A lemondás díjmentes.

Questions & Answers about A lemondás díjmentes.

What does A mean here?

A is the Hungarian definite article, meaning the.

In A lemondás díjmentes, it marks lemondás as a definite or generic noun phrase:

  • a lemondás = the cancellation
  • in natural English, this whole sentence is often translated as Cancellation is free of charge rather than literally The cancellation is free of charge.

Hungarian often uses the definite article in places where English may sound more natural without the.

What does lemondás mean?

Lemondás is a noun. In this sentence it means cancellation.

It comes from the verb lemond, which can mean:

  • to cancel
  • to call off
  • in other contexts, to resign

So lemondás can mean:

  • cancellation
  • sometimes resignation

Here, because of díjmentes (free of charge), the meaning is clearly cancellation.

What does díjmentes mean exactly?

Díjmentes means free of charge, without a fee, or fee-free.

It is built from:

  • díj = fee, charge
  • mentes = free from, without

So literally it means something like fee-free.

This word is common in formal or business-like language, for example:

  • A szállítás díjmentes. = Shipping is free of charge.
  • A belépés díjmentes. = Admission is free.
Why is there no word for is in the sentence?

In Hungarian, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense, third person when the predicate is a noun or adjective.

So:

  • A lemondás díjmentes. literally: The cancellation free-of-charge. natural English: Cancellation is free of charge.

This is completely normal Hungarian.

Compare:

  • Én fáradt vagyok. = I am tired.
  • Te fáradt vagy. = You are tired.
  • Ő fáradt. = He/She is tired.
    → no separate word for is
Is díjmentes an adjective here?

Yes. Díjmentes is an adjective, and it describes lemondás.

So the structure is:

  • A lemondás = the subject
  • díjmentes = the predicate adjective

In English, we say The cancellation is free of charge.
In Hungarian, the adjective can stand directly as the predicate without van in this kind of sentence.

Why is the word order A lemondás díjmentes?

This is the neutral, straightforward word order:

  • A lemondás = topic / what we are talking about
  • díjmentes = what is being said about it

So it means: As for the cancellation, it is free of charge.

You may also see:

  • Díjmentes a lemondás.

This has a slightly different emphasis. It puts more focus on díjmentes:
The cancellation is free / Cancellation is free of charge.

Both are correct; the difference is mainly one of emphasis and information structure.

Could this sentence also mean Resignation is free of charge?

Grammatically, lemondás can also mean resignation, but in real-life usage this sentence would normally be understood as cancellation is free of charge.

Why?

Because díjmentes strongly suggests a service, booking, subscription, or similar context. You normally talk about fees for cancellation, not fees for resigning from a job.

So context resolves the ambiguity.

Why is there no case ending on lemondás?

Because lemondás is the subject of the sentence, so it appears in its basic dictionary form, with no extra case ending.

Hungarian often adds endings to show grammatical roles, but the subject usually has no ending.

Here:

  • lemondás = subject
  • díjmentes = predicate adjective

If you changed the role of the noun, you might get different forms, for example:

  • a lemondásról = about the cancellation
  • lemondást = cancellation as a direct object

But in this sentence, the plain form is correct.

Could I use ingyenes instead of díjmentes?

Sometimes yes, but there is a nuance.

  • ingyenes = free, often in a general everyday sense
  • díjmentes = free of charge, more formal and specifically about fees

So:

  • A lemondás ingyenes. = understandable, natural in some contexts
  • A lemondás díjmentes. = a bit more formal, and especially common in official or commercial language

If you are reading a website, contract, booking policy, or notice, díjmentes is very typical.

How would this sentence be pronounced?

A simple pronunciation guide is:

  • A ≈ aw
  • lemondás ≈ leh-mon-daash
  • díjmentes ≈ deey-men-tesh

A few useful points:

  • á is a long vowel, so -dás is longer than -das
  • í is also long
  • s in Hungarian sounds like English sh
  • sz sounds like English s, but there is no sz in this sentence

So lemondás ends with a long á, and díjmentes ends with -tesh.

Is this sentence formal or informal?

It sounds fairly neutral to formal, mainly because of the word díjmentes.

You are especially likely to see it in:

  • booking terms
  • hotel or travel websites
  • service policies
  • official notices

In more everyday spoken Hungarian, people might choose a simpler phrasing depending on context, but A lemondás díjmentes is perfectly natural and common in written informational language.

How would I make it plural, like Cancellations are free of charge?

You could say:

  • A lemondások díjmentesek.

Breakdown:

  • lemondások = cancellations
  • díjmentesek = plural of díjmentes

Notice that in Hungarian, if the subject is plural, the predicate adjective also takes a plural ending:

  • A lemondás díjmentes. = The cancellation is free of charge.
  • A lemondások díjmentesek. = The cancellations are free of charge.
Can this sentence be translated literally word for word?

Yes, roughly:

  • A = the
  • lemondás = cancellation
  • díjmentes = free of charge

So a literal translation is:

  • The cancellation [is] free of charge.

But the most natural English translation is often:

  • Cancellation is free of charge.
  • Cancelling is free.
    depending on context

The exact English version depends on style and situation, even though the Hungarian sentence itself is short and clear.

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