Questions & Answers about A képük a falon van.
- It is the third-person plural possessive suffix: -uk/-ük, meaning their.
- Because kép has a front vowel (é), it takes the front-harmony form -ük: kép + -ük → képük = their picture (one item).
- Note: after a consonant you use -uk/-ük, not -juk/-jük, so képjük is incorrect.
Hungarian omits the copula in 3rd person present with nominal or adjectival predicates (for example: A képük szép = Their picture is pretty). But you must use van/vannak when:
- indicating location, time, or existence: A képük a falon van (Their picture is on the wall).
- forming existential sentences: Van egy képük (They have a picture / There is a picture of theirs).
The verb agrees with the grammatical subject. Képük is singular (one picture), so van. If the possessed item is plural, you use vannak:
- Singular possessed: A képük a falon van (Their picture is on the wall).
- Plural possessed: A képeik a falon vannak (Their pictures are on the wall).
It is the superessive case, meaning on. Hungarian uses case endings instead of prepositions for many locations:
- -on/-en/-ön = on (choice depends on vowel harmony and word shape)
- fal + -on → falon = on the wall Compare: asztalon (on the table), képernyőn (on the screen).
Yes, and it changes the emphasis:
- A képük a falon van. Neutral: topic = their picture; comment = it is on the wall.
- A falon van a képük. Focus on location: it’s on the wall (as opposed to elsewhere).
- A képük van a falon. Focus on identity: it’s their picture (as opposed to someone else’s).
Use the plural possessed form and plural verb:
- A képeik a falon vannak. Notes:
- Plain plural: képek = pictures.
- Plural when possessed: the plural appears as -i- before the possessive: képeik (their pictures).
- Az egyik képük a falon van. For several: Néhány képük a falon van (Some of their pictures are on the wall).
On its own, képük most naturally means a picture that they own or that is associated with them. If you specifically mean a picture depicting them, say:
- kép róluk (a picture of them)
- a róluk készült kép (the picture taken of them) Context often disambiguates, but the possessive alone can be ambiguous.
Use nincs/nincsenek with location:
- A képük nincs a falon. (Their picture is not on the wall.)
- Plural: A képeik nincsenek a falon. Do not say nem van in this kind of sentence.
Yes, lóg (hangs) is common:
- A képük a falon lóg. (Their picture is hanging on the wall.) This emphasizes the manner (hanging) rather than mere location.
Add the emphatic pronoun az ő:
- Az ő képük a falon van. (It’s their picture that is on the wall.) This stresses ownership (theirs, not someone else’s).
- Hol van a képük? Answer: A falon van. Plural possessed: Hol vannak a képeik? — A falon vannak.
Both are the definite article. Use a before consonants and az before vowels:
- a falon (on the wall)
- az asztalon (on the table)
- az ő képük (their picture) because ő starts with a vowel.