Bár a barátom leégett, még marad.

the friend

Breakdown of Bár a barátom leégett, még marad.

• az: the
• még: more
• bár: although

Questions & Answers about Bár a barátom leégett, még marad.

What does bár mean, and what kind of clause does it introduce?

Bár means although / even though.

It introduces a concessive clause: a clause that says something is true, but the main clause still happens anyway.

So the pattern is:

• Bár ... , ...
• Although ... , ...

In this sentence:

• Bár a barátom leégett, még marad.
• Although my friend ... , he still stays/remains.

Hungarian often puts the bár-clause first, followed by a comma.

Why is it a barátom instead of just barátom?

Because Hungarian often uses the definite article before a possessed noun when it is a normal sentence subject.

So:

• barátom = my friend
• a barátom = literally the my-friend, but in natural English just my friend

This is normal Hungarian grammar. English does not do this, but Hungarian often does.

Compare:

• A barátom itt van. = My friend is here.
• A házam nagy. = My house is big.

So the a does not mean you should translate it as the in English here.