A pincér kávét hoz, a pincérnő vizet hoz.

The waiter brings coffee, the waitress brings water.

Breakdown of A pincér kávét hoz, a pincérnő vizet hoz.

• víz: the water
• pincér: the waiter
• pincérnő: the waitress
• hozni: to bring
• kávé: the coffee

Questions & Answers about A pincér kávét hoz, a pincérnő vizet hoz.

Why is there an A before both nouns?

It’s the definite article meaning “the.” Hungarian uses two forms:

• a before a consonant-initial word (e.g., a pincér, a pincérnő)
• az before a vowel-initial word (e.g., az orvos “the doctor”)

If you wanted “a waiter,” you’d use the indefinite article egy: Egy pincér kávét hoz.

Why is there no article in front of kávét and vizet?

Because they’re indefinite objects (“some coffee,” “some water”). Hungarian typically omits the article for non-specific or mass nouns as direct objects. If you mean specific drinks (the coffee/the water), you include the article and switch the verb to definite conjugation: a kávét hozza, a vizet hozza.

What does the -t at the end of kávét and vizet do?

It marks the accusative (direct object) case. Examples from the sentence:

• kávé → kávét (“coffee” → “coffee” as a direct object)
• víz → vizet (“water” → “water” as a direct object; note the linking vowel -e-)

Many nouns add a linking vowel before -t; with víz, the long í shortens and you get vizet.

Why is the verb hoz and not hozza?

Hungarian verbs have two 3rd-person conjugations:

• Indefinite (used with no object or an indefinite object): hoz (“brings”)
• Definite (used with a definite/specific object): hozza (“brings it/the [specific] thing”)

So:

• A pincér kávét hoz. “The waiter brings coffee.” (indefinite)
• A pincér a kávét hozza. “The waiter brings the coffee.” (definite)

Can I change the word order, like A pincér hoz kávét?

Yes, but word order affects emphasis:

• Neutral: A pincér kávét hoz. (topic: “the waiter”; comment: “brings coffee”)
• Focus on what is brought: Kávét hoz a pincér. (“It’s coffee that the waiter brings.”)
• A pincér hoz kávét is possible but less neutral; it can sound like you’re introducing the verb phrase “is bringing” and then adding new information “coffee.”

Hungarian places the focused element immediately before the verb.

Is the comma between the two clauses correct? Could I use “and”?

Yes. Hungarian commonly separates coordinated main clauses with a comma. You could also write:

• A pincér kávét hoz, és a pincérnő vizet hoz.
• A pincér kávét hoz, a pincérnő pedig vizet (hoz).
  Pedig adds a mild “whereas/as for” contrast, and you can omit the repeated verb in the second clause with pedig.

What’s the difference between pincér and pincérnő? Is there a gender-neutral term?

• pincér = waiter (traditionally male)
• pincérnő = waitress (female; -nő means “female”) A common gender-neutral term is felszolgáló (“server”).

How do I pronounce the sentence? Any tips?

• Hungarian stress is always on the first syllable: A PIN-cér KÁ-vét HOZ, a PIN-cér-nő VI-zet HOZ.
• Vowel length matters: á, é, í, ó, ő, ú, ű are long.
  
  • á like a longer “a” in “father”
  • é like a long “ay” in “say”
  • ő is a long front rounded vowel (like French “eu” in “peu”)
• Note the difference: víz (long í) but vizet (short i).

What’s the difference between hoz and visz?

• hoz = bring (movement toward the speaker or a reference point)
• visz = take (movement away from the speaker/reference point) So: A pincér kávét hoz (brings it here) vs A pincér kávét visz (takes it away).

Does the present tense here mean “is bringing,” “brings,” or “will bring”?

All are possible from context. Hungarian has a single present that can express:

• Simple present: “The waiter brings coffee.”
• Present progressive: “The waiter is bringing coffee.”
• Near future (with context): “The waiter will bring coffee.”
  To emphasize “right now,” add éppen: A pincér éppen kávét hoz.

How would I say “the waiter brings the coffee, the waitress brings the water” with definite objects?

A pincér a kávét hozza, a pincérnő a vizet hozza.
Here hozza is the definite form of the verb because the objects are specific.

If I want to order “a coffee,” do I still use kávét without an article?

In ordering, you usually specify “one” with the indefinite article/number:

• Egy kávét kérek. or Kérek egy kávét. (“I’d like a coffee.”) You’re still using the accusative -t because it’s the object of “kérek.”

How do I make the sentence plural?

• Indefinite objects (same as original):
  A pincérek kávét hoznak, a pincérnők vizet hoznak.
• Definite objects:
  A pincérek a kávét hozzák, a pincérnők a vizet hozzák.

How do I say “The waiter brings coffee and water”?

A pincér kávét és vizet hoz.
Both objects take the accusative: kávét and vizet.

How do I negate it?

• Indefinite: A pincér nem hoz kávét. (“The waiter doesn’t bring coffee.”)
• Definite: A pincér nem hozza a kávét. (“The waiter isn’t bringing/doesn’t bring the coffee.”)

Why is it víz but vizet? What happened to the long í?

Hungarian often inserts a linking vowel before certain suffixes and may shorten a long vowel in the stem. With víz:

• base: víz
• accusative: viz-et (linking vowel -e-, long í shortens to i) This pattern appears in many one-syllable nouns: e.g., tűz → tüzet, híd → hidat.

Is hoz the same as the noun suffix -hoz/-hez/-höz?

No. In the sentence, hoz is the verb “(he/she) brings.”
The suffix -hoz/-hez/-höz attaches to nouns and means “to/toward”:

• az asztalhoz = “to the table” (vowel harmony decides -hoz/-hez/-höz)
  Example contrast: A pincér az asztalhoz hoz kávét. (“The waiter brings coffee to the table.”)