Questions & Answers about Múlt hét óta van bazsalikomunk.
Why is van in the present tense if the English meaning is We have had basil since last week?
Because Hungarian normally uses the present tense with óta for something that started in the past and is still true now.
So:
- Múlt hét óta van bazsalikomunk.
literally: Since last week, we have basil - natural English: We’ve had basil since last week
This is one of the places where English prefers the present perfect, but Hungarian usually does not.
What does óta mean here?
Óta means since when it refers to a starting point in time and something continues up to the present.
So:
- múlt hét óta = since last week
- tegnap óta = since yesterday
- három óra óta = since three o’clock
It is a postposition, so it comes after the noun or time expression, not before it.
Why is it múlt hét óta, not múlt héten óta?