Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Hungarian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Munkahelyen csend van.
What does Munkahelyen mean, and how is the ‑en suffix work?
Munkahely means workplace or office. The -en ending is the superessive locative case marker (‘at/on’), so munkahelyen literally means at the workplace and functions like the adverb at work.
Why is there no article before munkahelyen?
When you use a noun+locative suffix as a general adverbial expression (‘at work’), Hungarian normally omits the article—just like otthon (at home) or iskolában (at school). If you wanted to refer to a specific workplace, you’d include the article: a munkahelyen….
What kind of noun is csend, and what does it mean?
Csend is a mass (uncountable) noun meaning silence. Because it’s uncountable, you don’t use an indefinite article (you wouldn’t say egy csend).
Why doesn’t csend take an article in this sentence?
In Hungarian existential sentences (‘there is X’) mass or abstract nouns appear without an article. The basic pattern is simply X van for ‘there is X’.
What is the role of van here?
Van is the 3rd person singular present of lenni (to be), used as an existential verb meaning there is. Thus csend van = there is silence.
Could the word order be different?
Yes. Hungarian has flexible word order. You can also say Csend van a munkahelyen or A munkahelyen csend van. The element in first position is the topic or emphasis, and in existential constructions the verb often comes at the end.
Is it okay to start the sentence with a locative adverb like munkahelyen?
Absolutely. Starting with munkahelyen simply sets the scene (‘At the workplace…’). Hungarian frequently places the topic first, even if it’s an adverbial phrase.
How would you express the negative form?
Use nincs (‘there isn’t’).
– There is no silence at the workplace: Munkahelyen nincs csend.
– To say there is noise instead: Munkahelyen zaj van.