Vacsora után a diák sétál a parkban.

the student

Breakdown of Vacsora után a diák sétál a parkban.

• vacsora: the dinner
• -ban: in
• sétálni: to walk
• park: the park
• után: after

Questions & Answers about Vacsora után a diák sétál a parkban.

What does the phrase Vacsora után mean, and why is it placed at the beginning of the sentence?

Vacsora után translates as "after dinner". It is a temporal adverbial phrase that sets the time context for the rest of the sentence. In Hungarian, word order is quite flexible due to the rich case system, so placing time expressions at the beginning is common to emphasize when the action takes place.

How is location expressed in a parkban, and what role does the suffix -ban play?

a parkban means "in the park". The suffix -ban is added to the noun park to indicate the inessive case (i.e., location inside or within something). The definite article a is used with parkban to specify that we are referring to a particular park.

Why is there a definite article a before diák, and is it necessary in Hungarian?

Yes, the definite article a is necessary here because Hungarian typically uses articles with singular countable nouns when referring to a specific entity. In this sentence, a diák means "the student", implying we have a particular student in mind. Unlike English, Hungarian makes a clear distinction between definite and indefinite references, and the article helps clarify that.

What tense and person is the verb sétál in, and how does it agree with the subject?

The verb sétál is in the present tense and is conjugated in the third person singular form. It agrees with the subject a diák (meaning "the student"). Hungarian verbs typically do not require auxiliary verbs for expressing continuous actions in the present; the simple form is used instead.

How does Hungarian indicate relationships like time and location differently from English in this sentence?

Hungarian uses suffixes and postpositions attached directly to nouns rather than separate prepositions. For example, után follows vacsora to express the time relationship "after dinner", and -ban is attached to park to indicate location "in the park". This system contrasts with English, which relies on separate prepositions (such as after and in) to express these relationships.