Learn Hardcore Hungarian: Bár a főnök fáradt, nem fejezi be korán a munkát. - Although the boss is tired, he does not finish work early.

Position: bár typically comes at the beginning of the subordinate clause:
Bár a főnök fáradt, ...
Comma: As in English, you usually write a comma between the bár‑clause and the main clause.
Clause order: You can also reverse the order:
A főnök nem fejezi be korán a munkát, bár fáradt.
→ The boss doesn’t finish work early, although he/she is tired.
Synonyms:
- habár – essentially the same as bár, a bit more formal or bookish.
- noha – also “although”, more literary.

In everyday speech, bár is very common for this “although” meaning.

Why is there no form of van (“to be”) in Bár a főnök fáradt?

Hungarian usually drops the present tense of “to be” (the verb van) in simple sentences with a 3rd‑person subject and a predicate adjective or noun.

So instead of:

✗ A főnök van fáradt. Hungarian says:
✓ A főnök fáradt. → The boss is tired.

This rule also applies inside the bár‑clause:

Bár a főnök fáradt, ...
literally “Although the boss tired, ...”

You only use van in the present tense if:

It’s in 1st or 2nd person (Én vagyok fáradt., Te vagy fáradt.), or
It has some special function (existence, location, emphasis, etc.).

So no visible “is” here is completely normal in Hungarian.

Why is it nem fejezi be and not nem befejezi?

The verb is befejez (“to finish, to complete”). In Hungarian, many verbs have a prefix (here be‑) that can move around.

In a simple, affirmative sentence, the prefix is usually attached directly to the verb:
- Korán befejezi a munkát.
  “He/She finishes the work early.”
In negation, the prefix typically separates from the verb and follows it:
- Nem fejezi be korán a munkát.
  literally “Not finishes (he/she) early the work.”

So:

✗ Nem befejezi korán a munkát. – ungrammatical in neutral speech.
✓ Nem fejezi be korán a munkát.

Rule of thumb: with nem, put nem before the conjugated verb, and then move the prefix after the verb (unless you have some special emphasis pattern).

Why fejezi and not fejez? What does that -i mean?

Hungarian verbs have two conjugations in the present tense:

Indefinite conjugation (used with no object or an indefinite object)
Definite conjugation (used with a definite object: a specific thing, the something, this/that something, a personal pronoun, etc.)

Here the object is a munkát (the work, in the accusative), which is definite, so we must use the definite form of the verb:

Indefinite: (ő) fejez be – “he/she finishes (something, not specified).”
Definite: (ő) fejezi be – “he/she finishes it / the work.”

Since the sentence refers to the work, we use:

nem fejezi be a munkát
not: nem fejez be a munkát

Why is it a munkát and not just munka?

Two things are happening:

Definite article:
a = the (before consonant sounds).
Here, a munka = the work (a specific work/job being talked about).
Accusative case:
When munka (“work, job”) is the direct object, it takes the -t ending:
- munka → munkát
  So a munkát = the work (as a direct object).

Putting it together:

nem fejezi be a munkát
→ “(he/she) does not finish the work.”

If you said nem fejezi be munka, it would be incorrect: the object needs the -t ending, and usually the article if it is definite.

How do we know the subject is “he/she” if there is no pronoun?

Hungarian is a pro‑drop language: it usually omits subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

The verb form here is fejezi:

3rd person singular, definite conjugation.

That tells us the subject is ő = he/she.

So:

Ő nem fejezi be korán a munkát.
and
Nem fejezi be korán a munkát.

mean the same. The ő is usually dropped unless you want to emphasize it:

Ő nem fejezi be korán a munkát, de én igen.
“He/She doesn’t finish work early, but I do.”

Why is korán placed there? Could we say nem fejezi be a munkát korán instead?

Both word orders are possible, but they have slightly different focus.

Nem fejezi be korán a munkát.
Neutral reading:
- “He/She doesn’t finish the work early.”
  The information is quite balanced; korán naturally sits in front of the object.
Nem fejezi be a munkát korán.
This is also grammatical, but it can sound a bit more like you’re adding “korán” as extra information at the end or contrasting it with some other time (“not early, but late”). Intonation matters.

In everyday speech, Nem fejezi be korán a munkát sounds like the most neutral, default order. Hungarian word order is flexible, but it often reflects emphasis and what is new information. Here korán is part of what we’re saying about that action, so putting it before the object is very natural.

What is the difference between korán and hamar?

Both can translate to “early” or “soon”, but there is a tendency:

korán
- often means early in time compared to some expected starting or ending point.
- e.g. Korán kelek. – “I get up early.”
hamar
- often means soon / in a short time / quickly (relative to now or to the start).
- e.g. Hamar befejezem. – “I’ll finish soon / quickly.”

In this sentence:

Nem fejezi be korán a munkát.
suggests “not earlier than usual / not at an early hour.”

If you said:

Nem fejezi be hamar a munkát.
that leans more towards “He/She doesn’t finish soon / quickly,” which is a bit different in nuance.

Why does nem come before the verb fejezi?

In a normal negative sentence, nem (not) almost always comes directly before the conjugated verb:

Nem fejezi be korán a munkát.
literally “Not finishes (he/she) early the work.”

If there’s a verb prefix (like be‑), negation normally splits the prefix off and places nem before the verb, as we saw:

Positive: Befejezi a munkát. – “He/She finishes the work.”
Negative: Nem fejezi be a munkát. – “He/She does not finish the work.”

So the basic pattern is:

nem + [conjugated verb] (+ separated prefix)

Can főnök be both male and female, or is it masculine?

Főnök is gender‑neutral in Hungarian.

a főnök – “the boss” (could be a man or a woman).

Hungarian does not mark grammatical gender on nouns or articles, and the 3rd‑person singular pronoun ő also covers both he and she. So you need context to know whether the boss is male or female.

Is the word order Bár a főnök fáradt, nem fejezi be korán a munkát the only correct one, or can I move the clauses around?

You can change the order of the clauses without changing the basic meaning:

Bár a főnök fáradt, nem fejezi be korán a munkát.
→ “Although the boss is tired, he/she doesn’t finish work early.”
A főnök nem fejezi be korán a munkát, bár fáradt.
→ “The boss doesn’t finish work early, although he/she is tired.”

Version 1 feels a bit more formal or literary, with the concession first.
Version 2 feels more like a statement followed by a conceding afterthought, similar to English:
“The boss doesn’t finish work early, though he’s tired.”

Both are correct; the difference is mostly style and emphasis.

The English translation often uses “doesn’t finish work early.” Why is Hungarian just using the present tense, not something like “is not finishing”?

Hungarian has only one present tense, and it covers several English present forms:

Nem fejezi be korán a munkát. can mean:
- “He/She does not finish work early.” (habitual)
- “He/She is not finishing work early (today/now).” (context‑dependent)

Context (time expressions, surrounding sentences) tells you whether it’s about habit, routine, or a specific situation. You don’t change the verb form for this; the same present tense form fejezi is used in all these cases.