Learn Hardcore Hungarian: Talán holnap lesz időm. - Maybe I will have time tomorrow.

Because the grammatical subject is időm (my time), which is third person singular. Hungarian expresses “have” with an existential structure: “my time will exist.” So the verb agrees with the thing that exists (time), not with the possessor (I). Hence lesz (3sg), not leszek (1sg).

Why use lesz instead of van or fog?

lesz is the future form of van/lenni and is standard for future “having”: lesz időm = “I will have time.”
van
- a future time word is also common for planned/scheduled futures: Holnap van időm ≈ “I have time tomorrow (it’s set).”
fog
- infinitive is used with other verbs for future actions, not for “have”: Holnap olvasni fogok (“I will read tomorrow”), but for “have time” you say Holnap lesz időm, not “fogok időt.”

What does the -m in időm mean, and where’s the pronoun “I”?

The suffix -m marks a first‑person singular possessor: idő-m = “my time.” Because possession is shown on the noun, the pronoun én is usually omitted. You can add én or nekem only for emphasis:

Nekem talán holnap lesz időm. = “I, maybe, will have time tomorrow.”

Why is there no article before időm?

With pronominal possession (a suffix like -m) and existential van/lesz, Hungarian normally omits the article: van/lesz időm. Adding an article (az időm) would sound unusually specific or contrastive in this structure.

Can I change the word order? For example: Talán lesz időm holnap; Holnap talán lesz időm; Talán holnap időm lesz?

Yes, but word order changes nuance because the element immediately before the verb is the focus.

Talán holnap lesz időm. Focus on “tomorrow” (neutral way to say it).
Holnap talán lesz időm. Topic: “as for tomorrow,” then hedge; still natural.
Talán lesz időm holnap. Slight afterthought feel on “tomorrow.”
Talán holnap időm lesz. Focus on “my time” (what I’ll have is time), less common unless contrasting with something else (e.g., not money, but time).

What does talán do, and where can it go?

Talán means “maybe/perhaps.” It scopes over the whole clause and is flexible in position, commonly at the start: Talán holnap… You’ll also hear Holnap talán… Two near‑synonyms:

Lehet, hogy… = “It’s possible that…” (more explicit, slightly more formal/hedged).
Esetleg = “perhaps/by any chance,” often in offers or polite questions.

How do I negate it?

Place nem before the verb:

Talán holnap nem lesz időm. = “Maybe I won’t have time tomorrow.”
Talán nem holnap lesz időm. = “Maybe it’s not tomorrow that I’ll have time” (i.e., some other day). The position of nem changes the meaning.

How do I turn this into a question?

Neutral yes/no: Holnap lesz időd? (“Will you have time tomorrow?”)
With the clitic -e: Lesz-e időd holnap? (more formal/literary).
Polite “by any chance”: Esetleg holnap lesz időd? Using talán in a question is less common than esetleg for polite queries.

What’s the difference between Holnap van időm and Holnap lesz időm?

Holnap van időm. Suggests a planned, set arrangement (“I have time tomorrow” as a schedule).
Holnap lesz időm. Predicts/assumes future availability, less fixed or more contingent.

Any pronunciation tips?

Stress is always on the first syllable: TA-lán HOL-nap.
á is long [aː]; ő in időm is long front rounded [øː].
sz is pronounced [s] (like English “s”); lesz sounds like “less.”

How do I say “I’ll have a little/some time”?

Common options:

Lesz egy kis időm.
Lesz egy kevés időm.
Lesz némi időm. You can also add a duration: Lesz egy órányi időm (“about an hour”).

How do I say “I’ll have time for it/for you/for X”?

For “it”: Lesz időm rá.
For a person (colloquial): Lesz időm rád.
More neutral with activities: Lesz időm foglalkozni veled / a projekttel. (“…to deal with you / the project”)
With an activity using -ra/-re: Lesz időm a házira / a projektre.

What’s the literal structure here—why no verb “to have”?

Hungarian expresses “have” with existence of a possessed noun: van/lesz + possessed noun. So lesz időm literally means “my time will exist,” which equals “I will have time.”

Why is there no article with holnap? What is holnap grammatically?

Holnap is an adverb meaning “tomorrow,” so it doesn’t take an article. Note that a holnap can mean “the future” as a noun in different contexts, but here it’s an adverb.