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Questions & Answers about A szomszéd itt van.
What does each word do in this sentence?
- A = the (definite article)
- szomszéd = neighbor (noun, gender-neutral)
- itt = here (adverb of place)
- van = is (3rd person singular present of lenni = to be)
Why is van included? I thought Hungarian often drops the verb be.
Because the predicate is a location adverb (itt). In 3rd person present, Hungarian drops van only when the predicate is a noun or an adjective.
- Keep van with place/time/existence: A szomszéd itt van.; Ma van hétfő.
- Drop van with noun/adjective predicates: A szomszéd mérnök.; A kávé meleg.
Can I say A szomszéd itt without van?
No. With locative adverbs like itt/ott/fent/lent, you must use van in 3rd person present. A szomszéd itt is ungrammatical.
How do I negate it?
Use the special negative forms of van:
- Singular: nincs — A szomszéd nincs itt. or Nincs itt a szomszéd.
- Plural: nincsenek — A szomszédok nincsenek itt. Do not say nem van.
How do I say it in the plural?
- Affirmative: A szomszédok itt vannak.
- Negative: A szomszédok nincsenek itt. You need the plural noun (szomszédok) and plural verb (vannak).
Can I change the word order? For example Itt van a szomszéd or A szomszéd van itt?
Yes, with different nuances. In Hungarian, the focused element typically stands immediately before the finite verb.
- A szomszéd itt van. Neutral: topic (A szomszéd) + comment (itt van).
- Itt van a szomszéd. Presentational or location-focused: Here is the neighbor.
- A szomszéd van itt. Subject focus: It is the neighbor who is here (not someone else).
What about Itt a szomszéd without van?
That is also correct in a presentational pattern: Here is the neighbor. With itt/ott + a noun, Hungarian often omits van in this specific construction: Itt a könyv. / Ott a bolt. This is a different structure from the original sentence.
Why is it A szomszéd, not Az szomszéd?
Hungarian uses a before a consonant sound and az before a vowel sound.
- A szomszéd (starts with consonant s)
- Az orvos, Az autó (start with vowel sounds o, a)
Can I use the indefinite article? How would I say a neighbor is here?
Yes. Common options:
- Van itt egy szomszéd. Neutral presentational: there is a neighbor here.
- Itt van egy szomszéd. Similar, slightly more location-first.
- Egy szomszéd van itt. Focus on the subject being a neighbor (as opposed to someone else).
How do I pronounce the tricky parts?
- sz = English s; s (not in this sentence) = English sh.
- szomszéd roughly SOM-sayd; é is a long vowel (hold it longer).
- itt has a long consonant: make a crisp long t (it-t).
- van has the Hungarian a [ɒ], similar to the o in hot in many accents.
- Stress is always on the first syllable: SZOMszéd.
What is the difference between itt and ide?
- itt = here (static location): A szomszéd itt van.
- ide = to here (motion toward): A szomszéd ide jön.
Is szomszéd gendered? How do I say female neighbor?
Hungarian has no grammatical gender. szomszéd is gender-neutral. To specify:
- female neighbor: szomszédnő or traditional szomszédasszony
- male neighbor: usually just szomszéd; if needed, add férfi (férfi szomszéd), though this is rarely necessary.
How does van conjugate if I want to say I am here, we are here, etc.?
Present tense:
- Itt vagyok (I), Itt vagy (you sg), Itt van (he/she/it)
- Itt vagyunk (we), Itt vagytok (you pl), Itt vannak (they) Negation uses nem for all persons except in 3rd person simple existence/location, where nincs/nincsenek are used:
- Nem vagyok itt., Nem vagy itt., but Nincs itt. / Nincsenek itt.
Do I need the article at all? Could I say Szomszéd itt van?
No. With a specific, known neighbor, Hungarian requires the definite article: A szomszéd. Omitting it sounds unnatural or ungrammatical. You can omit the article with proper names: János itt van.
How would I say the neighbor is already here or not here yet?
- Already: A szomszéd már itt van.
- Not here yet: A szomszéd még nincs itt.
Can I use this to mean Here comes the neighbor?
No. A szomszéd itt van states location (is here). For motion toward here, use a motion verb:
- Itt jön a szomszéd.
- A szomszéd ide jön.
How do I say at the neighbor’s place?
Use -nál/-nél with szomszéd in possessed form:
- A szomszédnál vagyok. (I am at the neighbor’s.)
- A szomszédnál van. (He/She is at the neighbor’s.) This is different from itt, which is the adverb here.