Question 1

What is the purpose of the word azt here? Is it necessary?

Accepted Answer

In A férfi azt gondolja, hogy…, the azt is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that,” used as a placeholder object for the hogy-clause that follows. It makes the sentence flow naturally and helps trigger the verb’s definite conjugation.
- You can usually omit it: A férfi gondolja, hogy a film hosszú. This is also correct; with many verbs of saying/thinking, both versions are common.
- Keeping azt is very idiomatic, especially in speech, and can also help with emphasis or clarity.

Question 2

Why is it gondolja and not gondol?

Accepted Answer

Hungarian has two present-tense conjugations: indefinite and definite. Verbs that take a hogy-clause as their object use the definite conjugation. So:
- 3sg indefinite: gondol (thinks [something unspecified])
- 3sg definite: gondolja (thinks it/that…)
Because the object is definite (the content clause), you must say gondolja: A férfi (azt) gondolja, hogy…

Question 3

Can I drop hogy like in English “He thinks the film is long”?

Accepted Answer

Generally, no. After verbs of saying/thinking, Hungarian normally requires hogy to introduce the content clause: …gondolja, hogy… Omitting hogy is nonstandard except in special stylistic contexts (e.g., direct speech: Mondja: A film hosszú.). Stick with hogy.

Question 4

Why is there no van in a film hosszú?

Accepted Answer

In present-tense 3rd person, the copula van is omitted when the predicate is a noun or an adjective:
- A film hosszú. = The film is long.
For negation, you still don’t use van; just add nem: A film nem hosszú. Use van/nincs with existence/location: A film a moziban van. / A film nincs itt.

Question 5

Why is there a comma before hogy?

Accepted Answer

Hungarian punctuation normally puts a comma before hogy when it introduces a following subordinate clause: …gondolja, hogy… If the hogy-clause comes first, you usually don’t put a comma after it.

Question 6

What’s the difference between a, az, and azt in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

- a/az are the definite article “the” (a before consonants: a film; az before vowels: az ember).
- azt here is not the article; it’s the demonstrative pronoun az (“that”) in accusative case (-t). It functions as “that (thing)” and stands in for the clause: azt gondolja, hogy…

Question 7

Does a mean “a/an” here? How would I say “A man thinks…”?

Accepted Answer

No. a/az mean “the.” To say “a/an,” use egy:
- A férfi… = The man…
- Egy férfi… = A man…

Question 8

Why is the object before the verb (azt gondolja), not after (gondolja azt)?

Accepted Answer

Neutral Hungarian places the (unstressed) object immediately before the finite verb: azt gondolja. Putting it after the verb (gondolja azt) is possible but non-neutral; it typically signals emphasis or a different information structure. For learners, keep the neutral order: A férfi azt gondolja, hogy…

Question 9

Can I front other parts for emphasis, like Azt gondolja a férfi, hogy…?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Azt gondolja a férfi, hogy… puts strong emphasis on the object (“What the man thinks is that…”). Word order in Hungarian encodes information structure (focus). The most neutral version for this sentence is still A férfi azt gondolja, hogy…

Question 10

Can I say hogy hosszú a film instead of hogy a film hosszú?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Both are grammatical:
- …hogy a film hosszú. (neutral)
- …hogy hosszú a film. (slight emphasis on “long” as the key information)
The difference is subtle; beginners can use the neutral order.

Question 11

How do I say “the films are long” in the clause?

Accepted Answer

Make the noun plural and mark the predicate adjective as plural:
- A férfi azt gondolja, hogy a filmek hosszúak.
Predicate adjectives typically take a plural ending (-ak/-ek/-ok) with a plural subject in such sentences.

Question 12

How do I pronounce the tricky bits (s, sz, gy, long vowels)?

Accepted Answer

- s = “sh” (English shoe); sz = “s” (see). So hosszú ≈ “hos-su,” with a long final ú.
- gy ≈ a soft “dy” (like “du” in “would you” said quickly): hogy ≈ “hodj.”
- Accented vowels (á, é, í, ó, ú, ő, ű) are long. Stress is always on the first syllable: A FÉR-fi AZT GON-dol-ja, HO-gy a FILM HOSSZ-Ú.

Question 13

Can I replace a film with a pronoun inside the clause (it)?

Accepted Answer

If context makes the subject obvious, Hungarian often omits it: …hogy hosszú. You can say …hogy az hosszú (“that it is long”), but without contrast it sounds redundant. Use az for contrast/emphasis: …hogy AZ hosszú, nem ez.

Question 14

What’s the difference between gondolja and hiszi? What about úgy gondolja?

Accepted Answer

- gondolja = “thinks, considers” (an opinion, often reasoned).
- hiszi = “believes” (more about belief/assumption).
Both take hogy: Azt gondolja/hiszi, hogy…
- úgy gondolja literally “thinks so/in that way,” and is very common: A férfi úgy gondolja, hogy a film hosszú. It’s essentially the same meaning as azt gondolja in this context.

Question 15

How do I negate it?

Accepted Answer

Negate inside the hogy-clause with nem:
- A férfi azt gondolja, hogy a film nem hosszú.
Don’t use nincs here (it negates van, which is not used with predicate adjectives in the present 3rd person).

Question 16

How do I put it in the past or future?

Accepted Answer

- Past: A férfi azt gondolta, hogy a film hosszú.
- Future: A férfi azt fogja gondolni, hogy a film hosszú. (Periphrastic future with fog + infinitive is natural here.)

Question 17

Should I ever use legyen (subjunctive) here?

Accepted Answer

Not with gondolja. Subjunctive legyen appears with wishes/requests:
- Wish: Azt szeretné, hogy a film hosszú legyen.
- Thought/opinion (indicative): Azt gondolja, hogy a film hosszú.

A férfi azt gondolja, hogy a film hosszú.

Breakdown of A férfi azt gondolja, hogy a film hosszú.

Questions & Answers about A férfi azt gondolja, hogy a film hosszú.

More from this lesson

Master Hungarian — from A férfi azt gondolja, hogy a film hosszú to fluency