A barát a tengerhez akar menni.

the friend

Breakdown of A barát a tengerhez akar menni.

• tenger: the sea
• menni: to go
• akarni: to want
• -hez: to

Questions & Answers about A barát a tengerhez akar menni.

Why is the definite article A used before barát?

In Hungarian, you generally use A (or Az before a vowel sound) as a definite article when referring to a specific noun. Here, A barát indicates that we’re talking about a specific friend, not just any friend.

Why do we say a tengerhez instead of just a tenger when we mean "to the sea"?

Hungarian uses the suffix -hoz / -hez / -höz to express movement toward something (like “to” in English). Since tenger ends in a consonant, we use tenger + -hez = tengerhez to mean going toward the sea.

What is the function of akar in this sentence?

Akar means wants. It’s the conjugated form of the verb akarni (to want) in the third person singular. In this sentence, it indicates the friend’s desire or intention to go somewhere.

Why is menni in its infinitive form?

In Hungarian, when you have two verbs together where one expresses wanting/liking/needing (such as akar), the second verb typically stays in the infinitive. So to say wants to go, you use akar menni, with menni remaining in its infinitive form.

Does word order matter here, and can it change?

Hungarian word order is relatively flexible. Something like A barát akar menni a tengerhez is also possible, but the standard or more neutral phrasing is A barát a tengerhez akar menni. The position of akar before menni keeps the focus on the desire to go. Changing the order might slightly shift emphasis but doesn’t typically alter the basic meaning.