Breakdown of A repülőtér nagyobb, mint a vasúti állomás.
lenni
to be
nagy
big
repülőtér
the airport
mint
than
vasúti állomás
the train station
Questions & Answers about A repülőtér nagyobb, mint a vasúti állomás.
Why does the sentence use a rather than az before repülőtér?
In Hungarian, the definite article has two forms: a and az. You use az if the next word begins with a vowel and a if it begins with a consonant. Since repülőtér starts with r, a consonant, the article is a.
Why is the comparative form of nagy written as nagyobb instead of something like nagyabb?
To form the comparative of nagy (meaning "big"), Hungarian drops the -y and attaches -obb, resulting in nagyobb. This follows standard comparative formation rules for adjectives ending in -gy.
What is the function of mint in this sentence?
In Hungarian, mint is used to introduce the element of comparison, similar to how "than" is used in English. So nagyobb, mint literally translates to "bigger than."
What does vasúti állomás literally mean?
Vasút means "railway," and vasúti is the adjective form, meaning "railway-related." Állomás means "station." Put together, vasúti állomás means "railway station."
Could the sentence structure work in a different order, such as Nagyobb a repülőtér, mint a vasúti állomás?
Yes, Hungarian word order is flexible. Nagyobb a repülőtér, mint a vasúti állomás is also acceptable and conveys the same meaning. However, A repülőtér nagyobb, mint a vasúti állomás is more neutral and is typically the most straightforward way to say it.
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