A család együtt eszik a parkban.

The family eats together in the park.

Breakdown of A család együtt eszik a parkban.

• enni: to eat
• -ban: in
• együtt: together
• park: the park
• család: the family

Questions & Answers about A család együtt eszik a parkban.

Why is the verb singular (eszik) and not plural (esznek) when a family has several people?

Because család is a singular, collective noun. Standard Hungarian uses a singular verb with it: A család együtt eszik. If you want a plural verb, make the subject plural: A család tagjai együtt esznek or Ők együtt esznek.

What does együtt mean, and is this the right place for it?

Együtt means together and, in neutral sentences, manner adverbs like this usually stand right before the verb, so együtt eszik is natural. You can move it for emphasis without changing the core meaning: A család a parkban együtt eszik or Együtt eszik a család a parkban.

Why is it a parkban with -ban and not -ben?

Hungarian uses vowel harmony for these inessive endings: -ban after back vowels (a, o, u), -ben after front vowels (e, i, ö, ü). Park has the back vowel a, so it takes -ban: parkban. Compare: kertben (in the garden), szobában (in the room).

What’s the difference between a parkban and a parkba?

• a parkban = in the park (location, static; inessive case -ban/-ben)
• a parkba = into the park (direction, illative case -ba/-be) Example: A család a parkba megy, és ott a parkban eszik.

Do we need the article before the place? Could it be just parkban?

Use a parkban if you mean a specific, known park. You can say egy parkban for in a park (unspecified). Bare parkban is also possible in some generic or habitual contexts, but with a concrete scene English speakers usually want, Hungarian usually uses the article.

Can this sentence mean both The family is eating and The family eats?

Yes. Hungarian present covers both progressive and habitual. To stress ongoing action, add a time word: A család éppen/most együtt eszik a parkban. For a habitual habit, you can use szokott: A család együtt szokott a parkban enni.

Why not use van (to be) here?

Hungarian doesn’t use van before a lexical verb. You only use van if being is the predicate itself: A család együtt van a parkban = The family is together in the park. Your sentence already has the verb eszik, so no van is needed.

Why eszik and not eszi?

Hungarian has indefinite and definite conjugations. With no object (or an indefinite one), you use the indefinite form: eszik. With a definite object, use the definite form: A család a tortát eszi a parkban (They are eating the cake).

What’s the case on parkban, and what does it literally express?

It’s the inessive case (-ban/-ben), which literally means in/inside something. So a parkban = in the park, inside the area of the park.

Are other word orders possible, and what changes?

Yes; the element immediately before the verb is in focus.

• Neutral: A család együtt eszik a parkban.
• Focus on place: A parkban eszik együtt a család (It’s in the park that they eat together).
• Focus on togetherness: A család EGYÜTT eszik a parkban (stress by intonation; position already signals it).

How do I say My family or Our family in this sentence?

Use possessive suffixes: A családom együtt eszik a parkban (my family), A családunk együtt eszik a parkban (our family). The verb stays singular because the head noun család is singular.

How would I talk about multiple families?

Make the noun plural and the verb plural: A családok együtt esznek a parkban. If you want to stress the members: A családok tagjai együtt esznek.

Any pronunciation tips for words in this sentence?

• cs in család sounds like English ch.
• sz in eszik is English s (remember: Hungarian s alone is sh).
• gy in együtt is a soft d/y sound.
• Long vowels matter: á (long a), ű in együtt (long ü).
• In fast speech, parkban often has voicing assimilation, sounding like par[g]ban.

Could I use other location endings instead of -ban/-ben?

Yes, depending on the surface relation:

• -on/-en/-ön for on: a padon eszik (on the bench).
• -nál/-nél for at/near: a parknál eszik (by the park).
• -hoz/-hez/-höz to the, -tól/-től from the, etc., when talking about movement relative to a place.

Is A család esznek ever acceptable?

It’s heard colloquially in some regions, but it’s nonstandard. In correct Hungarian say A család eszik, or rephrase with a plural subject: A család tagjai esznek or Ők esznek.

Is there any difference between A család eszik a parkban and A család a parkban eszik?

Both are fine and natural. The second slightly highlights the place by moving it earlier, but without a strong focus it’s still neutral. If you put the place immediately before the verb—A család a parkban eszik—you mildly emphasize the location.