A tanár lát engem.

The teacher sees me.

Breakdown of A tanár lát engem.

• tanár: the teacher
• látni: to see
• engem: me

Questions & Answers about A tanár lát engem.

Why is it lát, not látja?

Hungarian has two transitive verb conjugations:

• Indefinite (used with no object, an indefinite object, or a 1st/2nd person object pronoun like engem, téged, minket, titeket).
• Definite (used when the direct object is a specific 3rd‑person thing: a proper noun, a noun with the definite article or a demonstrative, or őt/őket).

Because engem is a 1st‑person object pronoun, the verb stays in the indefinite conjugation: A tanár lát engem.
Compare: A tanár látja a kutyát. / A tanár látja őt.

Can I say A tanár látja engem?

No. With 1st/2nd‑person object pronouns (engem, téged, minket, titeket), standard Hungarian uses the indefinite form: A tanár lát engem, not látja engem.

Can I omit engem?

Usually no. A tanár lát would mean “The teacher sees (in general/has vision)” or “The teacher sees [someone],” without specifying “me.” The verb ending does not tell you the object here.
Only in very specific contexts can you drop the object (e.g., answering a question: Kit lát a tanár? – Engem.).
Note: with a 1st‑person singular subject seeing a 2nd‑person object, the verb can mark the object: Látlak = “I see you.” That’s a different pattern.

What’s the difference between A tanár lát engem, A tanár engem lát, and Engem lát a tanár?

• A tanár lát engem. Neutral, no special emphasis: “The teacher sees me.”
• A tanár engem lát. Focus on engem: “It’s me (not someone else) that the teacher sees.”
• Engem lát a tanár. Also focuses engem by putting it right before the verb: “It’s me that the teacher sees.” (Subject follows the verb.)

Where does negation go?

Negation particle nem goes before the verb:

• A tanár nem lát engem. = “The teacher doesn’t see me.”

To negate specifically “me” (contrastive):

• Nem engem lát a tanár. = “It’s not me that the teacher sees.”
• A tanár engem nem lát. = “The teacher doesn’t see me (though maybe others).”

How do I ask a yes–no question?

Keep the same word order and use rising intonation:

• A tanár lát engem? – “Does the teacher see me?”
  Yes: Igen. No: Nem.

If you want to emphasize “me” in the question:

• Engem lát a tanár?

What case is engem, and how are objects marked in general?

engem is the accusative (direct object) form of én (“I”).
For nouns, the accusative usually takes -t: a tanárt, a kutyát, a lányt.
Accusative personal pronouns:

• én → engem
• te → téged
• ő → őt
• mi → minket
• ti → titeket
• ők → őket

Can I use engemet instead of engem?

Yes. Engemet is an emphatic/long form, used especially for contrast: Nem engemet lát, hanem téged. In neutral sentences engem is more common.

How would it change with “him/her/them”?

Use definite conjugation with 3rd‑person objects:

• A tanár látja őt. = “The teacher sees him/her.”
• A tanár látja őket. = “The teacher sees them.”
  Often the pronoun can be dropped if context is clear: A tanár látja.

How do I say “The teacher sees you/us”?

Keep the indefinite conjugation with 2nd/1st‑person objects:

• A tanár lát téged. / A tanár téged lát.
• A tanár lát titeket. / A tanár titeket lát.
• A tanár lát minket. / A tanár minket lát.

What’s the difference between lát and néz?

• lát = “to see” (perception, not necessarily intentional).
• néz = “to look (at), watch” (intentional action).
  Examples: A tanár lát engem. (“The teacher sees me.”) vs A tanár engem néz. (“The teacher is looking at me.”)

Why is the article A used here, and when do I use Az or egy?

Hungarian uses the definite article for specific nouns.

• A before a consonant sound: A tanár (“the teacher”).
• Az before a vowel sound: Az orvos (“the doctor”).
  Indefinite article: egy – Egy tanár lát engem. = “A (some) teacher sees me.”

How do I pronounce the sentence?

• Stress is on the first syllable of each word.
• A tanár: TA-nar (roll the r); á is a long “a” like in “father.”
• lát: long á again (laat).
• engem: EN-gem (short vowels).
  Together: “A TA-nár laat EN-gem.”

How do I say it in the past or future?

• Past (indefinite): A tanár látott engem. = “The teacher saw me.”
• Future (auxiliary fog
  • infinitive): A tanár látni fog engem. = “The teacher will see me.”
    For a “catch sight (once)” nuance, Hungarian often uses the perfective verb meglát: A tanár meg fog látni engem.