A gyökér hosszú, ezért átültetjük a palántát.

The root is long, so we repot the seedling.

Breakdown of A gyökér hosszú, ezért átültetjük a palántát.

• az: the
• ezért: therefore
• hosszú: long
• palánta: a seedling

Questions & Answers about A gyökér hosszú, ezért átültetjük a palántát.

What does a mean in A gyökér and a palántát?

A is the Hungarian definite article, meaning the.

So:

• a gyökér = the root
• a palántát = the seedling (as a direct object)

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:

• a before consonant sounds
• az before vowel sounds

For example:

• a gyökér
• az alma

Why is there no word for is in A gyökér hosszú?

In Hungarian, the verb to be is often left out in the present tense, third person, when the sentence links a subject to a noun or adjective.

So:

• A gyökér hosszú literally looks like The root long
• but it means The root is long

This is completely normal Hungarian.

Compare:

• A gyökér hosszú. = The root is long.
• A gyökér hosszú volt. = The root was long.
• A gyökér hosszú lesz. = The root will be long.

In the past and future, the verb appears.

Why doesn’t hosszú change to match ?