Mi van ott?

to be

Breakdown of Mi van ott?

• ott: there
• mi: what

Questions & Answers about Mi van ott?

Why do we use van here instead of another form like vannak?

Because mi (meaning "what") is singular in this context, so we use the singular third-person form van. If the subject were plural, we would use vannak instead.

Is ott an adverb or a postposition in Hungarian?

Ott is an adverb that means "there." Hungarian also has postpositions, but ott specifically functions as an adverb indicating location.

Could we say Mi ott van? instead of Mi van ott?

Usually, Mi van ott? is the neutral, natural-sounding word order. Saying Mi ott van? might sound unnatural or overly emphatic on ott. In Hungarian, word order can change meaning or emphasis, so the standard question form is Mi van ott?

Why do we use mi instead of mit?

Mi is the nominative case and asks "What (is)?" It refers to the subject. Mit is the accusative case and is used for objects ("What do you ...?"). Since this sentence is asking "What is there?" about the subject, you use mi.

Is there a difference in meaning between Mi van ott? and Mi ott van?

In everyday speech, Mi van ott? directly asks "What is there?" and keeps a neutral, straightforward emphasis. Mi ott van? would sound like you’re emphasizing ott, as if you suspect something is specifically there. It’s less common and might feel unnatural to most speakers.