Breakdown of Én tudom, hogy a könyvtárban mindig csend van.
lenni
to be
én
I
könyvtár
the library
tudni
to know
mindig
always
-ban
in
csend
the silence
hogy
that
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Questions & Answers about Én tudom, hogy a könyvtárban mindig csend van.
Do I have to say Én, or can I drop it?
You can drop it. Hungarian is a pro‑drop language, so Tudom, hogy a könyvtárban mindig csend van is the neutral version. Keeping Én adds emphasis to the subject: “I (as opposed to others) know.”
Why is it tudom and not tudok?
Because the verb tud takes definite conjugation when it has a definite object, and a hogy‑clause counts as a definite object. Hence tudom. Use tudok when there’s no object or with an infinitive (ability): Tudok úszni “I can swim,” or with an indefinite object: Tudok valamit “I know something.” With a specific fact: Tudom a választ “I know the answer.”
Can I omit hogy, like in English “I know the library is always quiet”?
No. In standard Hungarian you need hogy to introduce a finite subordinate clause: Tudom, hogy …. You can also say Azt tudom, hogy …, where azt correlates with the hogy‑clause for emphasis, but you shouldn’t drop hogy.
Why is there a comma before hogy?
Hungarian punctuation requires a comma before hogy when it introduces a subordinate clause. So Tudom, hogy … is the standard spelling.
What does the ending ‑ban in könyvtárban mean?
It’s the inessive case, meaning “in/inside.” Könyvtár = “library,” könyvtárban = “in the library.” Hungarian expresses many locations with case endings rather than separate prepositions.
Why is it ‑ban and not ‑ben?
Vowel harmony. Words containing any back vowel (a, á, o, ó, u, ú) take back‑vowel suffixes, so ‑ban. Könyvtár has a back vowel á, so it takes ‑ban, even though it also has the front vowel ö.
Why is it csend van and not csendes?
Csend is a noun (“silence”), so csend van literally says “there is silence.” Csendes is an adjective (“quiet”) and describes a noun: A könyvtár csendes “The library is quiet.” Both can convey similar ideas, but csend van presents a situation/state in a location, while csendes attributes a property to the subject.
I learned that van is often dropped in the present tense—why do we keep it here?
The zero‑copula rule (dropping van in 3rd person present) applies mainly to simple predicative sentences with nouns/adjectives, e.g. A könyvtár csendes. Here we have an existential/locative statement: (A könyvtárban) csend van “there is silence (in the library),” and existential van is not dropped.
Why does van come at the end of the clause: mindig csend van?
Hungarian orders elements by topic and focus. In neutral existential sentences like this, the location (a könyvtárban) often comes first as topic, then the quantifier (mindig), then the predicate noun (csend), and the verb van tends to come late. Variants like Mindig csend van a könyvtárban are also perfectly natural; they shift what’s in topic position.
Could I change the order to Tudom, hogy mindig csend van a könyvtárban?
Yes. That’s fully grammatical and natural. Putting a könyvtárban first makes the place the topic; placing it later keeps the focus on the “always quiet” part.
Where should mindig go?
Put mindig immediately before what it quantifies. Here it modifies the state csend van, so mindig csend van is the default. With verbs, it typically precedes the verb: Mindig kések “I’m always late.” To say “not always,” use nem mindig: Nem mindig csend van a könyvtárban.
Why not say csendes van?
Adjectives don’t take van in 3rd‑person present. You either omit the copula with an adjective (A könyvtár csendes) or use a noun + van (csend van). So csendes van is ungrammatical.
Do I need the article a before könyvtárban?
Yes, Hungarian typically uses the definite article in cases where English might omit it. A könyvtárban = “in the library.” For a general statement about libraries, you’d usually pluralize: A könyvtárakban általában csend van “In libraries, there is usually silence.”
What’s the difference between tud and ismer for “to know”?
Use tud for facts, information, or knowing how: Tudom, hogy …, Tudok úszni. Use ismer for being acquainted with people/places/things: Ismerem Pétert “I know Peter,” Ismerem ezt a könyvtárat “I know this library.”
Can I say Azt tudom, hogy a könyvtárban mindig csend van?
Yes. Azt is a demonstrative that anticipates the hogy‑clause and adds emphasis: “That I do know, that in the library it’s always quiet.” It can sound a bit more contrastive or emphatic than the version without azt.
Does csend take an article? Why not egy csend?
Normally no article: csend van is idiomatic and treats csend like a mass noun. Egy csend is rare and would be stylistic/poetic. You can modify it with adjectives: mély csend van “there is deep silence.”
If I move mindig to the main clause—Én mindig tudom, hogy…—does the meaning change?
Yes. Én mindig tudom, hogy a könyvtárban csend van means “I always know that the library is quiet.” In the original, mindig scopes over the state in the library (“it’s always quiet there”), not over your knowing.
How do I pronounce könyvtárban?
Stress the first syllable: KÖNYV‑tár‑ban. Tips:
- ö like the vowel in French “peu.”
- ny like Spanish ñ.
- á is a long “a” as in “father.”
- The cluster nyv is pronounced smoothly: the v is clearly heard.