A barátok együtt koccintanak.

A is the definite article, meaning the.

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:

• a before a consonant
• az before a vowel

Since barátok starts with b, Hungarian uses a:

• a barátok = the friends

So this is exactly the same article as English the, just with two forms based on pronunciation.

The base word is barát, meaning friend.

To make it plural, Hungarian adds -k, but sometimes a linking vowel appears before it. So:

• barát = friend
• barátok = friends

That -ok ending here is the plural form. Hungarian plural formation is not always just a simple -k added directly; the vowel can change depending on the word.

Yes.

• a = the
• barátok = friends

So a barátok = the friends

This is a useful point, because English speakers sometimes expect a special plural article, but Hungarian uses the same definite article for singular and plural:

• a barát = the friend
• a barátok = the friends

Együtt means together.

It is an adverb, so it describes how the action happens:

• együtt koccintanak = they toast/clink glasses together

It does not change for person or number. It just adds the idea that the friends are doing the action jointly.

Koccintanak is the verb koccint in 3rd person plural present tense.

Breakdown:

• koccint = to clink glasses / to toast
• -anak = they ending here

So koccintanak means they clink glasses or they toast.

Because Hungarian verbs show the subject in their endings, you do not need a separate word for they.

Because Hungarian usually leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb ending.

In English, you must say:

• They toast

But in Hungarian, the verb ending already tells you the subject is they:

• koccintanak = they toast

You could add ők for emphasis, but normally it is unnecessary:

• A barátok együtt koccintanak. = The friends are toasting together.
• Ők együtt koccintanak. = They are toasting together. / They are toasting together.

This is because Hungarian has two main kinds of verb conjugation: indefinite and definite.

Here, koccintanak is the indefinite 3rd person plural form. It is used because there is no definite direct object in the sentence.

In this sentence, the verb is basically being used on its own:

• The friends are toasting / clinking glasses together

There is no object like the glasses being expressed, so Hungarian uses the indefinite conjugation.

Yes, very similarly, but with a slightly more physical sense of clinking glasses.

Koccint often refers to the act of lightly knocking glasses together in a toast.

So depending on context, translations could be:

• The friends toast together.
• The friends clink glasses together.
• The friends are having a toast together.

English often chooses the smoothest natural translation, while Hungarian focuses on the actual clinking action.

Yes, the words can be moved around, but the emphasis may change.

This sentence:

• A barátok együtt koccintanak.

is a natural, neutral way to say it.

Hungarian word order is more flexible than English word order. For example, you might also see:

• A barátok koccintanak együtt.

This still makes sense, but it may sound a bit different in emphasis or style. In many Hungarian sentences, word order helps show what is being emphasized, not just basic grammar.

So the given sentence is a normal and clear version, with együtt placed naturally before the verb.

Roughly like:

• KOT-tsin-ta-nok

A few pronunciation notes:

• Hungarian stress is usually on the first syllable: KOC-cintanak
• c is pronounced like ts
• cc is a long/double version of that sound
• a in Hungarian is not exactly the English a in cat; it is more like a short open vowel
• the final -nak is clearly pronounced

Also:

• barátok is roughly ba-RAA-tok, with stress on the first syllable: BA-rátok
• együtt is roughly EDJ-üt or EH-dyüt, depending on how detailed you want to be about the sounds

Using a makes the noun definite:

• A barátok = the friends
• Barátok = friends (more general, less specific, or used in a different structure)

So with a, we are talking about a specific group of friends already known from context.

Without the article, the sentence would not mean exactly the same thing. Hungarian uses articles a lot, and here a helps mark that these are the friends, not just friends in general.