Questions & Answers about Ez a hónap nehéz.
Why does the sentence have both ez and a? Don’t they both mean this/the?
Yes, this is a very common question.
In ez a hónap, the word ez means this, and a is the definite article the.
Hungarian normally uses this pattern with a noun:
- ez a könyv = this book
- ez a ház = this house
- ez a hónap = this month
So even though English says just this month, Hungarian usually says literally this the month.
A useful contrast:
- a hónap = the month
- ez a hónap = this month
Why is there no word for is in the sentence?
In Hungarian, the verb to be is often omitted in the present tense, especially in sentences like:
- Ez a hónap nehéz. = This month is difficult.
- A ház nagy. = The house is big.
- A kávé forró. = The coffee is hot.
So in the present tense, Hungarian often says:
- X difficult instead of
- X is difficult
But in other tenses or with some other structures, the verb appears:
- Ez a hónap nehéz volt. = This month was difficult.
- Ez a hónap nehéz lesz. = This month will be difficult.
What exactly does nehéz mean here?