Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A tanár délután befejezi a munkát az irodában, és újra elmegy sportolni. - In the afternoon the teacher finishes work in the office and goes to do sports again.

Time words like ma (today), holnap (tomorrow), délután (in the afternoon), este (in the evening) usually appear without an article when used in this general adverbial sense:

Holnap dolgozom. – I work tomorrow.
Este tanulok. – I study in the evening.

Why is munkát and not munka used? What does the -t mean?

The -t ending marks the accusative case — the direct object of the verb.

munka = work (noun, base form)
munkát = work as a direct object → the work / (his) work (that is being done / finished)

Here:

befejezi a munkát
- befejezi – he/she finishes (it)
- a munkát – the work (direct object)

So munkát = the work as something being acted on (finished). Without -t, it wouldn’t be grammatically correct in this position.

Why is it befejezi, not just befejez?

Hungarian verbs have two main conjugations:

indefinite conjugation (no specific, definite object)
definite conjugation (with a definite object: the work, it, that thing, etc.)

The base verb is befejez = to finish.

befejez (3rd person, indefinite: he finishes something, not specified)
befejezi (3rd person, definite: he finishes a specific thing)

In the sentence, there is a definite object:

a munkát = the work

Because of this, the verb must take the definite form:

A tanár befejezi a munkát. – The teacher finishes the work.

If there were no definite object, you’d see befejez:

A tanár délután befejez. – grammatically possible but odd; means something like The teacher finishes (up) in the afternoon, with no clear object.

What does the prefix be- in befejezi mean? Is it like English be-?

The Hungarian be- here is a verbal prefix (preverb), not related to the English be- prefix.

fejez by itself doesn’t really appear as a standalone verb in modern standard Hungarian (it exists in some fixed phrases and dialects).
befejez is the common verb meaning to finish, to complete.

So be- in befejez/befejezi is part of the dictionary verb befejez, not something you typically separate or interpret literally like in or into (although historically it’s related to “into, in”).

Treat befejez as one unit meaning to finish.

Why do we say az irodában and not a irodában? What does -ban / -ben do?

Two points here:

a / az:
- a is used before consonants: a tanár
- az is used before vowels: az iroda

So we say az iroda (the office), therefore also az irodában.

-ban / -ben ending:
This is the inessive case, meaning “in” a place.

iroda = office
irodában = in the office

So:

az irodában = in the office

You don’t use a separate preposition like English in; the idea of in is in the -ban/-ben ending.

What’s the function of újra here, and where can it appear in the sentence?

újra means “again”.

In the sentence:

…és újra elmegy sportolni. = and (he) goes again to do sports.

Typical positions for újra:

Before the verb (very common):
- Újra elmegy sportolni.
Between a verbal prefix and the verb (less common, often gives extra emphasis):
- e.g. el újra megy – possible, but sounds more marked / poetic.
Before the infinitive in some structures, but here újra clearly modifies elmegy, not sportolni.

So the neutral, natural place is before the main verb:
újra elmegy sportolni.

Why is it elmegy sportolni and not just sportol?

Both are correct but have different nuances.

sportol = to do sports, to exercise (general activity)
- A tanár délután sportol. – The teacher does sports in the afternoon.
elmegy sportolni = literally he goes away to do sports
- Emphasizes the movement: the teacher goes somewhere in order to do sports.
- Often implies leaving the current place (e.g. leaving the office or home).

So in the full sentence:

…befejezi a munkát az irodában, és újra elmegy sportolni.
→ He finishes work in the office and then goes (off) to exercise again.

It highlights the sequence: finish work → leave and go do sports.

What does el- in elmegy mean?

el- is another verbal prefix (preverb). With megy (to go), it has the sense of going away / off (from here).

megy = goes
elmegy = goes away / goes off / leaves (to go somewhere)

In elmegy sportolni, the idea is:

he goes (away) in order to do sports.

So el- adds the sense of departing from the current place.

Why is sportolni in this form? What does the -ni ending mean?

The -ni ending marks the infinitive in Hungarian (similar to English to do, to see, to eat).

sportol = (he) does sports / (he) exercises
sportolni = to do sports, to exercise

With verbs like megy (to go), Hungarian often uses megy + infinitive to mean go to do something:

elmegy vásárolni – he goes (away) to shop
elmegy tanulni – he goes (away) to study
elmegy sportolni – he goes (away) to do sports

So sportolni is the “to do sports” form used after megy/elmegy.

Why do we say A tanár délután befejezi a munkát az irodában in this word order? Could we move the time and place around?

Hungarian word order is quite flexible, but the default neutral order for simple sentences is often:

Subject – Time – Verb – Object – Place – (Other)

In your sentence:

A tanár (subject)
délután (time)
befejezi (verb)
a munkát (object)
az irodában (place)

→ A tanár délután befejezi a munkát az irodában.

You can change the order, but it affects emphasis. For example:

Délután a tanár befejezi a munkát az irodában.
– Emphasizes in the afternoon.
Az irodában a tanár délután befejezi a munkát.
– Emphasizes in the office as the context.

The original order is a natural, neutral way to say it.

Why isn’t ő (he/she) used? How do we know who is doing the actions?

Hungarian is a pro-drop language: subject pronouns (én, te, ő, mi, ti, ők) are often left out because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

befejezi and elmegy are both 3rd person singular.
We also have A tanár – the teacher – as the subject noun.

So:

A tanár … befejezi a munkát … és újra elmegy sportolni.

We don’t need ő (he/she). It would sound strange to add it:

✗ A tanár ő délután befejezi… – incorrect / unnatural.

You only use ő if you really want to contrast or emphasize:

Ő fejezi be a munkát, nem a diák. – HE is the one who finishes the work, not the student.

Could you translate the sentence very literally to see the structure?

A word-for-word style gloss (not good English, but shows structure):

A tanár – the teacher
délután – afternoon-when (in the afternoon)
befejezi – finishes-it (3rd person, definite)
a munkát – the work-ACC (the work as object)
az irodában – in-the office-IN
és – and
újra – again
elmegy – away-goes
sportolni – to-do-sport (infinitive)

Putting that together:

“The teacher in-the-afternoon finishes-it the work in-the-office, and again away-goes to-do-sport.”

Which corresponds to natural English:

“In the afternoon, the teacher finishes work in the office and goes to do sports again.”