A nő szereti őt.

The woman loves him/her.

Breakdown of A nő szereti őt.

• szeretni: to love
• nő: the woman
• őt: him/her

Questions & Answers about A nő szereti őt.

What does the article A mean, and when do I use a vs az?

A means the. Use:

• a before a consonant: a nő (the woman)
• az before a vowel sound: az alma (the apple), az igazság (the truth)

So A nő is correct because nő starts with the consonant sound n.

Why does the verb appear as szereti instead of szeret?

Hungarian has two conjugations for transitive verbs:

• Indefinite: used when there is no specific/definite object.
• Definite: used when the object is specific/definite.

Because the object is the definite pronoun őt, the verb must be in definite conjugation: szereti. Compare:

• Ő szeret. = He/She loves/likes (in general; no specific object)
• Ő szereti Pétert / őt / az almát. = He/She loves Peter / him/her / the apple

What exactly does őt mean, and why is there a -t on it?

Őt is the object form of ő (he/she). The -t is the accusative ending that marks direct objects. So:

• ő = he/she (subject)
• őt = him/her (object)

Note the long vowel ő (double acute). Be careful: öt (short ö) means the number five, while őt (long ő) means him/her.

Can I leave out őt?

Yes. Hungarian frequently drops object pronouns when they’re obvious from context. With a definite verb, A nő szereti already implies “The woman loves him/her/it” (some specific, known object). Contrast:

• A nő szereti. = The woman loves (that specific person/thing). Context must tell you who/what.
• A nő szeret. = The woman loves/likes (in general), or “The woman likes to …” when followed by an infinitive (e.g., A nő szeret táncolni = The woman likes to dance).

Does őt mean “him” or “her”?

Both. Hungarian personal pronouns don’t mark gender. Ő/őt covers he/him and she/her. To make gender explicit, use a noun or name:

• A nő szereti a férfit. = The woman loves the man (him).
• A nő szereti a nőt. = The woman loves the woman (her).
• A nő szereti Pétert / Annát.

How flexible is the word order? Can I say Őt szereti a nő or A nő őt szereti?

Hungarian word order is flexible and used for emphasis (focus). The focused element sits immediately before the verb.

• Neutral: A nő szereti őt. (no special emphasis)
• Focus on the object:
  
  • A nő őt szereti. = It is him/her that the woman loves (not someone else).
  • Őt szereti a nő. = It is him/her that the woman loves (subject after the verb).
• If you front the noun object with -t: A nőt szereti (a férfi). = It is the woman (as opposed to someone else) whom he/the man loves.

Remember: roles are determined by case endings (e.g., -t), not by position.

How do I know who is the subject and who is the object here?

By morphology:

• A nő has no -t, so it’s the subject (nominative).
• őt has the accusative -t, so it’s the direct object. If you changed it to A nőt, that would be the object: A nőt szereti (a férfi).

Why can’t I say A nő szeret őt?

Because a 3rd‑person definite object (like őt) requires the verb in definite conjugation. You must say A nő szereti őt.
Exception to note: with 1st/2nd‑person objects (me/you), Hungarian typically uses the indefinite conjugation (see next question).

What happens with first‑ and second‑person objects (me/you)?

• With a 3rd‑person subject and 1st/2nd‑person object, use the indefinite form:
  
  • Ő szeret engem / téged. (not: ✗szereti engem/ téged)
• With a 1st‑person singular subject and 2nd‑person object, use the special -lak/-lek ending:
  
  • Szeretlek (téged). = I love you.
• With 3rd‑person objects (him/her/them), use definite:
  
  • Ő szereti őt / őket.

How do I negate this sentence?

Place nem before the verb:

• A nő nem szereti őt. = The woman does not love him/her. For focused negation of the object:
• Őt nem szereti a nő. = It’s not him/her that the woman loves.

Does szeret mean “love” or “like”?

Both, depending on context. Alternatives:

• imád = adore (stronger than love): A nő imádja őt.
• kedvel = like (more neutral): A nő kedveli őt. You can intensify: nagyon szereti = loves very much.

How do I say “The woman loves you,” informally vs formally?

• Informal you (singular): A nő szeret téged. (indefinite verb with 2nd‑person object)
• Formal you (singular): A nő szereti Önt. (definite verb; Ön/Önt is grammatically 3rd person)
• Informal you (plural): A nő szeret titeket.
• Formal you (plural): A nő szereti Önöket.

How do I say “The woman loves it”?

Use the demonstrative pronoun for inanimate objects: azt.

• A nő szereti azt. = The woman loves/likes that/it. Often you just say A nő szereti if the referent is clear. Őt is generally for persons (and sometimes animals treated like persons).

How do I ask this as a yes/no question?

Use question intonation (no extra word needed):

• A nő szereti őt? = Does the woman love him/her? You can also front focus for emphasis: Őt szereti a nő?
  Tag question: A nő szereti őt, ugye? = The woman loves him/her, right?

How do I put it in the past or future?

• Past: A nő szerette őt.
• Future with the auxiliary fog: A nő szeretni fogja őt.
  The auxiliary carries the definite conjugation (fogja) when there’s a definite object.

How do I pronounce the long ő in nő/őt?

It’s a long front rounded vowel, similar to French eu in deux, but longer. Spell it with the double acute: ő.

• nő ≈ [nøː]
• őt ≈ [øːt]
  Stress in Hungarian is always on the first syllable: SZE-re-ti.

How do I say “The woman loves them”?

A nő szereti őket.
Here őket = them (object), and the verb is definite because the object is definite and 3rd person plural.

I’ve heard őtet. Is that correct?

Őtet is common in some dialects and colloquial speech, but the standard form is őt. Use őt in formal or written Hungarian.