A kézikönyv részletes.

The handbook is detailed.

Breakdown of A kézikönyv részletes.

• az: the
• részletes: detailed
• kézikönyv: a handbook or reference book

Questions & Answers about A kézikönyv részletes.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

In Hungarian, the present-tense verb to be is often left out in simple third-person statements when the predicate is a noun or an adjective.

So:

• A kézikönyv részletes. = The manual is detailed.

Literally, it looks like The manual detailed, but Hungarian grammar allows that.

Compare:

• Én részletes vagyok. = I am detailed.
• Te részletes vagy. = You are detailed.
• A kézikönyv részletes. = The manual is detailed.

In the third person singular, the is part is normally not spoken here.

What does A mean here, and when do I use a vs az?

A is the definite article, meaning the.

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:

• a
• az

Which one you use depends on the sound at the beginning of the next word:

• a before most consonant sounds
• az before vowel sounds

So:

• a kézikönyv = the manual
• az asztal = the table

Since kézikönyv starts with the consonant sound k, the correct form is a.