Ez egy kutya.

This is a dog.

Breakdown of Ez egy kutya.

• ez: this
• lenni: to be
• kutya: the dog

Questions & Answers about Ez egy kutya.

Why is egy used here? Can’t we just say Ez kutya?

In Hungarian, using egy (the indefinite article) when introducing a singular noun sounds more natural and complete. Technically, you could say Ez kutya, and native speakers would still understand you, but it would come across as lacking the article. In everyday speech, Ez egy kutya is preferred.

What exactly does Ez mean?

Ez literally means this in English. In Ez egy kutya, it’s pointing to or referring to something close by—or something you’re illustrating. So you’re essentially saying This is a dog.

Can I omit ez and just say Egy kutya?

If you say Egy kutya, you’re just saying A dog without specifying that it is a dog in the sense of an identifying statement. Ez egy kutya is a complete sentence that states This is a dog. Egy kutya on its own could be more like an exclamation: A dog!

How do I pronounce kutya?

Kutya is pronounced roughly like koo-tyah. The ty in Hungarian is a single consonant sound, produced by palatalizing the t (touching the tongue closer to the palate). Try to say tya in one smooth sound.

What happens if I want to emphasize dog specifically?

If you want to emphasize dog, you generally keep the same sentence structure but might use intonation or context. Hungarian can also bring the noun to the front for added emphasis, but for a simple statement, Ez egy kutya works fine. If you really wanted to stress it’s a dog (and not some other animal), you might say something like Ez egy kutya, nem macska (This is a dog, not a cat).