Az ember szeret tanulni.

to learn

Breakdown of Az ember szeret tanulni.

• szeretni: to love
• ember: the person

Questions & Answers about Az ember szeret tanulni.

Why does the sentence use Az ember in singular form, even though it talks about people in general?

In Hungarian, Az ember can refer to a generic person, effectively meaning one or people in general rather than just a single individual. It’s a common way to make a general statement about human behavior.

Why is szeret used here instead of a different verb for “to like” or “to love”?

The verb szeret in Hungarian can mean both to like and to love, depending on context. In a general statement like this, it tends to mean to like / to enjoy.

Why is tanulni in the infinitive form?

In Hungarian, when expressing that someone likes / loves doing something, the infinitive form of the verb is used. Here, tanulni (to learn) follows szeret to indicate the action being liked.

Could the sentence also be written without Az?

Yes, sometimes you might see Ember szeret tanulni, but it sounds more natural and usual to keep the Az. The definite article emphasizes the generic individual as a concept: Az ember.

What if I want to emphasize a specific person instead of people in general?

If you want to be specific, you would replace az ember with the actual subject (a name or a pronoun). For example, Ő szeret tanulni (He/She likes to learn) or Péter szeret tanulni (Peter likes to learn).