A tenger hideg, pedig a barát a tengerhez akar menni.

to be

Breakdown of A tenger hideg, pedig a barát a tengerhez akar menni.

• barát: the friend
• tenger: the sea
• menni: to go
• hideg: cold
• akarni: to want
• -hez: to
• pedig: however

Questions & Answers about A tenger hideg, pedig a barát a tengerhez akar menni.

Why doesn’t the first clause include a word equivalent to “is” (the copula) in “A tenger hideg”?

In Hungarian, the copula “van” (meaning “is”) is commonly omitted in factual, descriptive sentences. The adjective hideg directly follows the subject A tenger (“The sea”), and this construction is entirely acceptable and natural in Hungarian.

What does the word pedig mean in this sentence, and why is it used?

Pedig translates roughly as “yet” or “but” in English. It functions as a contrasting conjunction here, linking the two clauses to highlight the unexpected situation: although “the sea is cold,” the friend still wants to go to it.

Why is the suffix -hez added to tenger in tengerhez, and what does it indicate?

The suffix -hez is used to mark direction or destination in Hungarian. It tells us that the action is directed toward the sea, much like the English preposition “to.” The choice of -hez (as opposed to, for example, -hoz or -höz) follows Hungarian vowel harmony rules based on the vowels present in tenger.

Why is the noun barát preceded by the definite article a in a barát a tengerhez akar menni?

Hungarian uses the definite article a to refer to a specific, known entity. In this sentence, a barát (“the friend”) signals that a particular friend—presumably already known within the context—is being discussed. Omitting the article would suggest a more general or indefinite reference.

Why is there a comma before pedig in the sentence?

Just as in English, commas in Hungarian are used to separate independent clauses, especially when a contrasting conjunction like pedig is involved. The comma sets off the contrasting part of the sentence, clearly linking the opposing ideas that “the sea is cold” and “the friend wants to go to it.”