Learn Hardcore Hungarian: Te mikor szoktál kávét inni, reggel vagy este? - When do you usually drink coffee, in the morning or in the evening?

Hungarian normally drops subject pronouns, so you could say simply: Mikor szoktál kávét inni, reggel vagy este?
Placing Te at the start adds contrast/emphasis: “And you, when do you usually drink coffee…?” It signals that the speaker is asking specifically about you, often after discussing someone else’s habit.

Why use szoktál instead of just iszol?

szoktál + infinitive expresses a habitual action: “you usually/are in the habit of [doing something].”
iszol is the plain present “you drink.” It can mean “you drink (now)” or “you drink (in general),” but it doesn’t highlight the idea of an established habit as clearly.
So Mikor szoktál kávét inni…? is “When do you usually drink coffee…?”

How does the construction with szokni work?

Pattern: szok- + personal ending + infinitive
Examples:
- Szoktam korán kelni. = I usually get up early.
- Szoktál kávét inni? = Do you usually drink coffee?
- Nem szoktam édességet enni. = I don’t usually eat sweets.
Present (indefinite) forms commonly used in this sense: szoktam, szoktál, szokott, szoktunk, szoktatok, szoktak.

What exactly is szoktál morphologically?

It’s the 2nd person singular present (indefinite) of szokni in its “habit” meaning. This verb is irregular in that it uses a stem with -t- for this sense: szoktam, szoktál, szokott, etc. (Contrast this with uses of szokik in the “get used to” sense.)

Why is it kávé with a -t: kávét?

The -t is the accusative marker for a direct object. Since kávé is the thing being drunk, it becomes kávét in object position: kávét inni = “to drink coffee.”

Why is there no article (no egy or a) before kávét?

With mass/uncountable nouns used in a general sense, Hungarian typically uses the bare noun in the accusative: kávét inni = “to drink coffee (some coffee, coffee in general).”
If you say egy kávét, it means “a coffee (one coffee/a cup of coffee).”
A kávét would be “the coffee,” referring to a specific, known coffee.

Is the order kávét inni fixed? Could I say inni kávét?

Both are possible. The neutral, most common order is object + infinitive: kávét inni. You can also say inni kávét, especially for rhythm or emphasis, but the original order will sound more natural in most contexts.

What’s the difference between mikor, hánykor, and hány órakor?

mikor = “when” (general).
hánykor = “at what time (o’clock).”
hány órakor = “at what hour/time.”
Your sentence asks broadly “when” (which part of the day), so mikor fits. If you needed an exact clock time, you’d use hánykor or hány órakor.

Why are reggel and este bare forms without suffixes like -kor?

Reggel and este function as adverbs meaning “(in the) morning” and “(in the) evening.” They don’t take -kor unless you specify a clock time (e.g., hétkor = “at seven”). For habitual emphasis you can also say reggelente (“in the mornings”) and esténként (“in the evenings”).

Is the comma before reggel vagy este required?

It’s optional and reflects spoken intonation: the speaker asks a general question, then offers the two choices. You could also write it without the comma or as two sentences:

Te mikor szoktál kávét inni? Reggel vagy este?

Could I say Mikor iszol kávét, reggel vagy este? What changes?

Yes, it’s grammatical. Iszol asks about drinking without explicitly highlighting habit. In everyday speech, it can still imply habit, but szoktál makes the habitual meaning explicit and is the more precise choice for “usually.”

Does the presence of kávét affect the conjugation of szokni (definite vs. indefinite)?

Here kávét is an indefinite object of the infinitive inni, so the finite verb takes the indefinite form: szoktál.
If the object were definite (e.g., a kávét, “the coffee”), Hungarian often uses the definite conjugation on the finite verb:

Szoktad inni a kávét? (natural)
Word order alternatives like A kávét szoktad inni? are also common.

Is there any risk in dropping kávét and asking Mikor szoktál inni??

Be careful: inni alone often implies “to drink alcohol.” Mikor szoktál inni? can be understood as “When do you usually drink (alcohol)?” Keeping kávét avoids that ambiguity.

How would I make this formal/polite?

Use Ön and 3rd-person forms:

Ön mikor szokott kávét inni, reggel vagy este?
You can also drop Ön and keep the verb in 3rd person; the formality is understood from context.

How do I answer naturally?

Short answers are fine:

Reggel. / Este.
Fuller answers:
Reggel szoktam kávét inni.
Este szoktam kávét inni.
Both/either:
Reggel is, este is szoktam kávét inni.
Neither:
Sem reggel, sem este nem szoktam kávét inni.

Can I move te after the question word, like Mikor szoktál te kávét inni?

Yes. Te can appear before or after mikor.

Te mikor… = “And you, when…?” (topic first, then the wh-word)
Mikor szoktál te… puts a bit more emphasis on te right before the verb phrase. Both are natural with slightly different nuances.

What’s the difference between mikor and amikor?

mikor is an interrogative adverb used in direct questions: Mikor szoktál…?
amikor is a subordinating conjunction meaning “when” in a clause: Amikor fáradt vagyok, kávét szoktam inni. = “When I’m tired, I usually drink coffee.”

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

Stress is always on the first syllable of each word: TE MI-kor SZOK-tál KÁ-vét IN-ni, REG-gel vagy ES-te?
sz is like English “s” (Hungarian s is “sh”).
Long vowels matter: á and é are long; keep them clearly longer than a/e.