Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Hungarian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Szünetben iszom vizet.
What case does szünetben use and what does it express?
It uses the inessive case (-ben), expressing in or during. So szünetben = during break.
Why is there no article before szünetben?
Hungarian omits the article for many time adverbials in the inessive case. Therefore you say szünetben instead of a szünetben.
What does the -t in vizet mark?
-t is the accusative case marker indicating a direct object. So víz + -t = vizet (water as object).
Why is there an extra e in vizet instead of vízt?
Hungarian inserts a linking vowel to avoid awkward consonant clusters. After víz, the vowel e appears before -t, yielding vizet.
What does the -m ending on iszom indicate?
It marks first-person singular present tense. Thus iszom = I drink.
Why is the verb in the indefinite conjugation here?
Because the object vizet is indefinite (not specific), Hungarian uses the indefinite verb form iszom. A definite object would trigger the definite conjugation.
Is the word order fixed as Szünetben iszom vizet?
No. Hungarian has flexible word order. You could say Vizet iszom szünetben or Iszom vizet szünetben to shift emphasis.
Can I add a before vizet, making szünetben iszom a vizet?
Yes, that is grammatically correct but it shifts the meaning to I drink the water during break (implying a specific water), instead of I drink water during break in general.
What about szünet alatt iszom vizet?
This is also correct. Here alatt is a postposition meaning during, so szünet alatt functions like szünetben. Thus szünet alatt iszom vizet = I drink water during break.
Can I use szünet közben iszom vizet instead of szünetben?
Yes. közben means while, so szünet közben iszom vizet = I drink water while on break. It is a slightly more explicit way to say the same thing.