A bazsalikom az erkélyen van.

Both a and az mean the. Hungarian chooses between them based on the sound that follows:

• a before a consonant sound: a bazsalikom
• az before a vowel sound: az erkélyen

So this works a bit like English a/an, except it is the definite article, not the indefinite one.

Erkélyen means on the balcony.

It is made from:

• erkély = balcony
• -en = a case ending meaning on

So Hungarian often uses a case ending where English uses a separate preposition. Instead of on the balcony, Hungarian says something more like the balcony-on.

Also notice that the article stays separate:

• az erkélyen = on the balcony

The ending attaches to the noun, not to the article.

-on, -en, and -ön are different forms of the same case ending, often called the superessive case, which usually means on a surface or place.

Which form you use depends mostly on vowel harmony and the shape of the word.

Very roughly:

• back-vowel words often take -on
• front-vowel words often take -en
• front rounded-vowel words often take -ön

Since erkély has front vowels, -en is the correct form: erkélyen.

Some examples:

• asztal → asztalon = on the table
• szék → széken = on the chair
• tükör → tükrön = on the mirror

That is a very common question. In Hungarian, van (is) is often omitted in the present tense, but not always.

It is usually omitted in simple statements like:

• A bazsalikom zöld. = The basil is green.
• A bazsalikom növény. = The basil is a plant.

But when you say where something is, van is normally kept:

• A bazsalikom az erkélyen van. = The basil is on the balcony.

So with location, van is normally required.

No, Hungarian word order is more flexible than English word order.

A bazsalikom az erkélyen van. is a neutral sentence:
As for the basil, it is on the balcony.

But you could also say:

• Az erkélyen van a bazsalikom.

This puts more focus on the location, as if answering Where is the basil?

So the words can move, but the emphasis changes. Hungarian word order often shows topic and focus, not just grammar.

In this sentence, it most naturally means a specific basil plant or the basil already known from context.

That is because a/az is the definite article. So a bazsalikom usually means the basil rather than basil in general.

Because the sentence mentions a place, English speakers will usually picture a particular basil plant, probably one growing in a pot on the balcony.

Hungarian does not need a separate subject pronoun here, because the subject is already stated:

• A bazsalikom = the basil

English often uses pronouns very explicitly, but Hungarian often leaves them out unless they are needed for emphasis or clarity.

So you do not need a separate word meaning it in this sentence.

A few useful pronunciation points:

• Hungarian stress is usually on the first syllable
• zs sounds like the s in measure
• modern Hungarian ly is pronounced like j, similar to y in yes
• é is a long vowel, roughly like ay in say, but pure and steady

Approximate pronunciations:

• bazsalikom ≈ BAH-zhaw-lee-kom
• erkélyen ≈ ER-kay-yen

A more IPA-style version:

• bazsalikom = /ˈbɒʒɒlikom/
• erkélyen = /ˈɛrkeːjɛn/

In standard Hungarian, that would not be the normal way to say this sentence.

Because you are talking about a specific basil and a specific balcony, Hungarian normally uses the definite articles:

• A bazsalikom az erkélyen van.

Leaving out the articles can sound unnatural, poetic, headline-like, or like a special stylistic choice. For ordinary everyday speech, keep them in this sentence.