Én veszek egy szép virágot.

I buy a beautiful flower.

Breakdown of Én veszek egy szép virágot.

• én: I
• egy: a
• szép: beautiful
• virág: the flower
• venni: to buy

Questions & Answers about Én veszek egy szép virágot.

Why is Én used in the sentence even though veszek already indicates 'I'?

In Hungarian, Én is often optional because the verb ending (-ek in veszek) already indicates the first person singular. However, using Én can place extra emphasis on the speaker or clarify who is performing the action, especially in more complex sentences or conversations.

What does the -ot ending in virágot mean?

The -ot ending is the accusative case marker in Hungarian. It is used to indicate the direct object of the sentence. Thus, virág (flower) becomes virágot (a flower as a direct object).

Why do we say egy szép virágot instead of egy virág szép?

In Hungarian, adjectives typically come before the nouns they describe. Moreover, szép (beautiful) belongs directly before virág (flower). The order is egy szép virág in its base form, and in the accusative egy szép virágot.

Do I always need to include egy before nouns?

Not always. Egy is the indefinite article in Hungarian, similar to "a" or "an" in English. If you want to emphasize or specifically mention one flower or an unspecified flower, you use egy. If the context is clear or you’re making a general statement, it can be left out.

Is the word order Én veszek egy szép virágot flexible?

Hungarian has relatively flexible word order compared to English, but the default or neutral order puts the subject first and then the verb. You could encounter variations like Egy szép virágot veszek for emphasis on what you are buying. However, each variation can subtly change the focus.

How do I know when to stress a word in this sentence?

Hungarian relies heavily on word placement to convey focus. Typically, the word immediately before the verb is in focus. So, in Én veszek egy szép virágot, if you want to emphasize that you (rather than someone else) are buying a flower, you keep Én right before veszek. If you wanted to emphasize the flower itself, you could say Én egy szép virágot veszek, placing egy szép virágot before the verb.