Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A barátnőm is egy csésze kávét szokott kérni cukor nélkül. - My girlfriend also usually asks for a cup of coffee without sugar.

“Is” means “also/too/even,” and it always attaches to the word or phrase immediately before it. Here, A barátnőm is means “my girlfriend too.” The particle is highlighting that the girlfriend is included in a set of people who do this.

Can “is” be attached to other parts of the sentence? How does the meaning change?

Yes. “Is” modifies whatever it directly follows, so moving it changes what is being included.

A barátnőm is egy csésze kávét szokott kérni cukor nélkül. = My girlfriend, too, usually orders a cup of coffee without sugar.
A barátnőm egy csésze kávét is szokott kérni cukor nélkül. = She also usually orders a cup of coffee (in addition to something else).
A barátnőm cukor nélkül is szokott egy csésze kávét kérni. = She also orders it without sugar (e.g., besides other ways, or even without sugar).
A barátnőm egy csésze kávét szokott kérni is. is not natural. “Is” doesn’t comfortably attach after the verb like that.

Why is there an article before a possessed noun: “A barátnőm” rather than just “Barátnőm”?

Hungarian normally uses the definite article “a/az” with possessed nouns when they function as subject or object: A barátnőm = “my girlfriend.” You typically drop the article in predicative or appositive roles (e.g., “Barátnőm mérnök.” = “My girlfriend is an engineer.”), but not here.

Does “barátnőm” always mean romantic “girlfriend,” or can it be just “female friend”?

It’s ambiguous and depends on context. In everyday speech, barátnőm often implies “girlfriend” (romantic partner), but it can also simply mean “my female friend.” If you want to be clearly romantic, many people say a párom (“my partner”). For a non-romantic friend, context or adding details helps.

Why “szokott kérni” instead of just “kér”?

Szokott + infinitive expresses a habitual action: “usually/tends to.” So szokott kérni = “usually orders.” Plain kér is a straightforward present: “orders/asks for” (one-time, in-the-moment or generic).

Is “szokott” present or past? Doesn’t the -tt look like a past ending?

Good eye. Historically -tt marks past, but with this verb it’s special: in the “habitual” construction, szokott + infinitive is present and means “usually does.” It can also be past habitual if you add a past-time adverb:

Present habitual: Reggelente kávét szokott inni. = He/She usually drinks coffee in the mornings.
Past habitual: Régen kávét szokott inni. = He/She used to drink coffee.
Note: szokik exists too but means “to get/become used to” (e.g., Hamar szokik az új helyhez. = “He quickly gets used to the new place.”), not the habitual “usually does” sense.

Could I say “A barátnőm is szokik kérni …”?

No. In the habitual “usually does” meaning, we use szokott + infinitive, not “szokik.” Use: A barátnőm is szokott kérni …

Why is “egy csésze kávét” placed before “szokott kérni”? Is that word order required?

Hungarian places the main focus right before the finite verb. Here the focus is on the quantity/type: egy csésze kávét (a cup of coffee), so it appears immediately before szokott.
Alternative orders are possible:

A barátnőm is szokott kérni egy csésze kávét cukor nélkül. (more neutral, less focus on the object)
A barátnőm is egy csésze kávét szokott kérni cukor nélkül. (focus on “a cup of coffee”) Both are grammatical; the given sentence emphasizes what she orders.

Why is the accusative -t on “kávét” and not on “csészét”?

In measure/quantity constructions, the case suffix goes on the measured noun, not on the measure word:

egy csésze kávé = a cup of coffee
Accusative for the whole phrase: egy csésze kávét
More examples: egy pohár vizet (a glass of water), két kiló almát (two kilos of apples).

Do we have to say “egy” here? What changes if we drop it?

Egy csésze kávét clearly means “a/one cup of coffee.”
If you drop “egy” and say csésze kávét, it sounds odd in standard speech.
Without the measure word, kávét alone is “coffee (some coffee),” which is grammatical but, in ordering contexts, Hungarians usually specify egy kávét (“a coffee”) rather than just kávét.

Why is the verb in the third person used with an infinitive—how do the persons work with “szokott + infinitive”?

“Szok-” is the finite verb; the action verb is infinitive. Conjugation in present habitual:

Én: szoktam kérni
Te: szoktál kérni
Ő: szokott kérni
Mi: szoktunk kérni
Ti: szoktatok kérni
Ők: szoktak kérni

If the object is definite, do we use “szokta” instead of “szokott”?

Yes. With a definite object, speakers commonly use the definite conjugation:

Indefinite object: A barátnőm szokott kérni egy cappuccinót.
Definite object: A barátnőm szokta kérni a cappuccinót. (“She usually orders the cappuccino.”)

Could “cukor nélkül” be placed elsewhere?

Yes; adverbials are mobile. Some natural options:

A barátnőm is egy csésze kávét szokott kérni cukor nélkül. (neutral/end-position)
A barátnőm is cukor nélkül szokott egy csésze kávét kérni. (slight emphasis on “without sugar”)
Cukor nélkül szokott a barátnőm is egy csésze kávét kérni. (stronger focus on “without sugar”)

Is “cukor nélkül” the only way to say “without sugar”? What’s the “with sugar” counterpart?

“Without sugar” is expressed with the postposition nélkül: cukor nélkül.
“With sugar” uses the comitative-instrumental suffix: cukorral (note the assimilation: -val/-vel → -ral/-rel after r).

cukor nélkül ↔ cukorral

Is “egy csésze kávét” the most natural way to say this when ordering?

It’s fine and clear. In cafés, many people simply say Egy kávét kérek (“A coffee, please”) or add detail: Egy presszókávét kérek cukor nélkül. Your sentence is a general statement about a habit, so egy csésze kávét is perfectly acceptable.

Any spelling or accent tips for the words here?

barátnőm has long á and long ő.
kávét has long á.
Accents are phonemic in Hungarian; missing them can change pronunciation and occasionally meaning, so include them.