Ez egy macska.

this

Breakdown of Ez egy macska.

• lenni: to be
• macska: the cat
• egy: a

Questions & Answers about Ez egy macska.

Why is egy used in this sentence when English would just say This is a cat?

In Hungarian, egy is the indefinite article (similar to a or an in English). While in English you might say This is a cat, Hungarian typically requires the article egy before the noun in this kind of statement. It’s the same word you’d use to mean one, but here it functions just like a in English.

Is Ez always used for this in Hungarian?

Ez indeed means this in Hungarian. You would use ez for this and az for that. For example:
• Ez egy macska. (This is a cat.)
• Az egy kutya. (That is a dog.)

Can I leave out egy and simply say Ez macska?

Technically, you might hear it in very informal or quick speech, but it is not the standard form. If you are learning the language, always include egy in this type of statement to sound more natural and grammatically correct.

How do I pronounce the cs in macska?

The cs in Hungarian is pronounced like the ch in English words such as chair or chocolate. So macska sounds like matsch-ka.

Why does Hungarian have different articles like egy, a, and az?

• egy is the indefinite article, corresponding to a or an in English.
• a and az are definite articles. Use a before a word starting with a consonant and az before a word starting with a vowel. For example: a macska (the cat), az autó (the car).