Breakdown of A pincér, aki mellettünk áll, már hozza a számlát.
mi
we
állni
to stand
mellett
next to
pincér
the waiter
aki
who
már
already
hozni
to bring
számla
the bill
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Questions & Answers about A pincér, aki mellettünk áll, már hozza a számlát.
What does aki mean here, and why not ami or amely?
aki is the relative pronoun used for people (singular), meaning who/that.
- Use aki for humans: A pincér, aki…
- Use ami/amely for things: A számla, ami/amely…
- Plural for people: akik.
- amelyik = which one (selection from a set), usually for things.
Why are there commas around aki mellettünk áll?
Hungarian punctuation requires commas to separate a main clause and a relative clause. If the relative clause interrupts the main clause, it is bracketed by commas: A pincér, aki mellettünk áll, már hozza a számlát. This is not optional (unlike in some English cases).
Can I rewrite it with a participle instead of a full relative clause?
Yes: A mellettünk álló pincér már hozza a számlát.
This adjectival form (álló) is natural and a bit more compact. The meaning is essentially the same.
Why is it áll and not van in aki mellettünk áll?
Hungarian often uses posture verbs to describe location:
- áll = is standing, ül = is sitting, fekszik = is lying.
Van is possible in some locative statements, but here mellettünk van would sound neutral or odd; mellettünk áll specifies the posture and is idiomatic.
What exactly is mellettünk?
It’s the postposition mellett (beside/next to) plus a personal suffix for us: mellett + -ünk → mellettünk.
Forms with personal endings:
- mellettem (me), melletted (you sg), mellette (him/her), mellettünk (us), mellettetek (you pl), mellettük (them).
With nouns you don’t use the suffix: a pincér mellett (next to the waiter).
What’s the difference between mellettünk, mellénk, and mellől?
- mellettünk: static location (next to us).
- mellénk: movement to a position next to us (to next to us).
- mellől: movement away from a position next to us (from next to us).
Examples: A kutya mellénk ül. / A kutya mellől elugrik.
What does már add, and where can it go?
már means already/by now. Neutral placement is before the verb phrase: már hozza a számlát.
- A pincér már hozza a számlát = he is already bringing it.
- Már a számlát hozza puts a számlát in focus: he’s already at the stage of bringing the bill (as opposed to something else).
Contrast: még = still/not yet.
Why is it hozza and not hoz?
Because the object a számlát is definite. Hungarian has two verb conjugations:
- Indefinite object: hoz (He brings a bill = Egy számlát hoz.)
- Definite object: hozza (He brings the bill = A számlát hozza.)
Does the -t in számlát mark definiteness?
No. -t marks the accusative (direct object) case. Definiteness is shown by the article (a/az) or by the object being otherwise specific/known, and it triggers the verb’s definite conjugation (hozza). You can have egy számlát (indefinite) with -t as well.
Why is it számlát (with á) and not számlat?
For most nouns ending in -a/-e, the vowel lengthens to -á/-é before the accusative -t: számla → számlát, fa → fát, zene → zenét.
How can present tense mean “is bringing” in English?
Hungarian has no separate progressive form. The simple present often maps to English progressive when context implies an ongoing action: (már) hozza = is already bringing. To stress “right now,” you can add éppen: Éppen hozza a számlát.
What word orders are natural, and what do they emphasize?
- Neutral: A pincér, aki mellettünk áll, már hozza a számlát.
- Emphasizing the object stage: A pincér, aki mellettünk áll, már a számlát hozza.
- Strong object focus: Már a számlát hozza a pincér, aki mellettünk áll.
Keep the relative clause next to its head noun (pincér).
How would this look in the plural?
Everything that needs to agree goes plural:
A pincérek, akik mellettünk állnak, már hozzák a számlát.
- akik (plural who), állnak (they stand), hozzák (they bring, definite).
Why isn’t the pronoun ő used for “he/she”?
Hungarian is a pro‑drop language. The subject is clear from context and verb conjugation, so ő is usually omitted unless you need emphasis or contrast.
Any pronunciation tips for tricky bits?
- Stress is always on the first syllable.
- sz = English s; s (not in this sentence) would be English sh.
- hozza has a long zz sound (not zs): roughly HOZ-za.
- Long vowels: á as in “father,” prolonged; áll has long á and a geminate ll.
Why a számlát and not az számlát?
Use a before words starting with a consonant sound and az before a vowel sound. sz is a consonant, so a számlát. For a vowel-initial noun: az almát (the apple, acc.).