A nő és a férfi a parkban sétálnak.

The woman and the man are walking in the park.

Breakdown of A nő és a férfi a parkban sétálnak.

• és: and
• -ban: in
• sétálni: to walk
• park: the park
• férfi: the man
• nő: the woman

Questions & Answers about A nő és a férfi a parkban sétálnak.

What does the little word a mean, and why is it repeated before both nouns?

• a is the definite article “the” in Hungarian. (Use az before vowel-initial words.)
• With coordinated nouns, Hungarian normally repeats the article: A nő és a férfi… (“The woman and the man…”). Leaving it out before the second noun (…a nő és férfi) sounds incomplete or newspaper‑headline style.
• With proper names you don’t use articles: Anna és Béla a parkban sétálnak.

Why is the verb plural (sétálnak) when each noun is singular?

• Because the subject is a coordination: a nő és a férfi = two people = plural subject → plural verb.
• Compare:
  • A nő és a férfi sétálnak. “The woman and the man are walking.”
  • With “or” (vagy), you usually use singular: A nő vagy a férfi sétál.
  • With numerals, Hungarian often uses singular: Két ember sétál a parkban. (“Two people are walking in the park.”)

What is the ending -nak in sétálnak? Is it the same as the dative -nak/-nek?

• Here -nak is the 3rd person plural verb ending (they).
• It is not the dative noun ending, even though it looks identical. Compare:
  • Verb: sétál-nak = “they walk”
  • Noun (dative): a nő-nek = “to/for the woman”

Why do we use the “indefinite” verb form sétálnak and not a “definite” form?

• Sétál (“walk”) is intransitive (no direct object), so it always takes the indefinite conjugation.
• Definite conjugation is for transitive verbs with a definite object.
  • Indefinite: A nő és a férfi látnak egy kutyát. (“…see a dog.”)
  • Definite: A nő és a férfi látják a kutyát. (“…see the dog.”)

What does -ban in parkban mean?

• -ban/-ben is the inessive case = “in, inside”.
• So a parkban = “in the park.”
• Useful contrasts:
  • a parkba (illative) = “into the park”
  • a parkból (elative) = “out of/from the park”

Why is it -ban and not -ben?

• Vowel harmony: words with back vowels (a, á, o, ó, u, ú) take -ban; front‑vowel words (e, é, i, í, ö, ő, ü, ű) take -ben.
• park contains a back vowel (a) → parkban.
• Examples: kertben (“in the garden”), városban (“in the city”), erdőben (“in the forest”).

Could I say A nő és a férfi sétálnak a parkban instead? Any difference?

• Yes, it’s fully correct and often sounds more neutral.
• In Hungarian, the slot immediately before the verb is where focus typically goes. In A nő és a férfi a parkban sétálnak, placing a parkban before the verb can mildly emphasize the location (“it’s in the park that…”). The version with …sétálnak a parkban is a neutral “they are walking in the park.”

Can I start with the place: A parkban sétálnak a nő és a férfi?

• Yes. Fronting A parkban strongly highlights the location. It’s like saying “In the park, the woman and the man are walking,” with emphasis on “in the park.”

Do I need to say Ők (“they”)?

• No. Subject pronouns are usually dropped because the verb ending shows person/number: sétálnak = “they walk.”
• Use Ők only for contrast/emphasis: Ők a parkban sétálnak (nem máshol).

Why is it a férfi and not az férfi?

• Use a before consonant-initial words, az before vowel-initial words.
• férfi starts with consonant f → a férfi.
• Examples: az erdőben (“in the forest”), a parkban (“in the park”).

How do I say “in a park” or “in parks”?

• “In a park”: egy parkban.
• “In parks” (unspecified plural): parkokban.
• “In the parks” (definite plural): a parkokban.

Can I omit the article before parkban, like parkban sétálnak?

• Generally, no; you’d normally say a parkban or egy parkban.
• Bare locatives without an article are common with certain institutions (e.g., iskolában, kórházban) when talking about their function (“at school/hospital” in general), but parkban without an article sounds marked or telegraphic.

How do I say “are walking right now” vs. a habitual “walk”?

• Hungarian present covers both. Context or adverbs clarify:
  • Right now: Most/Éppen a parkban sétálnak.
  • Habitual: Gyakran a parkban sétálnak.

What’s the difference between és and meg for “and”?

• és is the standard “and.”
• meg can also mean “and/and also,” often more colloquial and additive. Here either can work:
  • A nő és a férfi… (neutral)
  • A nő meg a férfi… (colloquial/additive feel)

How can I say they are walking together or that one is walking with the other?

• Together: A nő és a férfi együtt sétálnak a parkban.
• “With” using -val/-vel: A nő a férfival sétál a parkban. / A férfi a nővel sétál a parkban.
  • Note: after a vowel, the suffix keeps the v (e.g., férfival, nővel); after a consonant, the v assimilates (e.g., kéz
    • -vel → kézzel).

How do I pronounce the vowels in sétálnak and nő?

• Hungarian stresses the first syllable.
• Long vowels are truly long:
  • é as in “say” but pure/tense; á is a low back long vowel; ő is a long front rounded vowel (like German “ö” but long).
• So: SÉ-tál-nak, nő (with long ő).

What are the pieces of the sentence morphologically?

• A (definite article) + nő (woman) + és (and) + a (definite article) + férfi (man) + a (definite article) + park (park) + -ban (inessive “in”) + sétál (walk) + -nak (3rd person plural verb ending).