Addig keresünk a zseblámpával, amíg kijutunk.

They work together as a matching pair.

• addig = until then / up to that point / for that long
• amíg = introduces the clause that tells you what that point is

So Addig keresünk..., amíg kijutunk is literally something like We search up to the point when we get out.

In natural English, that usually just becomes We keep searching until we get out.

Hungarian often likes this kind of pairing. It is very normal and idiomatic.

Here, addig means until then, up to that point, or for that long.

It points forward to the amíg clause. By itself, it does not tell you what the endpoint is; the amíg kijutunk part gives that endpoint.

So:

• addig = the duration or limit
• amíg kijutunk = the point where that limit ends

In this sentence, amíg means until.

But amíg is a flexible word, and in other contexts it can also mean while or as long as.

For example:

• Várj, amíg visszajövök. = Wait until I come back.
• Amíg főzök, zenét hallgatok. = While I cook, I listen to music.

In Addig keresünk a zseblámpával, amíg kijutunk, the meaning is clearly until, because kijutunk gives an endpoint.

Because Hungarian often uses the present tense for future events when the time reference is already clear from context.

That is happening here:

• keresünk = literally we search / we are searching
• kijutunk = literally we get out

But in context, the meaning is future-oriented or goal-oriented: we’ll keep searching until we get out.

English actually does something similar after until:

• until we get out not
• until we will get out

So this part is not as strange as it may first seem.

keresünk comes from keres = search / look for.

The ending -ünk means we, so keresünk means we search, we are searching, or we look for.

It is indefinite conjugation, because no definite object is stated.

Compare:

• Keresünk. = We’re searching / We’re looking around.
• A kijáratot keressük. = We’re looking for the exit.

In the second example, a kijáratot is a definite object, so Hungarian uses the definite form keressük.

In your sentence, no direct object is named, so keresünk is the normal form.

It means with the flashlight.

The ending -val / -vel means with or by means of, so zseblámpával means with a flashlight / using a flashlight.

So:

• a zseblámpával = with the flashlight not
• for the flashlight

If you wanted to say we are looking for the flashlight, you would need the direct object form instead:

• A zseblámpát keressük. = We are looking for the flashlight.

That difference is very important.

Because many Hungarian nouns ending in a or e lengthen that vowel before certain suffixes.

So:

• zseblámpa
  • -val → zseblámpával

The final a becomes á.

This is a very common pattern:

• szoba → szobában
• táska → táskával
• mese → mesét

So zseblámpával is exactly what you should expect from zseblámpa + -val.

kijutunk comes from:

• ki- = out
• jut = get / reach / manage to get
• -unk = we

So kijutunk means we get out, we make it out, or we manage to get out.

The prefix ki- is very important, because it adds the idea of movement outward.

Without the prefix, jut by itself would not mean exactly the same thing.

No, Hungarian word order is fairly flexible, but changing it changes the emphasis.

In Addig keresünk a zseblámpával, amíg kijutunk, starting with addig puts focus on the duration or limit: we keep doing this until that point.

Other word orders are possible, but they may emphasize something else. For example:

• A zseblámpával keresünk addig, amíg kijutunk.
  This gives more attention to with the flashlight.

• Amíg kijutunk, addig keresünk a zseblámpával.
  This is possible, but less neutral in many contexts.

So the original order is natural and highlights the until then idea.

Yes. You could say:

Keresünk a zseblámpával, amíg kijutunk.

That is still grammatical and understandable.

But addig ... amíg ... is a very common and neat Hungarian structure, and it makes the time-limit relationship especially clear. It often sounds more complete.

So:

• with addig = slightly more explicit, more strongly structured
• without addig = still fine, a bit less marked

Often yes, but amíg is the safest neutral choice for learners.

míg can sometimes replace amíg, especially in speech or certain styles, but amíg is clearer and more standard in many teaching contexts.

So a learner should be most comfortable first with:

• addig ..., amíg ...

and only later worry about when míg sounds better or more natural in certain situations.