A barátok a tér közepén szeretnek játszani.

The friends like to play in the middle of the square.

Breakdown of A barátok a tér közepén szeretnek játszani.

• barát: the friend
• -ben: in
• tér: the square
• játszani: to play
• közép: the middle

Questions & Answers about A barátok a tér közepén szeretnek játszani.

Why is there an A before barátok?

In Hungarian, nouns are usually preceded by the definite article (a or az) if they refer to specific or previously mentioned objects/people. Even though in English you might not always say "The friends," in Hungarian it sounds more natural to use A with barátok when you are talking about a specific group of friends.

What does közepén mean, and why does it end with -én?

Közepén translates roughly to in the middle of or at the center of. The suffix -én or -n is the locative suffix (it often indicates location on or in something). In this word, it conveys the sense of "in the middle."

Why is the verb szeretnek used instead of another form?

Szeretnek is the third-person plural conjugation of szeret ("to like" or "to love"). Since the sentence is talking about barátok (friends - plural), you need the third-person plural form szeretnek. In Hungarian, you must match the verb’s number and person with the subject.

Does szeretnek játszani literally translate to "they love playing"?

Yes. In Hungarian, szeretnek játszani can be understood as they love to play or they like to play. Context and intonation can clarify whether it’s more like "enjoy" or "love."

Why is the word order A barátok a tér közepén szeretnek játszani instead of something else?

Hungarian word order is relatively flexible, but the standard focus here is on the location (a tér közepén). Placing a tér közepén directly after barátok signals that the main piece of new or important information is where they like to play. If you changed the word order, the emphasis might shift, but the meaning would be similar.