Learn Hardcore Hungarian: Esik, mégsem maradunk otthon. - It is raining, but we are not staying at home after all.

Breakdown of Esik, mégsem maradunk otthon.

What does esik mean here?

Here esik means it is raining.

It comes from the verb esni, whose basic meaning is to fall. In weather expressions, Hungarian uses it for rain:

So in this sentence, Esik is a very natural short way to say It’s raining.

Why is there no word for it in Esik?

Hungarian does not use a dummy subject like English it in weather expressions.

In English, you have to say:

But in Hungarian, you simply say:

There is no separate word standing for it. The verb alone is enough.

What does mégsem mean?

Mégsem means something like:

In this sentence, it shows a contrast between expectation and reality:

So mégsem often suggests: you might expect one thing, but the opposite happens.

How is mégsem different from just de?