Learn Hardcore Hungarian: Valaki segítséget kér a tanárnőtől. - Someone asks the female teacher for help.

Valaki = someone (indefinite pronoun, 3rd person singular subject)
segítség-et = help + accusative ending -t with a linking vowel -e (direct object)
kér = asks/requests (verb, 3rd person singular, indefinite conjugation)
a = the (definite article)
tanárnő-től = from the female teacher (tanár = teacher + nő = female + -től = from, ablative)

So: “Someone asks-for help from the female teacher.”

Why is it segítség-et and not just segítség?

Because segítség is the direct object of kér, it takes the accusative. The accusative is -t, but a linking vowel is added for phonology: front vowels take -et, so you get segítséget. Without -t, it would be just the noun “help,” not marked as an object.

Why is the verb form kér (indefinite), not kéri (definite)?

Hungarian verbs have indefinite and definite conjugations. You use the indefinite form when the object is indefinite (here: segítséget, “help” without a definite article). If the object were definite, you’d use the definite form:

Indefinite: Valaki kér segítséget. = Someone asks for help.
Definite: Valaki kéri a segítséget. = Someone asks for the help. (possible but much less natural here) More natural with a definite object is: Valaki kéri a tanárnő segítségét. = Someone asks for the teacher’s help.

What does the ending -től on tanárnőtől mean?

-tól/-től is the ablative case ending meaning “from.” It’s used for sources/origins, including “from a person.” So a tanárnőtől = “from the female teacher.”

Why is it -től and not -tól?

Vowel harmony. After front vowels (e, é, i, í, ö, ő, ü, ű), Hungarian takes the front variant -től; after back vowels (a, á, o, ó, u, ú), it takes -tól. Since tanárnő contains the front vowel ő (and, as a compound, its last element nő is front), you use -től: tanárnőtől. Compare:

tanár (back vowels) → tanártól = from the teacher
tanárnő (front due to nő) → tanárnőtől = from the female teacher

Does tanárnő specifically mean “female teacher”? What’s the neutral word?

Yes. tanárnő explicitly marks a female teacher (tanár + nő). The gender-neutral/common word is tanár (“teacher”). Hungarian grammar itself does not have grammatical gender; this is lexical.

Do we need the article a before tanárnőtől?

Use the article to mark definiteness:

a tanárnőtől = from the (specific) female teacher
tanárnőtől (no article) = from a female teacher (non-specific) Both are grammatical; choose based on whether the teacher is specific.

Could I say segítségért instead of segítséget?

No. With kér (“ask for”), the thing requested is a direct object in the accusative: segítséget kér. The postposition -ért means “for (in exchange for / on behalf of).” For example: Pénzt kér a segítségért. = He asks for money for the help (i.e., charges for it).

What word orders are possible, and what do they emphasize?

Hungarian marks focus by placing the focused element immediately before the verb.

Neutral here: Valaki segítséget kér a tanárnőtől. (focus on what is being asked: help)
Focus on who it’s from: Valaki a tanárnőtől kér segítséget.
Emphasizing that someone does ask: Valaki kér segítséget a tanárnőtől.
Fronting the source: A tanárnőtől valaki segítséget kér. All are grammatical; the meaning is the same but the emphasis shifts.

Can I omit valaki?

You can, but the meaning changes. Segítséget kér a tanárnőtől typically reads as “He/She asks for help from the teacher,” with an understood specific subject. If you need “someone” (indefinite/unknown person), use valaki.

How would I say this in the first person?

Indefinite object: Kérek segítséget a tanárnőtől. = I ask for help from the female teacher.
Definite object: Kérem a tanárnő segítségét. = I ask for the teacher’s help.
Note: kérek = indefinite; kérem = definite.

What’s the difference between kér and kérdez?

kér = ask for/request something: segítséget kér valakitől (ask someone for help).
kérdez = ask a question: kérdez valamit valakitől (ask someone something/a question). So: Kér segítséget a tanárnőtől, but Kérdez valamit a tanárnőtől (asks the teacher a question).

Can valaki mean “anyone”? What are the related forms?

valaki = someone.
For “anyone,” use bárki (or akárki).
For “no one,” use senki.
Case forms exist too: valakitől = from someone, valakit = someone (accusative), etc.

Any quick pronunciation tips for this sentence?

Stress the first syllable of each word.
Hungarian s is pronounced like English “sh.”
Long vowels (í, é, ő, ű) are held longer.
Rough guide: Valaki ≈ “VAH-lah-kee”; segítséget ≈ “sheh-GEET-sheh-get”; kér ≈ “kair” (with a long ‘e’); a ≈ “aw”; tanárnőtől ≈ “tah-NAHR-nur-turl” with rounded lips on the long ő sounds.