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Questions & Answers about A diák a sétányon sétál.
Why is there a definite article a before both diák and sétányon?
Hungarian uses a definite article (equivalent to English the) before all common nouns, regardless of case. Since diák is the subject and sétányon is a locative noun phrase, each one takes its own article a.
Why is a used instead of az?
Hungarian has two forms of the definite article: a appears before words that start with a consonant sound, az before vowel-initial words. Both diák (starts with d) and sétányon (starts with s) begin with consonants, so they take a.
What does the suffix -on in sétányon mean?
The ending -on is the superessive (locative) case suffix, meaning on or upon. It turns sétány (“promenade, walkway”) into sétányon (“on the promenade”).
Why is the suffix -on in its back-vowel form and not -en or -ön?
Hungarian vowel harmony dictates that if a word contains any back vowel (like á in sétány), you use the back-vowel version of a suffix. Hence -on rather than the front-vowel variants -en or -ön.
Why doesn’t diák change its ending even though it’s the subject?
The nominative (subject) case in Hungarian is unmarked—no suffix is needed. Only non-nominative roles (objects, locations, etc.) get case endings.
How is the verb sétál conjugated here?
This is third-person singular present tense. Most Hungarian verbs in 3rd person singular take no visible ending (zero ending), so the dictionary form sétál stays the same.
Could the word order be different, for example A diák sétál a sétányon?
Yes. Hungarian has relatively free word order. Both A diák a sétányon sétál and A diák sétál a sétányon are correct. Changing order can shift emphasis or focus but the basic meaning remains.
How do I pronounce sétányon?
Break it into syllables: sé-tá-nyon.
- é and á are long vowels ([eː], [aː]).
- ny represents the palatal nasal [ɲ], similar to the Spanish ñ.
What is the technical name of the -on case in sétányon?
The -on suffix marks the superessive case, which expresses location on or upon something.
Does Hungarian mark definiteness on the verb sétál?
Hungarian distinguishes definite vs. indefinite conjugation only when there’s a direct object. sétál is intransitive here (no object), so it uses the indefinite (zero) pattern.