Ezer példány van a könyvtárban.

There are one thousand copies in the library.

Breakdown of Ezer példány van a könyvtárban.

• lenni: to be
• könyvtár: the library
• az: the
• példány: a copy of a book or publication

Questions & Answers about Ezer példány van a könyvtárban.

Why is példány singular? Shouldn’t it be plural if the meaning is a thousand copies?

In Hungarian, after a numeral, the noun normally stays singular.

So Hungarian says:

• ezer példány = literally thousand copy
• not ezer példányok

This is completely normal. The number already tells you that there is more than one, so Hungarian does not usually add a plural ending to the noun.

More examples:

• két könyv = two books
• három ember = three people
• öt ház = five houses

So ezer példány is exactly what you would expect in Hungarian.

Why is the verb van singular? In English we say there are a thousand copies.

Hungarian often uses a singular verb with expressions of quantity like this.

So:

• Ezer példány van... = There are a thousand copies...

Even though the meaning is plural in English, Hungarian treats the quantity phrase as a single amount or set in this kind of existential sentence.

This is especially common with numbers and quantity expressions:

• Két ember van itt. = There are two people here.
• Sok könyv van az asztalon. = There are many books on the table.

So the singular van is normal here.

What does példány mean exactly?