Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A gyerek piszkos, de a csésze tiszta. - The child is dirty, but the cup is clean.

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!)