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Questions & Answers about A diák diétázni akar.
Why does diétázni end in -ni instead of being conjugated?
Because diétázni is the infinitive form of the verb “to diet.” In Hungarian, the infinitive always takes the suffix -ni (or -ani/-eni), and when paired with a modal verb like akar, you use the bare infinitive rather than a conjugated form.
Why isn’t there a conjunction like hogy (“that”) between diétázni and akar?
Hungarian modal verbs (e.g. akar, tud, kell) directly take an infinitive without any extra particle or conjunction. You simply say akar + infinitive, not akar hogy + verb.
What case is diák in, and why does it have no suffix?
Diák is in the nominative case, serving as the subject of the sentence. In Hungarian, the nominative singular of most nouns is unmarked (no suffix), so diák by itself means “a student” as the subject.
How do we know akar refers to the third person singular “wants”?
Hungarian verbs take personal endings. The present-tense conjugation of akar is:
akarok (I want)
akarsz (you want)
akar (he/she/it wants)
akarunk (we want)
…etc.
Since we see akar with no ending, it’s the 3rd person singular form.
Could we say A diák diétáz instead? What would that mean?
Yes.
- A diák diétáz means “The student is dieting” (simple present).
- A diák diétázni akar means “The student wants to go on a diet.” The first stresses the ongoing action; the second stresses desire.
Can we change the word order? For instance, Diák akar diétázni?
Absolutely. Hungarian has flexible word order for emphasis.
- A diák diétázni akar. (Neutral or focus on the desire.)
- Diák akar diétázni. (Emphasizes which student or highlights “it is a student who wants to diet.”)
Why isn’t there a case marker on diétázni, since it’s the object of akar?
Infinitives in Hungarian never take case endings. Even though diétázni functions as the object of the modal verb akar, it remains in the uninflected infinitive form. You only mark case on nouns or finite verb forms when required.