Átültetjük a rozmaringot, mert hosszú a gyökere.

Átültetjük means we transplant it / we are transplanting it / we will transplant it, depending on context.

It can be broken down like this:

• át- = over, across
• ültet = plant, set, make something sit; with plants, it can mean to plant
• -jük = we with a definite object

So átültetjük is basically we re-plant/transplant it.

Hungarian has two main verb conjugations:

• indefinite conjugation: used when there is no specific direct object
• definite conjugation: used when the direct object is definite or specific

Here the object is a rozmaringot = the rosemary, which is definite. Because of that, Hungarian uses the definite verb form:

• átültetjük = we transplant it / the specific thing
• compare with átültetünk = we transplant in a more general sense, without a definite object

So the form of the verb agrees with the fact that the object is specific.

Because it is the direct object of the verb, so it takes the accusative ending.

• base form: rozmaring = rosemary
• object form: rozmaringot = rosemary, as the thing being transplanted

The accusative ending is usually -t, but its exact shape can vary a little for pronunciation reasons. Here it appears as -ot.

So:

• a rozmaring = the rosemary
• a rozmaringot = the rosemary, as the object

Hungarian often uses the definite article a / az when referring to a specific thing already known in the situation.

Here a rozmaringot means the rosemary or that rosemary plant. Even if English might say just rosemary, Hungarian often prefers the article when the speaker has a particular plant in mind.

So this sentence is not talking about rosemary in general. It is about a specific rosemary plant.

Because gyökere means its root or the root of it.

Hungarian usually shows possession by adding a suffix to the possessed noun:

• gyökér = root
• gyökere = his/her/its root

So in this sentence:

• a gyökere = its root

The -e here is a third-person singular possessive suffix.

Because Hungarian often does not use a separate possessive word like English my, your, his, her, its in the same way. Instead, possession is usually marked directly on the noun.

So English says:

• its root

Hungarian says:

• a gyökere

The meaning of its is built into gyökere through the possessive ending.

If needed, Hungarian can add an explicit possessor, but very often it is unnecessary when the context is clear.

In Hungarian, the verb van = to be is usually left out in the present tense, third person singular, when the predicate is a noun or adjective.

So instead of saying something equivalent to its root is long with an explicit is, Hungarian simply says:

• a gyökere hosszú
• or hosszú a gyökere

Both mean its root is long.

This omission is completely normal in Hungarian.

Both are possible, but they give slightly different emphasis.

• A gyökere hosszú = Its root is long
  This is a more neutral statement.
• Hosszú a gyökere = Its root is long / It has a long root
  This puts more attention on hosszú = long.

In this sentence, the reason for transplanting is the important point, so putting hosszú first makes good sense: the root’s length is what matters.

Formally, it is a present tense form, but Hungarian present tense can cover several meanings depending on context.

So átültetjük can mean:

• we transplant it
• we are transplanting it
• we will transplant it

In a sentence like this, English might translate it in different ways depending on the situation. Hungarian often relies on context rather than changing the verb form.

Mert means because. It introduces the reason:

• Átültetjük a rozmaringot = We are transplanting the rosemary
• mert hosszú a gyökere = because its root is long

The comma is normal in Hungarian before this kind of subordinate clause.

So the structure is:

• main clause + comma + mert clause

Yes.

• ültet = to plant
• átültet = to transplant, replant, move a plant to another place or pot

The prefix át- often adds the idea of across, over, or from one place to another. Here it gives the sense of moving the plant and planting it again somewhere else.

So átültetjük a rozmaringot specifically means that the rosemary is being moved and replanted, not simply planted for the first time.