Word
A probléma jelentős.
Meaning
The problem is significant.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
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Questions & Answers about A probléma jelentős.
Why does the sentence start with A? Does it mean a or the?
In Hungarian, a (before consonants) and az (before vowels) mean the.
So in A probléma jelentős., A means the, not English a.
- a probléma = the problem
- az iskola = the school
Hungarian has no indefinite article distinction in this sentence because the speaker is talking about a specific problem: the problem.
Why is there no word for is in the sentence?
In Hungarian, the verb to be is often left out in the present tense, third person.
So:
- A probléma jelentős. = The problem is significant.
There is no separate word for is here, but the meaning is still complete and natural.
Compare:
- Én fáradt vagyok. = I am tired.
- Te fáradt vagy. = You are tired.
- Ő fáradt. = He/She is tired.
Notice that in third person singular, Hungarian usually drops the present-tense is.
Why is jelentős after the noun? I thought adjectives come before nouns.