A macska az asztal alatt ül.

The cat is sitting under the table.

Breakdown of A macska az asztal alatt ül.

• macska: the cat
• ülni: to sit
• asztal: the table
• alatt: under

Questions & Answers about A macska az asztal alatt ül.

Why is a used with macska and az used with asztal?

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article: a and az. They both mean the, but a is used before words that begin with a consonant (like macska), and az is used before words that begin with a vowel (like asztal).

What does alatt mean?

Alatt can be understood as under in English. It indicates position beneath something, so az asztal alatt means (underneath) the table.

Why does the verb ül come at the end of the sentence?

Hungarian word order is quite flexible compared to English. A typical way to form a simple statement is to put the subject (a macska), then any location or other details (az asztal alatt), and finish with the verb (ül). Although you can rearrange these parts, this arrangement is very common and natural.

Is there a difference between using ül and simply saying van?

Yes. Ül specifically means to sit or is sitting. If you say A macska az asztal alatt van, you’d be saying The cat is under the table in a more general sense (emphasizing its location). By saying A macska az asztal alatt ül, you highlight that it is specifically sitting there.

Can I say Az asztal alatt ül a macska instead?

Yes, Hungarian allows reordering to shift emphasis. Az asztal alatt ül a macska emphasizes the under-the-table part first. However, both sentences are grammatically correct and convey very similar meanings.