Learn Hardcore Hungarian: Reggel vásárolok tejet az üzletben.

Hungarian usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person. The ending -ok in vásárolok already means “I.” You can add Én for emphasis or contrast: Én reggel vásárolok tejet…

Why is it tejet and not tej?

Because it’s a direct object. Hungarian marks (most) direct objects with the accusative suffix -t. Many words also take a linking vowel. Here, tej + -et = tejet.
More examples:

víz → vizet (“water”)
kenyér → kenyeret (“bread”)
sör → sört (“beer”)

Why is there no article before tejet? Shouldn’t it be “the milk” or “a milk”?

When you mean “some milk” in a non-specific way, Hungarian typically uses the bare accusative: tejet.

a tejet = “the milk” (specific/known milk)
egy tejet is unusual unless you mean a unit like “a (carton/bottle) of milk,” in which case you’d say, for example, egy doboz tejet (“a carton of milk”)

What exactly does az üzletben mean? Why az and why -ben?

az is the definite article “the,” used before a vowel-initial word (here üzlet starts with ü). Before a consonant you’d use a.
üzlet = “shop, store”
-ben is the inessive case ending meaning “in.”
So az üzletben = “in the shop.”

Why is it -ben and not -ban?

Hungarian uses vowel harmony. Words with front vowels (e, é, i, í, ö, ő, ü, ű) take -ben; words with back vowels (a, á, o, ó, u, ú) take -ban.

üzlet has front vowels → üzletben
bolt has back vowels → boltban

How do -ben, -be, and -ből differ?

They mark different spatial relations:

-ban/-ben = “in” (state): üzletben “in the shop”
-ba/-be = “into” (movement to the inside): üzletbe “into the shop”
-ból/-ből = “out of/from inside” (movement from the inside): üzletből “out of/from the shop”

Does the present tense here mean a habit, right now, or something in the future?

Hungarian present covers all three; the time adverb tells you which. With bare Reggel, the most natural reading is habitual (“In the morning I (usually) buy milk”).
To make it clearly one-time:

Today: Ma reggel vásárolok tejet…
Tomorrow (future meaning with present tense): Holnap reggel vásárolok tejet…
To say “I’m buying (now),” add most: Most tejet vásárolok…

Is vásárolok the most natural verb for “buy,” or should I use veszek?

Both mean “buy,” but vesz (→ veszek) is the everyday, most common choice. vásárol (→ vásárolok) is a bit more formal/bookish. In casual speech you’ll hear: Reggel veszek tejet a boltban.

Do I need the prefix meg- (as in megveszek/megvásárolok)?

No. meg- adds a sense of completion (“buy and get it done”). It’s very natural with a definite object: Megveszem a tejet (“I’ll buy the milk”). With an indefinite mass noun, megveszek tejet often sounds odd; use veszek tejet. If the object is quantified, meg- is fine: Megveszek egy liter tejet.

Why is the verb before the object? Isn’t Hungarian SOV?

Hungarian word order is driven by information structure (topic–focus), not a fixed SOV/SVO pattern. The slot immediately before the finite verb is the focus position. Indefinite objects (like tejet) typically follow the verb in a neutral sentence.
Natural alternatives with different emphases:

Reggel vásárolok tejet az üzletben. (neutral; time set first)
Az üzletben vásárolok tejet reggel. (emphasizes the location)
Tejet vásárolok reggel az üzletben. (emphasizes that it’s milk)
With a definite object: Reggel az üzletben vásárolom a tejet. (focus can be on the location/time; verb switches to definite conjugation)

Can I say a boltban instead of az üzletben? Any difference?

Yes. bolt and üzlet both mean “shop/store.” bolt is more colloquial and common for everyday stores; üzlet can be a bit more formal or can mean “business” in general. So: a boltban is often the most natural for a grocery context.

How would I say “in a shop,” not “in the shop”?

Use the indefinite article egy: egy üzletben or egy boltban.
(Leaving the article out—üzletben—is generally not idiomatic in this meaning.)

How do I negate the sentence?

Put nem before the finite verb:

Reggel nem vásárolok tejet az üzletben.
With the everyday verb: Reggel nem veszek tejet a boltban.

How do I strongly emphasize “in the morning (not later)”?

Place Reggel directly before the verb (as in the original) to focus it. You can add csak for “only”:

Csak reggel vásárolok tejet az üzletben. (“I only buy milk in the morning.”)

How can I say this is my usual habit explicitly?

Use szoktam + infinitive:

Reggel szoktam tejet venni az üzletben. (“In the morning I usually buy milk in the shop.”)
You can also say: Általában reggel veszek tejet. (“I generally buy milk in the morning.”)

What’s the difference between reggel and reggelente?

reggel = “in the morning” (can be specific or generic, context decides)
reggelente = “in the mornings/each morning” (clearly habitual, repeated)
For example: Reggelente vásárolok tejet. clearly means it’s a routine.

If I make the object definite (a tejet), how does the verb change?

Hungarian switches to the definite conjugation:

Indefinite object: vásárolok/veszek tejet
Definite object: vásárolom/veszem a tejet
So you could say: Reggel az üzletben veszem a tejet.