Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A macska ott ül.

In Hungarian, van is often omitted in the present tense when you have an action verb like ül (sits). The verb itself expresses the action and the existence in one, so you don’t need a separate copula like van.

What role does “ott” play here?

Ott means there, indicating the location of the action. It tells us where the cat is sitting. If you wanted to say here, you would use itt instead.

Could I say “Ott ül a macska” instead?

Yes, you can. Hungarian word order is flexible, so Ott ül a macska also works and conveys basically the same meaning. However, starting with Ott puts more emphasis on there, while A macska ott ül keeps the focus a bit more on the cat.

Why does the sentence start with “A macska” instead of “Az macska”?

Hungarian has two definite articles: a and az. Az is used before words beginning with a vowel sound (like az alma, meaning the apple), whereas a is used before words beginning with a consonant sound (like a macska, meaning the cat).