A tény a nyilvántartásban szerepel.

Because both noun phrases are definite: a tény = the fact, and a nyilvántartásban = in the register / in the record.

Hungarian uses a before consonants and az before vowels. So here:

• a tény
• a nyilvántartásban

This is just the normal definite article, like English the.

Because Hungarian definite vs. indefinite verb conjugation depends on the direct object, not on the subject.

Here, a tény is the subject, not the object. There is no direct object at all. The verb szerepel is basically intransitive here, so the normal 3rd person singular form is szerepel.

So even though a tény is definite, that does not trigger definite conjugation.

It is the noun nyilvántartás plus the case ending -ban:

nyilvántartás + -ban = nyilvántartásban

The ending -ban / -ben is the inessive case, which usually means in.

So a nyilvántartásban means in the register / in the record / in the registry.

Because of vowel harmony.

The noun nyilvántartás contains back vowels such as á and a, so it takes the back-vowel version of the ending: -ban.

Compare:

• házban = in the house
• kertben = in the garden

So:

• nyilvántartásban is correct
• nyilvántartásben is not

Because tény is the subject of the sentence, so it stays in the basic form, the nominative, which has no ending.

The ending -t marks the direct object. But here the fact is not an object receiving an action. It is the thing that appears / is listed.

So:

• a tény = the subject
• a tényt would mean the fact as a direct object

In this sentence, szerepel means something like appears, is listed, is included, or is on record.

In official or administrative language, szerepel is very often used for information that is contained in a document, database, register, list, or report.

So here it does not mean a dramatic kind of appear. It means that the fact is officially present in the record.

Because szerepel is more specific and more natural in this kind of official context.

van would only say that something is somewhere. But szerepel suggests that it is entered, included, or listed in a formal source.

So:

• A tény a nyilvántartásban van = understandable, but less idiomatic here
• A tény a nyilvántartásban szerepel = more natural for official records

Hungarian word order is flexible and is shaped by topic and focus, not by a rigid English-style pattern.

In A tény a nyilvántartásban szerepel, a tény is the topic, and the rest says something about it. Putting szerepel at the end gives a neutral, formal, matter-of-fact feel.

This does not mean the verb must always be last in Hungarian. It is just a natural order here.

Yes, but the emphasis changes.

For example:

• A tény a nyilvántartásban szerepel.
• A tény szerepel a nyilvántartásban.
• A nyilvántartásban szerepel a tény.

These are all possible, but they package the information differently. The original version sounds especially natural in formal written style.

You would say:

A tény nem szerepel a nyilvántartásban.

The word nem means not, and in a neutral sentence it normally goes directly before the verb.

So:

• szerepel = is listed / appears
• nem szerepel = is not listed / does not appear

Not exactly. Nyilvántartás is more official and systematic than a simple lista.

It usually means something like:

• register
• record
• registry
• official record
• sometimes database depending on context

So lista can be any list, but nyilvántartás suggests organized record-keeping, often in an administrative or legal setting.

Yes. The combination of tény, nyilvántartás, and szerepel sounds quite formal, administrative, or legal.

A more everyday sentence might use different wording, depending on context. But the original sentence is perfectly normal if the style is official or bureaucratic.