A macska a széken ül.

The cat is sitting on the chair.

Breakdown of A macska a széken ül.

• macska: the cat
• ülni: to sit
• szék: the chair
• -en: on

Questions & Answers about A macska a széken ül.

What does the first A mean, and when do I use a vs az?

A is the definite article the. Hungarian has two forms:

• a before a word that starts with a consonant sound: a macska, a széken
• az before a word that starts with a vowel sound: az egér, az asztal, az iskolában

Why is a used twice in A macska a széken ül?

Each definite noun phrase takes its own article. Here we have two definite noun phrases:

• a macska (the subject)
• a széken (the locative phrase “on the chair”) Even though széken has a case suffix, it still keeps the article: a széken.

Why does széken end with -en?

That’s the superessive case: -n/-on/-en/-ön, meaning “on (the surface of).” The form is chosen by vowel harmony and pronunciation rules:

• Back vowels: typically -on (e.g., asztalon “on the table”)
• Front unrounded vowels: -en (e.g., széken “on the chair”)
• Front rounded vowels: -ön (e.g., földön “on the ground”)

Where is the English preposition “on”? Why is there no separate word?

Hungarian usually uses case suffixes instead of prepositions. Common location/motion pairs:

• “on”: superessive -n/-on/-en/-ön (e.g., széken)
• “onto”: sublative -ra/-re (e.g., székre)
• “off/from (a surface)”: delative -ról/-ről (e.g., székről)
• “in”: inessive -ban/-ben; “into”: illative -ba/-be; “out of”: elative -ból/-ből

How do I pronounce the words?

• A: like a short, back “aw” [ɒ].
• macska: [ˈmɒt͡ʃkɒ]. Note: cs = “ch” in “church”; s (by itself) is “sh,” but here it’s part of cs; stress on the first syllable.
• széken: [ˈseːkɛn]. sz = “s” in “see”; é is a long, closed “e” (like the vowel in “say,” but pure, not a diphthong).
• ül: [yl]. ü is like German ü or French u (say “ee” with rounded lips). Stress is always on the first syllable in Hungarian.

Does ül mean “is sitting” or “sits”?

Both. Hungarian simple present covers progressive and habitual. Context clarifies:

• Most a macska a széken ül. = The cat is sitting on the chair right now.
• A macska mindig a széken ül. = The cat (habitually) sits on the chair.

Why isn’t van (“is”) used here?

Because ül is a full lexical verb (“to sit”). You use van for pure “be” sentences:

• A macska a széken van. = The cat is on the chair. When another verb already expresses the state/action (like ül), van isn’t added.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say A macska ül a széken or A széken ül a macska?

Hungarian word order reflects emphasis (“focus”), not rigid SVO. The focused element appears immediately before the verb.

• A macska a széken ül. Focus on location: it’s on the chair (not elsewhere).
• A macska ül a széken. Focus on the subject/action: it’s the cat that sits (not the dog), location is backgrounded.
• A széken ül a macska. Topic/scene-setting: as for the chair, the cat is sitting there. Sounds like “On the chair sits the cat.”

How do I say “onto the chair” (movement) instead of “on the chair” (location)?

Use the sublative -ra/-re for movement onto, and often a verb with a directional prefix:

• A macska leül a székre. = The cat sits down onto the chair.
• A macska ráül a székre. = The cat sits onto the chair (onto it). For movement off, use -ról/-ről: A macska leugrik a székről.

How do I make it plural?

• Subject plural: A macskák a széken ülnek. = The cats are sitting on the chair.
• Both plural: A macskák a székeken ülnek. = The cats are sitting on the chairs.
• Object/location plural rules: noun stem + plural -k
  • case suffix; linking vowels may appear (e.g., szék → székek → székeken).

How do I negate it?

Place nem before the verb, and focus any contrastive element before the verb as well:

• A macska nem ül a széken. = The cat is not sitting on the chair (at all).
• A macska nem a széken ül. = The cat is not sitting on the chair (but somewhere else).
• Nem a macska ül a széken. = It’s not the cat that’s sitting on the chair (someone/something else is).

Can I drop one of the articles?

Not in standard neutral speech. You’d say:

• A macska a széken ül. = The cat is sitting on the chair.
• Egy macska a széken ül. = A cat is sitting on the chair. Leaving out articles (e.g., Macska a széken ül) sounds like a headline, note, or very telegraphic style.

Why is it széken (“on the chair”) and not székben (“in the chair”)?

A szék (chair) is a surface you sit on, so Hungarian uses the superessive -n/-on/-en/-ön:

• a széken = on the chair Use -ban/-ben (“in”) for container-like spaces, e.g., fotelben (“in the armchair”), dobozban (“in the box”).

How would I ask “Where is the cat sitting?” and answer it?

• Question: Hol ül a macska?
• Answer: A széken. (You can also repeat the verb: A széken ül.)

How do adjectives fit in?

Adjectives come before the noun; the noun alone takes the case ending; the article appears once at the start of the noun phrase.

• A fekete macska a régi széken ül. = The black cat is sitting on the old chair. Not: “a régi széke-n” on the adjective—the suffix goes on the noun: széken.

Does the verb need the “definite” conjugation here?

No. Ül is intransitive here (no direct object), so it uses the indefinite form: ül (3rd person singular). Definite conjugation in Hungarian is triggered by a definite direct object (e.g., A macska eszi a halat.), which we don’t have in this sentence.