Valahányszor lejár a kölcsönzés, hosszabbítást kérek.

Valahányszor means whenever or every time that. It introduces a repeated situation:

• Valahányszor lejár a kölcsönzés... = Whenever the loan period expires...

It is correct and natural, though in everyday speech some speakers may more often use alternatives like amikor or minden alkalommal, amikor, depending on style and context. Valahányszor has a slightly more formal or literary feel, but it is still perfectly usable.

The verb lejár means to expire, to run out, or to come to an end.

It is built from:

• jár = to go, to function, to run
• lejár = to run down / expire / end

In this sentence, lejár a kölcsönzés means that the borrowing period reaches its end.

This kind of verbal prefix is very common in Hungarian. The prefix often changes the meaning significantly, so jár and lejár should be learned as separate lexical items in practice.

Kölcsönzés comes from kölcsönöz, which is related to borrowing or lending.

Depending on context, kölcsönzés can mean:

• the act of borrowing
• the loan
• the borrowing period / loan period

In this sentence, the most natural meaning is something like:

• the loan period
• the borrowing period
• in a library context, the checkout period

So lejár a kölcsönzés is best understood as the loan period expires.

Hungarian uses the definite article a / az very regularly, often more than English does.

Here, a kölcsönzés refers to a specific, understood loan period — for example, the current library loan. So the article is natural:

• a kölcsönzés = the loan / the borrowing period

Even where English might sound more natural without an article in some abstract phrasing, Hungarian often still uses one.

Because Hungarian verbs normally show the subject, so the pronoun is often omitted.

• kérek = I ask / I request

The ending -ek tells you the subject is I.

Hungarian usually leaves out én unless it is needed for emphasis or contrast:

• Hosszabbítást kérek. = I request an extension.
• Én kérek hosszabbítást. = I’m the one requesting an extension.

Because hosszabbítást kérek literally means I ask for an extension, which is a very natural way to express this idea in Hungarian, especially in service or administrative contexts.

Breakdown:

• hosszabbítás = extension / renewal
• kérek = I ask for / request

So the sentence means that whenever the loan period expires, the speaker requests a renewal.

This is slightly different from saying I extend it, because kérek focuses on making a request, not on personally carrying out the extension.

The -t is the accusative ending, which marks the direct object.

• hosszabbítás = extension
• hosszabbítást = an extension / the extension, as the thing being requested

Since kérek takes an object — you request something — Hungarian marks that object with the accusative:

• kérek valamit = I ask for something
• hosszabbítást kérek = I ask for an extension

The sentence is in the present tense, but it expresses a habitual or repeated action.

• Valahányszor lejár a kölcsönzés, hosszabbítást kérek.

This means:

• Whenever the loan period expires, I request an extension.
• Every time the loan expires, I ask for a renewal.

Hungarian, like English, often uses the present tense for general habits or repeated events.

The comma separates the subordinate clause from the main clause.

• Valahányszor lejár a kölcsönzés = subordinate clause
• hosszabbítást kérek = main clause

Hungarian regularly uses a comma before or after subordinate clauses like this, much as English does in sentences such as:

• Whenever the loan expires, I request an extension.

Yes. Hungarian word order is flexible, though different orders can sound more neutral, more emphatic, or more context-driven.

The original order is very natural:

• Valahányszor lejár a kölcsönzés, hosszabbítást kérek.

You could also say:

• Hosszabbítást kérek, valahányszor lejár a kölcsönzés.

This is still grammatical, but the original version is more natural as a neutral statement because it sets up the repeated condition first.

In Hungarian, word order often reflects emphasis and information structure, not just grammatical roles.

They are closely related, but meghosszabbítás is often more explicitly extension/prolongation as a completed result, while hosszabbítás is a very common practical word for renewal/extension in everyday contexts such as subscriptions, deadlines, or library loans.

In a sentence like this, hosszabbítást kérek is the normal, idiomatic choice.

A learner should mainly remember that hosszabbítást kérek is a standard way to say I request an extension / renewal.

Very often, yes. The combination of kölcsönzés and hosszabbítást kérek strongly suggests a library or some other borrowing system.

In a library context, the sentence would naturally mean:

• Whenever my loan period expires, I request a renewal.

But it could also work in another borrowing context if the situation is clear.

It sounds mostly neutral to somewhat formal.

Reasons:

• valahányszor is a bit more elevated than the most casual everyday options
• hosszabbítást kérek sounds polite and administrative
• kölcsönzés is normal in institutional contexts

So this would fit well in formal speech, customer service, or written communication. In very casual conversation, a speaker might choose simpler wording, but this sentence is entirely natural and correct.