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Questions & Answers about Ez a reggeli jó.
Why do we use ez a instead of just ez before reggeli?
In Hungarian, when using a demonstrative pronoun (ez = this), you must also include the definite article (a or az) before the noun. So you say ez a reggeli (this breakfast), not ez reggeli.
Is the a in ez a reggeli an article or part of the demonstrative?
a (or az before vowels) is the definite article, separate from the demonstrative ez. The demonstrative and the article together indicate a specific noun (i.e., this particular breakfast).
Why don’t we use van (the verb to be) in Ez a reggeli jó?
In Hungarian, you generally omit van in the third-person present tense when describing what something is with an adjective. However, if you are stating a location or talking about existence, then you would use van. In this case, it’s left out because you’re simply describing the breakfast.
What does jó mean in this context?
In this sentence, jó means good. It can also mean nice or fine depending on the context, but here it straightforwardly describes the breakfast as good.
Could I say Jó ez a reggeli instead?
Yes, you can say Jó ez a reggeli. The meaning remains the same (this breakfast is good), but the emphasis shifts slightly to the adjective jó. In everyday speech, both forms are perfectly acceptable.