Breakdown of A barátom eltereli az ünnepeltet.
barát
the friend
az
the
ünnepelt
the guest of honour
elterelni
to distract or divert
Questions & Answers about A barátom eltereli az ünnepeltet.
Why is there a before barátom when -om already means my?
Because in Hungarian, a possessed noun can still take the definite article.
- barátom = my friend
- a barátom = still my friend, but as a specific, definite noun in the sentence
In a neutral statement, Hungarian very often uses the article with possessed nouns, especially when they are the subject or object. So A barátom... is completely normal Hungarian.
Does barátom mean my friend or my boyfriend?
It can mean either, depending on context.
- barát literally means a male friend
- a barátom can therefore mean my male friend
- in some contexts, it can also mean my boyfriend
If someone wants to make it clearly female friend / girlfriend, Hungarian uses barátnőm. In learner sentences like this one, barátom is often translated simply as my friend unless the relationship is important.
Why is the verb eltereli and not elterel?