A számzár a nagyító mellett van.

A is the Hungarian definite article, so it means the.

In A számzár a nagyító mellett van, it appears twice because Hungarian uses the before both nouns:

• a számzár = the combination lock
• a nagyító mellett = next to the magnifying glass

This is completely normal in Hungarian. English also often uses the more than once in a sentence, but learners sometimes notice it more in Hungarian because the sentence structure is different.

Also, a changes to az before a vowel sound:

• a könyv = the book
• az alma = the apple

Számzár is a compound word:

• szám = number
• zár = lock

So literally it is something like number-lock, which is why it means combination lock or numeric lock.

Hungarian forms many words this way, by joining smaller words into compounds.

Nagyító comes from the idea of making something bigger.

It is related to:

• nagy = big
• nagyít = to enlarge, magnify
• nagyító = magnifier / magnifying glass

The ending -ó / -ő often creates a noun or adjective connected with an action, so nagyító is basically something used for magnifying.

Because mellett is a postposition.

Hungarian often expresses location with either:

1. a case ending attached to the noun, or
2. a separate postposition that comes after the noun.

Here:

• a nagyító mellett = next to the magnifying glass

So mellett works a bit like English next to / beside, except it comes after the noun.

Other similar postpositions are:

• alatt = under
• fölött / felett = above
• előtt = in front of
• mögött = behind

Van is the 3rd person singular form of to be: is.

So:

• A számzár a nagyító mellett van.
• The combination lock is next to the magnifying glass.

Hungarian often omits van in simple statements like:

• A ház nagy. = The house is big.
• A fiú diák. = The boy is a student.

But when talking about existence or location, van is usually needed:

• A könyv az asztalon van. = The book is on the table.
• A számzár a nagyító mellett van. = The combination lock is next to the magnifying glass.

So here van is present because the sentence tells us where something is.

Yes, Hungarian word order is fairly flexible, but different orders can change the focus or emphasis.

The neutral version is:

• A számzár a nagyító mellett van.

This simply states where the lock is.

You might also see:

• A nagyító mellett van a számzár.

This can sound more like It is next to the magnifying glass that the combination lock is or The combination lock is next to the magnifying glass with slightly different emphasis.

Hungarian word order is influenced a lot by topic and focus, not just by basic subject-verb-object rules.

In this sentence, a számzár is the thing whose location is being described.

That is because:

• it appears as the main noun at the beginning
• a nagyító mellett is a location phrase
• van tells us that something is somewhere

So the structure is:

• A számzár = the item
• a nagyító mellett = the location
• van = is

In English terms: [The combination lock] [next to the magnifying glass] [is].

Good question, because both can relate to closeness.

• mellett = next to, beside
• közel = near, close

So:

• A számzár a nagyító mellett van. = The lock is right next to the magnifying glass.
• A számzár a nagyító közelében van. = The lock is near the magnifying glass.

Mellett usually suggests immediate adjacency, while közel is less exact.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• A = short aw
• számzár ≈ saam-zaar
• a = aw
• nagyító ≈ naw-dyee-too
• mellett ≈ meh-lehtt
• van = vawn

A few useful sound notes:

• sz is pronounced like English s
• zs would be like the s in measure, but it does not appear here
• gy is a soft consonant, somewhat like the d in British duke or a softened dy
• á is a long vowel
• í is a long ee

Stress in Hungarian is always on the first syllable of each word:

• SZÁMzár
• NAgyító
• MELlett

Yes, it is natural and correct.

It is a straightforward locational sentence:

• A számzár = the object
• a nagyító mellett = the location
• van = is

This is exactly the kind of sentence Hungarian uses to describe where something is.

Usually not in this sentence, if you mean the combination lock and the magnifying glass.

• A számzár a nagyító mellett van. = The combination lock is next to the magnifying glass.

If you remove the articles, it becomes less natural or changes the feel of the sentence. Hungarian uses articles quite regularly, and in a sentence like this they are expected.

If you wanted an indefinite meaning, you would use egy:

• Egy számzár a nagyító mellett van. = A combination lock is next to the magnifying glass.

So the article matters.