barátom is the natural subject: my friend.

What does barátom break down into?

barátom consists of:

• barát = friend
• -om = my

So:

• barát = friend
• barátom = my friend

This is how possession is usually expressed in Hungarian: the possessive ending is attached directly to the noun.

Why is there no separate word for is?