Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A szomszéd férfi gyakran hangos zenét hallgat. - The male neighbor often listens to loud music.

zene → zenét (music)
tea → teát (tea)
alma → almát (apple) If the word doesn’t end in -a/-e, you typically just add -t (often with a linking vowel): film → filmet, könyv → könyvet.

Why doesn’t the adjective hangos also take -t (why not hangost zenét)?

Attributive adjectives (the ones directly before a noun) do not take case or plural endings in Hungarian. Only the noun carries those:

Correct: hangos zenét, szép könyvet
Not correct: hangost zenét, szépet könyvet Predicative adjectives (after a copula) also don’t take -t: A zene hangos.

Why is the verb hallgat, not hallgatja?

Hungarian has two present-tense conjugations:

Indefinite conjugation (use when there is no definite object): hangos zenét hallgat.
Definite conjugation (use with a definite/specific object): a hangos zenét hallgatja, ezt a zenét hallgatja, a rádiót hallgatja. Here, hangos zenét is non-specific (no article), so you use hallgat.

Can I say A szomszéd férfi gyakran hallgat hangos zenét instead? Does the word order change the meaning?

Yes. Both are correct.

A szomszéd férfi gyakran hallgat hangos zenét. = neutral, everyday order (Subject + adverb + Verb + Object).
A szomszéd férfi gyakran hangos zenét hallgat. puts the object right before the verb, which can give it extra emphasis/focus: it’s loud music (as opposed to something else) that he listens to often. In many contexts, people still read it neutrally, but the pre-verbal slot is the typical focus position in Hungarian.

Where can the adverb gyakran go? Are any positions wrong?

Natural options include:

A szomszéd férfi gyakran hallgat hangos zenét. (very common)
A szomszéd férfi gyakran hangos zenét hallgat. (your sentence)
Gyakran hallgat hangos zenét a szomszéd férfi. Avoid putting it at the very end in neutral speech: … hallgat gyakran usually sounds marked or contrastive.

What’s the difference between gyakran and sokszor?

Both can mean “often.” Nuance:

gyakran = often (frequency as a general quality)
sokszor = many times (a bit more “counting”/colloquial) They’re interchangeable in many sentences: Gyakran/Sokszor hallgat hangos zenét.

What’s the difference between hangos and hangosan here?

hangos zenét hallgat = the music itself is loud (adjective modifying the noun).
hangosan zenét hallgat = he listens loudly (manner adverb; e.g., he turns the volume up). In everyday speech, both imply an annoying volume, but grammatically they point to different things.

Why is there no word for “to” after “listen”? Shouldn’t it be “listen TO music”?

Hungarian hallgat takes a direct object; no preposition is used: zenét hallgat = “listen to music.” The “to” in English is built into the verb–object structure in Hungarian.

Why is there no article before hangos zenét? When would I say a hangos zenét?

No article = an indefinite, non-specific object (“loud music” in general). Use the definite article when the reference is specific/identifiable:

A hangos zenét hallgatja. = He’s listening to the loud music (that particular loud music we both know about).
Ezt a hangos zenét hallgatja. = He’s listening to this loud music.

Could I say egy hangos zenét with the indefinite article?

Usually no. zene is a mass/uncountable noun in this sense. Egy hangos zenét would literally be “one loud music,” which is odd. If you mean one track/song, say:

egy hangos számot / dalt hallgat = “he listens to a loud track/song.”

Why is the subject article A and not Az?

Hungarian uses a before a consonant sound and az before a vowel sound:

a szomszéd férfi (consonant start: sz-)
az ember (vowel start: e-)

Is férfi necessary? Can I just say A szomszéd gyakran…?

You can absolutely say A szomszéd gyakran hangos zenét hallgat. That’s often what people say. férfi is used only if you want to specify the neighbor is a man. To specify a woman, you might see a szomszéd nő, a szomszédasszony, or colloquially a szomszéd néni (for an older woman).

Does Hungarian mark gender anywhere in the sentence?

No. Hungarian has no grammatical gender and ő means both “he” and “she.” If you need to specify, you add words like férfi (man) or nő (woman).

Does hallgat also mean “to be silent”? How do I know which meaning it has?

Yes. hallgat can mean:

“to be silent” when there’s no object: A fiú hallgat. = “The boy is silent.”
“to listen (to something)” with a direct object: zenét hallgat.
“to heed/obey (someone)” with the suffix -ra/-re: Az anyjára hallgat. = “He listens to/obeys his mother.”

How would I say “He is listening to loud music right now”?

Hungarian doesn’t have a separate present continuous form. Add a time word:

Most hangos zenét hallgat. = “He is listening to loud music now.”

How do you make the sentence negative, especially with “often”?

Nem gyakran hallgat hangos zenét. = He doesn’t listen to loud music often. (rarely)
Gyakran nem hallgat hangos zenét. = He often doesn’t listen to loud music. (frequently not) The position of nem changes the nuance.

Any quick pronunciation tips for the tricky letters?

sz = s in “see” (so szomszéd starts with an s sound).
s = sh in “shoe” (so hangos ends with a sh sound).
gy ≈ “dy” (soft, like the “d” in “during” in some accents): gyakran ≈ “DYAH-krahn”.
Long vowels: é is like the vowel in “say,” but pure and longer: zenét ≈ “ze-NATE”.
Double consonants are held a bit longer: hallgat has a longer l: “HAHL-gat”.

If I want to say “He listens to loud songs/tracks,” how would I pluralize?

Use a countable noun instead of the mass noun zene:

hangos dalokat / számokat hallgat = “he listens to loud songs/tracks.” Plural accusatives: dalokat, számokat. Using zenéket is uncommon unless you mean “types/pieces of music” in a technical context.