Breakdown of A barátnőm születésnapja hétfőn lesz.
lenni
to be
-m
my
hétfőn
on Monday
barátnő
the girlfriend
születésnap
the birthday
-ja
her
Questions & Answers about A barátnőm születésnapja hétfőn lesz.
What’s the function of A at the start of the sentence?
Hungarian uses definite articles a/az (like “the” in English) before any definite noun phrase. You choose A when the next word begins with a consonant. Here barátnőm születésnapja (“my girlfriend’s birthday”) is a specific thing, so it needs the definite article A.
Why does barátnőm end with -m?
-m is the 1st person singular possessive suffix, meaning “my.” You attach it to barátnő (“girlfriend/female friend”) to say “my girlfriend.”
Why does születésnapja end with -ja?
-ja (or -je after front vowels) is the 3rd person singular possessive suffix, meaning “his/her.” Because the birthday belongs to your girlfriend (a third person), you add -ja to születésnap (“birthday”) to get “her birthday.”
Why are there two possessive endings—one on barátnőm and another on születésnapja?
This is nested possession. First, barátnőm has -m because she is my girlfriend (1st-level possession). Then születésnap gets -ja because that birthday belongs to her (2nd-level possession). Together they form “my girlfriend’s birthday.”
What does hétfőn mean, and why the -n ending?
hétfőn means “on Monday.” In Hungarian you show “on [a day]” by adding the suffix -n to the weekday. So hétfő (Monday) becomes hétfőn (“on Monday”).
What is lesz, and could we use van instead?
lesz is the 3rd person singular future form of lenni (“to be”), so it means “will be.” You use lesz for true future events. van is present tense (“is”) and can sometimes imply a scheduled or very near-future event, but using lesz makes it unmistakably future.
Can we change the word order to “Hétfőn lesz a barátnőm születésnapja”?
Yes. Hungarian word order is flexible. Putting hétfőn at the front emphasizes when it happens. The overall meaning—“On Monday, my girlfriend’s birthday will be”—remains the same.
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Hungarian grammar?”
Hungarian grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning HungarianMaster Hungarian — from A barátnőm születésnapja hétfőn lesz to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions