Én szeretek zenét hallgatni.

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Breakdown of Én szeretek zenét hallgatni.

• hallgatni: to listen to
• zene: the music

Questions & Answers about Én szeretek zenét hallgatni.

Why is the pronoun Én used here?

Én is the Hungarian first-person singular pronoun meaning I. In Hungarian, pronouns can often be omitted because the verb usually indicates the subject. However, they can be included for emphasis or clarification. Including Én clarifies or emphasizes that you are talking about your liking, as opposed to someone else’s.

Why do we say szeretek instead of szeret?

Hungarian verbs conjugate according to person and number. Szeret is the third-person singular form (he/she/it likes), while szeretek is first-person singular (I like). The -ek ending indicates I am the one liking something.

Why is it zenét and not zene?

In Hungarian, zenét is the accusative form of zene (music). When you talk about liking something, that something becomes the direct object in the sentence. Thus, it takes the accusative ending -t, turning zene into zenét.

Why do we use hallgatni at the end of the sentence?

In Hungarian, infinitive forms of verbs (like hallgatni, to listen) typically appear as the direct object of another verb. When you say I like to listen, listening is what you like to do, so it’s the direct object of szeretek. Hungarian word order is flexible, but an infinitive often comes at or near the end, especially in a Verb (szeretek) + Object (zenét) + Infinitive (hallgatni) structure.

Is using Én + szeretek + zenét hallgatni always the most natural word order?

This order is perfectly correct and natural. However, Hungarian allows variations for emphasis. For instance: Zenét szeretek hallgatni or Szeretek zenét hallgatni, etc. They generally convey the same basic meaning, but each order can subtly shift emphasis.