Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A kávézó hamarosan bezár, most menjünk!

A is the definite article “the.” Hungarian uses a before words that start with a consonant (e.g., a kávézó), and az before words that start with a vowel (e.g., az étterem). It’s purely phonetic, not grammatical gender.

Why is the present tense bezár used to talk about the near future?

Hungarian often uses the present tense for scheduled or near-future events when a time adverb gives the future meaning. Here hamarosan (“soon”) supplies the future sense, so A kávézó hamarosan bezár naturally means “The café will close soon.” You can also say be fog zárni (“will close”), but that’s heavier and not needed here.

What’s the difference between zár, bezár, and phrases like zárva van?

bezár: “to close (up),” often used for a business closing (intransitive: A bolt bezár “The shop closes”) or transitive with an object (bezárja az ajtót “closes the door”).
zár: “to close/lock.” For shops, you’ll also hear A bolt (hamarosan) zár; it’s common and colloquial.
zárva van: “is closed” (state). A bolt zárva van = “The shop is closed.”
To say “close down permanently,” add végleg: végleg bezár.

Why is it bezár (prefix attached) and not zár be (prefix split) here?

In neutral statements, the verbal prefix usually stays attached to the verb: bezár. It splits off when something is focused, in negation, or in certain question structures:

Focus: Most zár be a kávézó (“It’s now that the café is closing.”)
Negation: A kávézó nem zár be.
Question: Mikor zár be a kávézó? With the future auxiliary, the prefix goes before the infinitive: be fog zárni.

Why is the word order A kávézó hamarosan bezár? Could I say Hamarosan bezár a kávézó?

Both are correct:

A kávézó hamarosan bezár: topic (“the café”) first, then the comment about it. Neutral, very natural.
Hamarosan bezár a kávézó: puts extra emphasis on “soon”/the event of closing. Avoid placing the time adverb after the verb in neutral style: A kávézó bezár hamarosan sounds marked or unnatural.

What does hamarosan mean, and what are good synonyms?

hamarosan = “soon.” Common alternatives:

nemsokára = soon (neutral)
mindjárt = in a moment, very soon
rövidesen = soon (a bit formal) For “right away,” use rögtön or máris.

What does menjünk mean exactly, and how is it formed?

menjünk is the 1st person plural imperative/jussive: “let’s go.” It’s formed with the imperative marker -j- plus the 1PL ending -unk/‑ünk. Because menni (“to go”) is irregular, the imperative stem is menj- + -ünk → menjünk. Vowel harmony makes it -jünk here (front vowels: e, ö, ü).

Why isn’t it megyünk if I want to say “let’s go”?

megyünk is indicative (“we are going / we go,” a statement). To make a suggestion/command (“let’s go”), Hungarian uses the imperative/jussive: menjünk. Compare:

Most megyünk. = “We are going now.” (statement)
Most menjünk! = “Let’s go now!” (proposal/urge)

Can I say menjünk most instead of most menjünk?

Yes. The difference is nuance:

Most menjünk! puts focus on “now” (as opposed to later) because the focused element sits immediately before the verb in Hungarian.
Menjünk most! is more neutral or afterthought-like. Both are acceptable.

How do I make it negative, like “Let’s not go (now)”?

Use ne + imperative:

Ne menjünk (most)! = “Let’s not go (now).”
With a particle: Ne menjünk el! = “Let’s not leave.”

What’s the difference between menjünk, menjünk el, gyerünk, and induljunk?

menjünk: “let’s go” (move/go somewhere).
menjünk el: “let’s leave / let’s go away (from here).” The particle el adds “away/leave.”
gyerünk!: “come on!” / “let’s go!” (urging, informal, not tied to actual motion direction).
induljunk: “let’s set off / depart” (starting a journey).

Why is there a comma between the two parts? Would a conjunction be better?

Hungarian often links closely related clauses with a comma, especially when the second is an imperative reacting to the first. You could also use a conjunction:

A kávézó hamarosan bezár, úgyhogy most menjünk! (“…so let’s go now!”)
…ezért… (“therefore…”) is more formal. A dash is also stylistically common: …, – most menjünk!

How do I pronounce the sentence? Any traps?

Primary stress is on the first syllable of each word: A KÁ-vé-zó ha-ma-RO-san be-ZÁR, most MEN-jünk.
Vowel length matters: á, é, ó, ü are long.
Hungarian s is “sh” (English “shoe”): hamarosan = “ha-ma-ro-shan.”
j is a “y” sound; nj in menjünk coalesces to a “ny” sound: roughly “MEN-nyünk.”

Why is it A kávézó and not something like a case-marked form?

Here kávézó is the subject in basic (nominative) form. No case is needed because it’s not an object or showing location/direction. If you changed the role, you’d add case suffixes (e.g., a kávézóban = “in the café,” a kávézóhoz = “to the café”).

How would I emphasize urgency, like “Let’s go already!”?

Add már or most már:

Menjünk már!
Most már menjünk! These can sound impatient, depending on tone.

Could I say the future with fog here? How would the prefix work?

Yes: A kávézó hamarosan be fog zárni. With fog + infinitive, the verbal prefix stays before the infinitive: be fog zárni (not “fog bezárni”).