Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A diák erős.

A is the definite article equivalent to the. Diák means student, and erős means strong. Thus, the sentence translates as The student is strong. Notice that Hungarian omits the verb to be in the present tense.

Why is there no verb equivalent to is in the Hungarian sentence?

Hungarian typically drops the present tense form of to be when it functions as a linking verb. Instead of saying The student is strong, Hungarian directly juxtaposes the subject A diák with the predicate adjective erős to express that quality.

Does the noun diák indicate the student's gender, or is it gender-neutral?

Hungarian nouns are generally gender-neutral. The word diák refers to a student regardless of gender, so no inherent gender is attached to it.

How is the adjective erős used in this sentence, and does it change form to agree with the noun?

In A diák erős, erős is used predicatively to describe the subject. Hungarian adjectives do not inflect for gender or number, so erős remains in its base form regardless of the noun it describes.

What role does the definite article A play in this sentence?

The article A indicates definiteness, much like the in English. It tells us that a specific student is being discussed. Hungarian articles remain simple and do not change based on gender or case in such contexts.

How would you turn this sentence into an attributive noun phrase, like a strong student in English?

To form an attributive phrase, you would place the adjective before the noun. For example, egy erős diák means a strong student, where egy is the indefinite article corresponding to a/an in English and erős directly modifies diák.