Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A kávé tej nélkül is jó, ami nekem tetszik. - The coffee is good even without milk, which I like.

Both are possible depending on context. After tej nélkül, it most naturally reads as “even” (“good even without milk”), but it can also be understood as “too/as well” (“good without milk, too”). If you want to make “even” explicit, you can add még: még tej nélkül is jó.

Can I put is somewhere else, and how does the meaning change?

Yes; is attaches to the word/phrase immediately before it and adds “also/even” to that element:

A kávé is tej nélkül jó. = “Coffee, too, is good without milk” (maybe other drinks are also good without milk).
A kávé tej nélkül is jó. = “The coffee is good even/also without milk” (focus on the “without milk” part).
A kávé jó is. = “It’s good, too” (usually after mentioning another property, e.g., “It’s cheap, and it’s good, too.”)

To say “both with and without milk,” use a paired is … is: A kávé tejjel is, tej nélkül is jó.

Why does it say A kávé with the definite article? Isn’t it generic?

Hungarian often uses the definite article with generic statements about a class or mass noun. A kávé jó = “Coffee is good (in general).” Using bare kávé would more likely refer to “some coffee” in a specific context.

How does tej nélkül work? Why is the “without” word after the noun?

Nélkül is a postposition, so it follows its complement: valami nélkül (“without something”). Examples:

tej nélkül = “without milk”
cukor nélkül = “without sugar” With pronouns, nélkül takes a suffix: nélkülem (without me), nélküled, nélküle, nélkülünk, etc. You can also expand the noun phrase: a tehéntej nélkül, a reggeli tej nélkül.

Could I say tejmentes instead of tej nélkül?

Different nuance:

tej nélkül = “without adding milk” (describes how you consume/prepare the coffee).
tejmentes = “milk-free/dairy-free” (an inherent property of a product: e.g., a cake with no dairy ingredients: tejmentes süti).
For coffee, which doesn’t inherently contain milk, tej nélkül is the natural choice.

Why is there a comma before ami?

Because it introduces a non-restrictive relative clause commenting on the whole preceding statement. In Hungarian, such clauses are set off by a comma: …, ami nekem tetszik.

Does ami refer to “the coffee” or to the whole preceding clause?

Here it refers to the entire preceding proposition (A kávé tej nélkül is jó), i.e., “which (fact) I like.” That’s why the comma is there. If you wanted it to modify just “the coffee,” you’d typically structure it as: A kávé, ami tej nélkül is jó, nekem tetszik.

Why ami and not amely or amit?

ami is the default “which/that,” and it’s the pronoun used when referring to a whole clause or idea, as here.
amely is more formal/literary and normally refers to a specific noun phrase, not a whole clause.
amit is the accusative form (“which/that” as an object). Here the relative pronoun is the subject of tetszik, so nominative ami is correct. Compare:
- … ami nekem tetszik = “…which (subject) pleases me”
- … amit szeretek = “…which (object) I like”

How does nekem tetszik work grammatically?

Hungarian expresses the “experiencer” in the dative:

nekem = “to me” (dative)
tetszik = “pleases” (3rd person singular) Literally, “which pleases to me.” The thing that pleases is the subject, so singular tetszik is used. With a plural subject, use tetszenek: Ezek nekem tetszenek.

Can I just use szeretem or ízlik instead of tetszik?

They’re close but not identical:

tetszik = “pleases me / I find it appealing” (aesthetic or general positive reaction; can refer to ideas/facts).
szeretem = “I like/love (something)” and needs a direct object: Szeretem a kávét.
ízlik = “tastes good (to me)” and is for food/drink with a dative experiencer: Nekem ízlik a kávé. In this sentence, ami nekem tetszik neatly refers to the fact mentioned earlier. You could also say: … és ez nekem tetszik.

Can I omit or move nekem?

Omit: … ami tetszik. Grammatically fine but vague (tetszik to whom?).
Position: Both … ami nekem tetszik and … ami tetszik nekem are common. Preverbal nekem is neutral; moving it can add emphasis or rhythm. Focused emphasis: Nekem tetszik (másnak nem).

Why jó and not jól?

jó is an adjective and serves as a predicate for the noun: A kávé … jó (“The coffee is good”). jól is an adverb and modifies verbs: Jól esik a kávé (“The coffee feels good”), Jól főzöl (“You cook well”).

How do I say “with milk,” and why is it tejjel and not “tejvel”?

The instrumental-comitative suffix -val/-vel assimilates to the noun’s final consonant, doubling it and dropping the v. So:

tej + -vel → tejjel (“with milk”)
kéz + -vel → kézzel (“with a hand”) You can say: A kávé tejjel is jó.

How would I say “It’s good both with and without milk”?

Use paired is … is on the contrasted phrases:

A kávé tejjel is, tej nélkül is jó.