Ezer példány van a könyvtárban.

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.

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.

Példány usually means copy, specimen, or instance, depending on context.

In this sentence, it most naturally means copy:

• Ezer példány = a thousand copies

If the context is books, magazines, documents, or printed material, példány is a very common word for copy.

So this sentence does not literally say a thousand books. It says a thousand copies.

It breaks down like this:

• a = the
• könyvtár = library
• -ban = in

So:

• a könyvtárban = in the library

The ending -ban / -ben is the Hungarian inessive case, used for being inside something.

Examples:

• a házban = in the house
• az iskolában = in the school
• a szobában = in the room

Here, könyvtárban means in the library.

Hungarian often uses the definite article a / az where English uses the.

So:

• a könyvtárban = in the library

You can sometimes leave the article out in certain styles or contexts, but in a normal sentence like this, a könyvtárban sounds natural and standard.

Also notice that the article stays separate, while the case ending goes on the noun:

• a könyvtárban
• not something like putting the onto the suffix

This is very typical Hungarian structure.

This is because of vowel harmony, an important feature of Hungarian.

The ending has two forms:

• -ban
• -ben

Which one you use depends on the vowels in the word.

• könyvtár has back vowels, so it takes -ban
• therefore: könyvtárban

More examples:

• házban = in the house
• boltban = in the shop
• kertben = in the garden
• székben = in the chair

So -ban / -ben both mean in, but the form changes to match the word.

Because Hungarian does not need a separate dummy subject like English there in this kind of sentence.

English says:

• There are a thousand copies in the library.

Hungarian simply says:

• Ezer példány van a könyvtárban.

The verb van does the job of expressing existence, so there is no need for a separate word meaning there.

This is a very common pattern in Hungarian:

• Van egy könyv az asztalon. = There is a book on the table.
• Sok ember van itt. = There are many people here.

So the sentence structure is more direct than in English.

Hungarian word order is fairly flexible, but changing it often changes the focus or emphasis.

The neutral version here is:

• Ezer példány van a könyvtárban.

This presents the information in a natural, straightforward way.

You could also say:

• A könyvtárban ezer példány van.

That can sound more contrastive or focused, depending on context, as if you are emphasizing in the library or setting up a comparison.

For example:

• A boltban csak száz példány van, de a könyvtárban ezer példány van.
  = There are only a hundred copies in the shop, but there are a thousand copies in the library.

So yes, other word orders are possible, but they are not always neutral in the same way.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• Ezer ≈ EH-zehr
• példány ≈ PAYL-daany
• van ≈ vawn
• a ≈ short aw
• könyvtárban ≈ kuhnyv-TAAR-bawn

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• Hungarian stress is usually on the first syllable of each word.
• é is a long vowel, somewhat like ay in say, but steadier.
• á is a long open vowel.
• ny is like the ny in canyon.
• ö is a rounded front vowel, which English does not have exactly.

So the stress pattern is roughly:

• Ezer
• PÉLdány
• VAN
• A
• KÖNYVtárban

Not exactly. It specifically says a thousand copies because of the word példány.

If you want to say a thousand books, you would more naturally use:

• ezer könyv

So:

• Ezer könyv van a könyvtárban. = There are a thousand books in the library.
• Ezer példány van a könyvtárban. = There are a thousand copies in the library.

The second one suggests copies of something, not just books in general.

This is a very common learner question.

In Hungarian, van is usually used in third person when you are saying that something exists somewhere:

• Egy könyv van az asztalon. = There is a book on the table.
• Ezer példány van a könyvtárban. = There are a thousand copies in the library.

But in simple equational sentences in the present tense, van is often omitted:

• A könyv érdekes. = The book is interesting.
• Ő tanár. = He/She is a teacher.

So in your sentence, van appears because the meaning is existential: something is present / موجود somewhere. That is why it cannot be omitted here.