Questions & Answers about Az idegen nem vendég.
Why is it az idegen and not a idegen?
Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:
- a before a consonant
- az before a vowel
Because idegen begins with the vowel i, the correct form is az idegen.
Compare:
- a vendég = the guest
- az idegen = the stranger / the foreigner
Why is there no word for is in this sentence?
Because Hungarian often leaves out the verb to be in the present tense, third person, when the predicate is a noun or an adjective.
So:
- Az idegen nem vendég. = The stranger is not a guest.
Literally, it looks more like:
- The stranger not guest.
This is completely normal Hungarian.
But the verb appears in other persons and tenses:
- Idegen vagyok. = I am a stranger.
- Az idegen vendég volt. = The stranger was a guest.
What exactly does idegen mean here?