Learn Hardcore Hungarian: Ez a pizza túl drága, inkább kenyeret vásárolok. - This pizza is too expensive; I would rather buy bread.

Hungarian normally drops the 3rd‑person present form of “to be” when the predicate is a noun or an adjective. So you say: “Ez a pizza túl drága.” (This pizza is too expensive), not “van.” Use “van” for location/existence or when it must be stated:

“A pizza az asztalon van.” (The pizza is on the table.)
“Nincs pizza.” (There is no pizza.) But for qualities/identification in the present: “A pizza drága,” “Ez a fiú tanár,” etc., without “van.”

Why is it “ez a pizza” and not just “ez pizza”?

With demonstratives (ez/az = this/that) before a noun, Hungarian also uses the definite article a/az: “ez a ház” (this house), “az a bolt” (that shop). So “this pizza” is ez a pizza.
“Ez pizza” means “This is pizza” (identification), not “This pizza.”

How do “ez/az” change before vowels or in the plural?

Before a consonant: ez a (this …), az a (that …) → “ez a pizza,” “az a pizza.”
Before a vowel: ez az, az az → “ez az alma” (this apple), “az az étterem” (that restaurant).
Plural: ezek a (these …), azok a (those …) → “ezek a pizzák,” “azok a kenyerek.”

What exactly does “inkább” mean here?

Inkább means “rather, preferably” (expressing a choice or preference). It does not mean “rather” in the sense of “quite” (as in British English “rather expensive”); for that you’d use words like elég/meglehetősen/igencsak.
You can also make the preference explicit with “mint” (than): “Inkább kenyeret vásárolok, mint pizzát.” (I’d rather buy bread than pizza.)

Where should “inkább” go in the sentence?

Common placements:

“Inkább kenyeret vásárolok.” (very natural)
“Inkább vásárolok kenyeret.” (also natural, a bit more neutral)
“Kenyeret inkább vásárolok.” (puts extra emphasis on “bread”) All are correct; word order mainly fine‑tunes emphasis.

Why is there a comma before “inkább”?

You’re linking two independent clauses: “Ez a pizza túl drága, [én] inkább kenyeret vásárolok.” Hungarian commonly uses a comma here (English often prefers a semicolon or a dash). A semicolon would also be acceptable in Hungarian; the pause is real in speech.

Why is it “kenyeret” with -t? Why not just “kenyér”?

Direct objects take the accusative -t. “Kenyér” (bread) → “kenyeret” (bread as the thing being bought). So “vásárolok kenyeret/kenyeret vásárolok” = “I (will) buy bread.” Without -t, “kenyér” would not be marked as a direct object.

Why “kenyeret” and not “kenyért”?

Many nouns take a linking vowel before the accusative -t. Which vowel appears depends on vowel harmony and the noun’s shape. For “kenyér,” the accusative is kenyeret (irregular-looking but standard), not “kenyért.”
More examples: “ház → házat,” “város → várost,” “tükör → tükröt,” “zene → zenét.”

Why is it “vásárolok” and not “vásárolom”?

Hungarian verb conjugation depends on whether the object is definite or indefinite.

vásárolok = I buy (indefinite conjugation), used with an indefinite object (here: “kenyeret,” some bread).
vásárolom = I buy it/the (definite conjugation), used with a definite object: “A kenyeret vásárolom.” (I’m buying the bread.)

Could I use “veszek” instead of “vásárolok”?

Yes. Venni (veszek) is the everyday “to buy,” while vásárolni (vásárolok) is a bit more formal or neutral (“to purchase”).
All of these work:

“Inkább veszek kenyeret.”
“Inkább vásárolok kenyeret.”
With a specific loaf: “Inkább megveszem a kenyeret.” (definite + perfective “meg-”)

Why is there no article before “kenyeret”?

Because it’s an indefinite, mass‑noun object (“some bread”). If you mean a specific bread, use the article and switch the verb to definite:

Indefinite: “Inkább vásárolok kenyeret.” (some bread)
Definite: “Inkább a kenyeret vásárolom.” or more idiomatically “Inkább megveszem a kenyeret.” (the bread)

Why “pizza” (subject) here but “pizzát” (object) elsewhere?

Subjects are unmarked (nominative): “Ez a pizza túl drága.”
If “pizza” were the object, you’d use the accusative: “Inkább pizzát veszek.” (I’d rather buy pizza.)

What’s the nuance of “túl drága” vs “nagyon drága”?

túl drága = too expensive (exceeds what’s acceptable)
nagyon drága = very expensive (strong degree, not necessarily “too”)
elég/meglehetősen drága = quite/fairly expensive
For “too X to do Y,” use: “túl … ahhoz, hogy …” → “Ez a pizza túl drága ahhoz, hogy megvegyem.”

Can I add “mint” to show the explicit choice?

Yes: “Inkább kenyeret vásárolok, mint pizzát.” You can also say “Inkább mintsem pizzát,” which is a bit more formal/literary. Without “mint,” the comparison is understood from context.

How else can I express preference besides “inkább”?

szívesebben (more willingly): “Szívesebben veszek kenyeret.”
jobban szeretem (I prefer/like better): “Jobban szeretem a kenyeret, mint a pizzát.”
These are all natural ways to express preference; “inkább” is the most compact.

Do I need to say the subject pronoun “én”?

No. Hungarian is pro‑drop: the verb ending already shows the subject. “Vásárolok” = “I buy.” You can add én for emphasis or contrast: “Én inkább kenyeret vásárolok.”

Any quick pronunciation tips for these words?

vásárolok: s = “sh,” long á; roughly “vaah-shaa-roh-lock.”
inkább: long á, double bb is lengthened consonant; “een-kaahb.”
kenyeret: ny is a palatal “ny” (Spanish ñ); “ke-nye-ret.”
sz is “s,” while s is “sh” in Hungarian.

If I wanted to say “This pizza is too expensive for me,” how would I do that?

Add a dative pronoun: “Nekem ez a pizza túl drága.” (For me, this pizza is too expensive.) The dative highlights whose perspective it is.

Could I make the comparison even clearer by mentioning both options?

Yes: “Ez a pizza túl drága; inkább kenyeret vásárolok, mint pizzát.” Or with verbs: “Inkább veszek kenyeret, mint pizzát.” Both explicitly set bread against pizza.