Mióta rossz a jelerősség?

Mióta asks about the starting point of a situation that has been continuing up to now. In English, it is often translated as since when? or, depending on context, how long has ... been ...?

So in this sentence, Mióta rossz a jelerősség? is asking when the signal strength became bad, with the idea that it is still bad now.

Hungarian usually uses the present tense for situations that started in the past and are still true now. English often uses the present perfect in the same situation.

So Hungarian:

• Mióta rossz a jelerősség?

can correspond to English:

• How long has the signal strength been bad?
• Since when has the signal strength been bad?

This is a very common difference between Hungarian and English.

In Hungarian, the verb to be is often left out in the third person singular and plural present tense when it links a subject to a noun, adjective, or similar predicate.

So:

• A jelerősség rossz. = The signal strength is bad.

There is no separate word for is here.

But in other persons, Hungarian does use the verb:

• Rossz vagyok. = I am bad / I’m unwell
• Rossz vagy. = You are bad / You’re unwell

So the missing is is completely normal.

Both are possible, but the word order changes the emphasis.

• A jelerősség rossz. = more neutral: The signal strength is bad.
• Rossz a jelerősség. = puts more focus on bad; it sounds natural in a question like this.

With mióta, starting with rossz is very natural because the speaker is asking about the duration of that bad state.

So the sentence structure is not random; it reflects what is being highlighted.

Jelerősség is a compound noun:

• jel = signal
• erősség = strength, intensity

So jelerősség literally means signal strength.

Hungarian forms a lot of nouns this way, by combining smaller words into one compound.

A is the Hungarian definite article, meaning the.

So:

• a jelerősség = the signal strength

Hungarian uses definite articles quite often, including in places where English may or may not use the depending on context. In this sentence, a jelerősség refers to the specific signal strength being discussed, so the definite article is natural.

Yes, gyenge is also possible, but the meaning shifts a little.

• rossz = bad
• gyenge = weak

So:

• Mióta rossz a jelerősség? = How long has the signal strength been bad?
• Mióta gyenge a jel / a jelerősség? = How long has the signal / signal strength been weak?

Rossz is broader and can suggest poor quality or malfunctioning conditions in general. Gyenge focuses more specifically on low strength.

You might hear similar structures in some contexts, but Mióta rossz a jelerősség? is the more straightforward and natural sentence for How long has the signal strength been bad?

Why?

• rossz a jelerősség describes the state directly: the signal strength is bad
• van rossz jelerősség sounds more like there is bad signal strength, which is less direct and usually less idiomatic here

So for this meaning, the original sentence is the better choice.

They ask different time-related questions:

• mióta = since when / how long (up to now)
• meddig = until when / how long (into the future or up to an endpoint)

So:

• Mióta rossz a jelerősség? = Since when has the signal strength been bad?
• Meddig lesz rossz a jelerősség? = Until when will the signal strength be bad?

This is a useful contrast to learn early.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

mee-OH-taw ross aw yeh-leh-rer-shayg

A few helpful points:

• ió in mióta forms two syllables: mi-ó-ta
• j in Hungarian is pronounced like English y
• ő is a long front rounded vowel, with no exact English equivalent
• ss in Hungarian sounds like English sh
• s by itself sounds like English sh, but here in rossz, the sz sounds like s in see

So jelerősség is approximately: yeh-leh-rer-shayg

Not only for phone signal, but that is one very common context. Jelerősség can refer to signal strength in various technical situations, such as:

• mobile signal
• Wi-Fi signal
• radio signal
• network reception

The exact meaning depends on the situation. If people are talking about a phone or internet connection, this sentence would sound very natural.