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Learn Hardcore Hungarian: Az állvány nagy. - The camera tripod is large.

Hardcore Hungarian
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/Az állvány nagy.

Az állvány nagy.

Az állvány nagy.

The camera tripod is large.

Breakdown of Az állvány nagy.

a camera tripod

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Questions & Answers about Az állvány nagy.

What does az mean here? Is it the or that?

Here, az means the.

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:

a before a consonant sound
az before a vowel sound

Because állvány begins with the vowel á, you say az állvány.

Examples:

a ház = the house
az autó = the car

Hungarian az can also mean that in other sentences, but in Az állvány nagy., it is just the article the.

Why is it az állvány and not a állvány?

Because Hungarian changes the form of the depending on the next sound.

Since állvány starts with a vowel, the correct form is az. This works a bit like the difference between a and an in English, although Hungarian is doing this with the definite article.

So:

az állvány
not a állvány

What exactly does állvány mean?

Állvány is a fairly broad word. Depending on context, it can mean things like:

stand
rack
frame
support
scaffold
tripod
display stand

So the best English translation depends on the situation. If your course already gives one meaning, use that meaning for this sentence, but be aware that the Hungarian word itself can be more flexible.

Why is there no word for is in the sentence?

In Hungarian, the present-tense form of to be is often omitted in the third person when the predicate is a noun or adjective.

So:

Az állvány nagy. = The stand is big.

Literally, Hungarian is saying something like:

The stand big.

This is completely normal.

You do use van or other forms of to be in other situations, for example:

Az állvány itt van. = The stand is here.
Az állvány nagy volt. = The stand was big.

Why does nagy come after állvány?

Because here nagy is part of the predicate: is big.

So:

Az állvány nagy. = The stand is big.

If the adjective comes before the noun, it usually describes the noun directly:

a nagy állvány = the big stand

So the position changes the function:

a nagy állvány = the big stand
az állvány nagy = the stand is big

Does nagy change to match the noun, like adjectives do in some European languages?

Not for gender, because Hungarian has no grammatical gender.

So you do not need to worry about masculine, feminine, or neuter forms. Nagy stays the same regardless of whether the noun refers to a male, female, object, etc.

Hungarian adjectives can change for number in some uses, though. For example:

Az állvány nagy. = The stand is big.
Az állványok nagyok. = The stands are big.

But when an adjective comes directly before a noun, it usually stays in its basic form:

nagy állvány = big stand
nagy állványok = big stands

How do you pronounce állvány?

A rough English approximation is AAL-vaany.

A few helpful points:

stress is on the first syllable: ÁLLvány
á is a long vowel
ll is a long l
ny sounds like the ñ in Spanish señor, or roughly the ny sound in canyon

Hungarian pronunciation is quite regular, so once you learn the sound values of the letters, reading gets much easier.

Do the accents in állvány matter?

Yes, very much.

In Hungarian, accents are part of the spelling, not optional marks. They usually show a different vowel, often a longer one as well.

So a and á are different vowels. This means the spelling matters for both pronunciation and meaning.

For learners, it is best to treat accented letters as separate letters you must learn, not as decorative marks.

Can I also say Nagy az állvány?

Yes, you can, but the emphasis changes.

Az állvány nagy. is a neutral statement: The stand is big.
Nagy az állvány. puts more emphasis on big, something like The stand is big or It’s big, the stand depending on context.

Hungarian word order is flexible, and moving a word often changes what is being emphasized rather than the basic meaning.

How would I say this in the plural?

You would say:

Az állványok nagyok. = The stands are big.

Changes:

állvány → állványok = stands
nagy → nagyok = big, in plural predicate form

The article stays az, because állványok still begins with a vowel sound.

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