Breakdown of A gyerek piszkos, de a csésze tiszta.
lenni
to be
de
but
csésze
the cup
tiszta
clean
piszkos
dirty
gyerek
the child
Questions & Answers about A gyerek piszkos, de a csésze tiszta.
Where is the verb “to be” — why isn’t there a word for “is” here?
Hungarian drops the copula van (to be) in the present tense, 3rd person, when stating identity or qualities. So:
- A gyerek piszkos. = The child is dirty.
- A csésze tiszta. = The cup is clean. There’s no separate “is” in these sentences; it’s understood from context.
When do I include van, and when must I avoid it?
Use or omit van like this:
- Omit in present, 3rd person for properties/identities: A csésze tiszta.
- Use for location/existence/time: A csésze az asztalon van.; Van egy csésze.; Ma hétfő van.
- Negative existential/location: nincs/nincsen: Nincs csésze.; A csésze nincs az asztalon.
- Always use a form in past/future: volt/lesz: A gyerek piszkos volt/lesz. Avoid saying things like “A csésze tiszta van” (ungrammatical).
Why is there a comma before de?
De means but and is a coordinating conjunction. Hungarian typically places a comma before it when it connects two clauses or full predicates:
- A gyerek piszkos, de a csésze tiszta. You’d skip the comma only when it links very short, tightly bound parts without separate predicates (less common).
Could I use hanem instead of de?
No here. Hanem means “but rather” and is used after a negation:
- Nem a gyerek piszkos, hanem a csésze. (It’s not the child that’s dirty, but rather the cup.) Without prior negation, use de.
Why do we repeat the article a before both nouns?
Each noun phrase needs its own article. You cannot let the first a cover both subjects:
- Correct: A gyerek piszkos, de a csésze tiszta.
- Incorrect: A gyerek piszkos, de csésze tiszta.
What’s the difference between a and az, and how do I choose?
Both mean the. Choose based on the next word’s initial sound:
- a before a consonant sound: a gyerek, a csésze.
- az before a vowel sound: az alma, az iskola. It’s about pronunciation, not spelling; digraphs like cs and gy are single consonant sounds.
Why not say egy gyerek here?
A is the definite article (the); egy is the indefinite article (a/an, also the numeral one). Your sentence refers to a specific child and cup:
- A gyerek = the child (known/specific)
- Egy gyerek = a child (non-specific/new)
Can I change the word order to emphasize the adjectives?
Yes. Hungarian allows focus by fronting:
- Neutral: A gyerek piszkos, de a csésze tiszta.
- Emphatic: Piszkos a gyerek, de tiszta a csésze. The second highlights the qualities (dirty/clean) in contrast.
How would I say the plural: “The children are dirty, but the cups are clean”?
- A gyerekek piszkosak, de a csészék tiszták. Notes:
- Plural nouns: gyerek → gyerekek, csésze → csészék (final -e often lengthens to é).
- Predicative adjectives agree in number: piszkos → piszkosak, tiszta → tiszták.
- Attributive adjectives (before the noun) don’t take plural: piszkos gyerekek (not piszkosak gyerekek).
Do adjectives agree with the noun in Hungarian?
- Attributive position (before a noun): no number/case marking on the adjective: piszkos gyerek, piszkos gyerekek.
- Predicative position (after the subject, like in your sentence): they show plural with -ak/-ek/-ok according to vowel harmony: A gyerekek piszkosak.
How do I pronounce the tricky letters in gyerek, csésze?
- gy ≈ the “dy” in “during” (palatal d).
- cs ≈ “ch” in “chair.”
- sz ≈ English “s.”
- s (alone) ≈ English “sh.”
- é is a long close-mid “e,” like the vowel in “café.” Stress is always on the first syllable of each word: GYE-rek, CSÉ-sze.
Does Hungarian mark gender here?
No. Hungarian has no grammatical gender. Gyerek covers “child” regardless of sex, and the 3rd-person pronoun ő means both “he” and “she.”
Is csésze the only word for “cup”?
- csésze: a (tea/coffee) cup with a handle, typically smaller.
- bögre: a mug (larger, often thicker).
- pohár: a glass (no handle). Context matters: coffee in a small cup is kávéscsésze; tea mug is teás bögre.
Does tiszta only mean “clean”?
Primarily yes, but it also means:
- “pure/clear”: tiszta víz (pure water)
- Colloquial intensifier “completely/totally”: tiszta hülyeség (that’s complete nonsense)
Are there common synonyms for piszkos?
Yes:
- koszos: also “dirty,” very common.
- mocskos: “filthy,” stronger/colloquial.
- Mild/neutral opposite: tiszta (clean).
Could A gyerek piszkos mean “Children are dirty” (generic)?
Usually no; it’s read as specific. For a generic statement, use the plural:
- A gyerekek piszkosak. (Children are dirty.) A singular generic like A gyerek kíváncsi can occur in definitions/proverbs, but plural is safer for generalizations.
Can I drop the article and say Gyerek piszkos?
Not in a normal declarative sentence. Subjects typically take an article:
- A gyerek piszkos. (natural) Article-less Gyerek piszkos sounds telegraphic or like a heading. You can drop the article in vocatives: Gyerek, gyere ide! (Kid, come here!)
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