A késedelmi díj túl nagy.

A is the definite article, so it means the.

So A késedelmi díj = the late fee.

Hungarian has two forms of the:

• a before most consonants
• az before vowels

For example:

• a díj = the fee
• az ár = the price

In Hungarian, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense, third person when one noun or adjective is describing another.

So:

• A késedelmi díj túl nagy. = The late fee is too big/high.

But in English, you must say is.

This is very normal in Hungarian:

• A ház nagy. = The house is big.
• A könyv érdekes. = The book is interesting.

If the sentence were in the past or future, you would use a form of van:

• A késedelmi díj túl nagy volt. = The late fee was too high.

Késedelmi means something like related to delay, late-payment, or for lateness.

In this sentence, it describes the kind of fee:

• késedelmi díj = late fee, delay fee, fee for paying/returning late

It is an adjective formed from the noun késedelem, which means delay.

So the basic idea is:

• késedelem = delay
• késedelmi = delay-related

This kind of -i adjective is very common in Hungarian.

This is because the adjective is formed from the noun késedelem in a way that slightly changes the stem.

• késedelem → késedelmi

This is a normal pattern with some Hungarian nouns ending in -elem / -edelem / -elem-type forms. The adjective is not made by simply adding -i mechanically to the full word as an English speaker might expect.

So for a learner, the safest approach is to learn késedelem and késedelmi as a pair.

Because késedelmi díj is the standard expression for late fee.

These words are related, but they do not mean the same thing:

• késedelmi = related to delay / late-payment
• késedelmes = delayed / overdue / late
• késői = late in the sense of not early, occurring late

So:

• késedelmi díj = a fee charged because of delay
• késedelmes fizetés = a late payment
• késői vonat would not mean the same kind of thing at all

In other words, késedelmi is the administrative or financial adjective that belongs with words like díj, kamat, pótlék, and so on.

Díj means fee, charge, or sometimes rate.

It is not exactly the same as ár:

• ár = price
• díj = fee / charge

So a késedelmi díj is not the normal price of something. It is a special charge added because something was late.

It is also not exactly the same as bírság:

• bírság = fine / penalty
• díj = fee / charge

A late fee is often administrative; a fine sounds more punitive.

Yes—this is a very common thing learners notice.

Nagy literally means big / large / great, but Hungarian often uses it where English would naturally use high or too much, especially for amounts, burdens, fees, or problems.

So:

• túl nagy literally = too big
• natural English translation here = too high or too large

This is a normal translation difference, not a mistake.

Depending on context, Hungarians may also say magas for things like prices, rates, or levels. But túl nagy is perfectly understandable here and gives the sense that the fee is excessive.

Because nagy is the predicate adjective: it is what the subject is being described as.

Structure:

• A késedelmi díj = the subject
• túl nagy = the description

So the sentence is basically:

• The late fee
  • too big/high

That is normal Hungarian sentence structure.

Also, Hungarian often puts important or new information later in the sentence, and the word order is more flexible than in English.

Yes. That is also correct.

Both are possible, but the emphasis is a little different:

• A késedelmi díj túl nagy. = neutral statement about the late fee
• Túl nagy a késedelmi díj. = stronger emphasis on too big/high

In English, both would still usually translate as The late fee is too high, but in Hungarian the word order can shift the focus.

In normal everyday Hungarian, if you mean a specific late fee, you would usually keep the article:

• A késedelmi díj túl nagy.

Without a, the sentence sounds incomplete, headline-like, or unnatural in most ordinary situations.

Hungarian uses articles quite a lot, even though learners sometimes expect them to be optional.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• A = short aw
• késedelmi ≈ kay-she-del-mee
• díj ≈ deey
• túl ≈ tool
• nagy ≈ something like nawdy, but with a softer final sound

A few useful pronunciation points:

• s in Hungarian sounds like English sh
• é is a long vowel, somewhat like the vowel in say, but purer
• í and ú are long vowels
• gy is a special Hungarian consonant; English does not have an exact match

If you want a more technical version, the whole sentence is approximately:

[ɒ keːʃɛdɛlmi diːj tuːl nɒɟ]

It is neutral, but the vocabulary sounds somewhat administrative or official because of késedelmi díj.

You might see or hear it in places like:

• bills
• library notices
• banking messages
• rental agreements
• customer service complaints

So the grammar is ordinary, but the phrase késedelmi díj itself belongs especially to formal or semi-formal contexts.