Az arány változik.

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:

• a before a consonant sound
• az before a vowel sound

Because arány begins with a vowel, you say az arány.

This is a bit like English a/an, but in Hungarian this alternation happens with the definite article.

Arány is in the nominative case, which is the basic form used for the subject of a sentence.

In Hungarian, the subject usually has no special ending, so az arány simply means the proportion / the ratio as the subject.

Hungarian often leaves subject pronouns unstated because the verb form already tells you the person and number.

Here, változik is third person singular, so it can mean he/she/it changes, depending on context. Since az arány is already the subject, no extra pronoun is needed.

Változik is the present tense, third-person singular form of the verb változik.

So grammatically it means:

• changes
• or is changing

depending on context.

Hungarian present tense often covers both a general meaning and an ongoing meaning.

Some Hungarian verbs have a basic third-person singular form ending in -ik. These are traditionally called ik-verbs.

Változik is one of those verbs. In this sentence, you can simply learn it as the normal dictionary/basic form meaning to change.

The -ik ending is just part of the verb here; it is not a separate word or suffix with a simple one-word English equivalent.

No. This is an important distinction:

• változik = to change, to become different
• változtat = to change something, to alter something

So:

• Az arány változik. = The ratio/proportion changes.
• Valaki változtatja az arányt. = Someone changes the ratio/proportion.

In other words, változik is intransitive, while változtat is transitive/causative.

In this sentence, az arány means a specific ratio or proportion, one that is known from the context.

So Az arány változik means The ratio is changing or The proportion changes.

Leaving out the article would usually sound less natural here unless the sentence were rephrased or used in a very specific context. In ordinary usage, az is the normal choice.

Yes. Hungarian word order is flexible, but changes in word order often change the emphasis.

• Az arány változik. = neutral statement; the ratio is the topic
• Változik az arány. = more emphasis on the fact that it is changing

So both can be correct, but they do not sound exactly the same in terms of focus.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Hungarian present tense is often broader than English present tense. So Az arány változik may mean:

• The ratio changes — a general fact or repeated process
• The ratio is changing — something happening now

Usually the surrounding sentence or situation makes the meaning clear.

A rough pronunciation is:

[ɒz ˈɒraːɲ ˈvaːltozik]

A few helpful points:

• a in az is short
• á in arány and változik is long
• ny sounds like the ny in canyon
• stress in Hungarian normally falls on the first syllable of each word

So the stress pattern is:

• AZ
• A-rány
• VÁL-to-zik