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Az ajtó nyitva van, de az út hosszú.

Az ajtó nyitva van, de az út hosszú.
The door is open, but the road is long.

Breakdown of Az ajtó nyitva van, de az út hosszú.

lenni
to be
nyitva
open
de
but
hosszú
long
ajtó
the door
út
the road
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Questions & Answers about Az ajtó nyitva van, de az út hosszú.

Why is van used in the first clause but not in the second?
  • In Hungarian, the verb van (to be) is usually omitted in the present tense when the predicate is a noun or adjective: Az út hosszú (“The road is long”).
  • But you must use van when the predicate is a place, state, or adverb-like word such as itt (here), otthon (at home), kész (ready), nyitva (open): Az ajtó nyitva van.
  • That’s why you have nyitva van in the first clause, but no van in az út hosszú.
Could I say Az ajtó nyitott instead of Az ajtó nyitva van?
  • You can, but it’s not the default way to say a door is currently open.
  • nyitva (van) expresses a temporary state “open (right now).”
  • nyitott is an adjective meaning “opened/open” and is natural before nouns (nyitott ajtó “an open door”), or for figurative meanings (nyitott ember “an open-minded person”).
  • As a predicate about a physical door, nyitva van is the most idiomatic.
What part of speech is nyitva? Why doesn’t it agree or take plural endings?
  • nyitva functions like a state adverb; it does not inflect for number or gender.
  • Therefore, you never say “nyitvák/nyitvák” etc. It stays nyitva regardless of the subject.
  • Compare: Az ajtók nyitva vannak (the doors are open) — nyitva stays the same; the verb agrees: vannak.
Why is there a comma before de?
  • In Hungarian, a comma is required before de (“but”) when it connects clauses.
  • So: Az ajtó nyitva van, de az út hosszú. The comma would be incorrect to omit here.
Why is the article az (and not a) used before ajtó and út?
  • Hungarian uses a before consonant-initial words and az before vowel-initial words.
  • ajtó and út both begin with vowels, so you use az: az ajtó, az út.
  • Note: az can also be the demonstrative “that,” but here it’s just the definite article “the.”
Can I drop the article and say just … de út hosszú?
  • No. With a specific, countable noun like út you normally need the definite article (az), unless you’re making a generic/bare statement in a special context.
  • Keep az: … de az út hosszú.
Can I change the word order to Nyitva van az ajtó, de hosszú az út? Does it change the meaning?
  • Yes, that word order is correct.
  • Hungarian uses topic–comment structure and word order to manage emphasis.
  • Az ajtó nyitva van… treats “the door” as the topic. Nyitva van az ajtó… puts more emphasis on the state “is open.”
  • Similarly, hosszú az út emphasizes “long,” while az út hosszú is more neutral.
Is Az ajtó nyitva (without van) acceptable?
  • Standard grammar expects van with nyitva. So Az ajtó nyitva van is the neutral, correct form.
  • In very colloquial speech or in notices/signs you may see or hear Nyitva or even Az ajtó nyitva, but treat that as elliptical style, not the default.
How do I pronounce the sentence?
  • Stress is always on the first syllable in Hungarian.
  • Rough guide:
    • Az: “oz”
    • ajtó: “AHY-toe” (j = English y)
    • nyitva: “NYIT-vah” (ny = Spanish ñ in “señor”)
    • de: “deh”
    • az út: “oz oot” (ú is a long “oo”)
    • hosszú: “HOS-soo” (sz = English s; long “oo” at the end)
  • Note: Hungarian sz = English “s”; Hungarian s = English “sh”.
How would I say the plural: “The doors are open, but the roads are long”?
  • Az ajtók nyitva vannak, de az utak hosszúak.
  • Plural points:
    • The verb agrees: vannak for plural with nyitva.
    • Predicative adjectives take plural: hosszúak.
    • nyitva itself does not change.
How do I make the sentence negative?
  • Az ajtó nincs nyitva, de az út nem hosszú.
  • Use nincs (not “nem van”) to negate where van would appear (states/locations): nincs nyitva.
  • Use nem with adjectives where van is omitted: nem hosszú.
  • Plural: Az ajtók nincsenek nyitva, de az utak nem hosszúak.
Does út mean only “road,” or can it also mean “way/journey”?
  • út can mean road, way, route, or journey, depending on context.
  • Hosszú az út can be literal (“the road is long”) or figurative (“there’s a long way to go”).
  • For “trip/journey” as an event, utazás is often used.
Are there alternatives to de for “but”?
  • Yes:
    • viszont ≈ “however/on the other hand” (usually after a comma): … , viszont …
    • azonban ≈ “however,” a bit more formal: … , azonban …
    • ám is literary.
    • mégis ≈ “nevertheless,” often changes nuance.
  • Avoid the colloquial redundancy de viszont in careful writing.
Do I have to write the accents in ajtó, út, hosszú?
  • Yes, accents indicate vowel length and are part of correct spelling: ó, ú are long vowels.
  • Omitting accents can change pronunciation and sometimes meaning. Write hosszú, not “hosszu”; út, not “ut.”
Why are there no case endings here? When would I add them?
  • Subjects and predicative adjectives in simple “A is B” sentences appear in the base (nominative) form: Az út hosszú.
  • You add case endings when expressing relations like location or direction:
    • az úton (on the road), az útra (onto the road), az útról (off the road).
  • With locations, you also use van: A könyv az asztalon van (“The book is on the table”).