Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A tanár levelet küld a diáknak. - The teacher sends a letter to the student.

levelet
- base form: levél = letter
- -t = accusative ending (direct object)
- levelet = letter as a direct object (“a letter”)
diáknak
- base form: diák = student
- -nak = dative ending (indirect object = “to/for someone”)
- diáknak = to the student

So Hungarian uses endings instead of extra words like “to” and strict word order to show who does what to whom.

How do I know when to use -nak and when to use -nek?

-nak / -nek is the same dative ending; it just changes shape because of vowel harmony.

After back vowels (a, á, o, ó, u, ú) → use -nak
- diák → diáknak
- tanár → tanárnak
After front vowels (e, é, i, í, ö, ő, ü, ű) → use -nek
- gyerek → gyereknek (child → to the child)
- nő → nőnek (woman → to the woman)

Since diák has á (a back vowel), it takes -nak → diáknak.

Why is it levelet and not just levél in this sentence?

Because levél is the direct object of the verb küld (“sends”), it must be in the accusative case, marked by -t.

basic form: levél = letter
accusative: levelet = (a) letter (as something being sent)

There is also a small vowel change: the long é shortens and an extra e appears: levél → levelet. This kind of stem change is irregular but common with some words; the key point is that -t marks it as the object.

Why is levelet indefinite while A tanár and a diáknak are definite?

In this sentence:

A tanár = the teacher (a specific teacher)
a diáknak = to the student (a specific student)
levelet = a letter (some letter, not specified which one)

Hungarian shows definiteness mainly with the articles:

a / az = the (definite)
egy = a/an (indefinite, often omitted)

Here the speaker clearly has specific people in mind (the teacher, the student), but the letter is not specified, so it’s indefinite. That’s why there is no article in front of levelet and the verb uses the indefinite form küld, not küldi.

Could the sentence be A tanár a levelet küldi a diáknak? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

A tanár levelet küld a diáknak.
→ The teacher sends a letter to the student. (letter not specified)
A tanár a levelet küldi a diáknak.
→ The teacher is sending the letter to the student. (a specific letter, known in context)

Two main changes:

The object becomes definite: levelet → a levelet.
The verb must switch to definite conjugation: küld → küldi.

Hungarian verb forms change depending on whether the direct object is definite or indefinite.

Why is the word order A tanár levelet küld a diáknak and not exactly like English “The teacher sends a letter to the student”?

Hungarian word order is more flexible than English and is driven mainly by information structure and emphasis, not just by grammatical roles.

A neutral version that simply tells you what happens is:

A tanár levelet küld a diáknak.
(Topic: A tanár; Focus+verb: levelet küld; then a diáknak as the “rest”)

This is roughly “The teacher sends a letter to the student,” but Hungarian doesn’t have to keep object and indirect object in the same order as English does. If you change the order, you usually change what is being emphasized, not the basic meaning.

Can I move the words around? For example: A tanár a diáknak levelet küld or Levelet küld a tanár a diáknak?

Yes, several orders are possible, with slightly different emphasis:

A tanár levelet küld a diáknak.
Neutral: just saying what the teacher does.
A tanár a diáknak levelet küld.
Slight emphasis on a diáknak: it is to the student (as opposed to someone else) that he sends a letter.
Levelet küld a tanár a diáknak.
Emphasis on Levelet: it’s a letter that the teacher sends to the student (and not something else, like an email).

The basic roles don’t change, but in Hungarian the pre-verbal position (just before the verb) is the main focus position, so moving things there changes what you highlight.

Why is there no word for “he” or “she”? Could I say Ő a tanár levelet küld a diáknak?

Hungarian usually drops subject pronouns (like “he, she, it”) because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

küld = he/she/it sends
küldök = I send
küldünk = we send

So A tanár levelet küld a diáknak is enough; it clearly means “the teacher sends a letter to the student.”

You can say Ő küld levelet a diáknak = “He/She is the one sending a letter to the student,” but that puts focus on Ő (it’s he/she, not someone else).
Ő a tanár levelet küld a diáknak is not a correct neutral sentence.

What tense is küld? Is it like “is sending” or “will send”?

küld here is present tense, 3rd person singular, indefinite.

Depending on context, Hungarian simple present can express:

a general/habitual action:
- A tanár levelet küld a diáknak.
  → The teacher (usually/regularly) sends a letter to the student.
an action happening now (if the context makes that clear):
→ The teacher is sending a letter to the student.

For a clear future, Hungarian often uses a time expression (e.g. holnap = tomorrow) or fog (the auxiliary for future):

Holnap levelet fog küldeni a diáknak.
→ Tomorrow he/she will send a letter to the student.

Could I say this without the article, like Tanár levelet küld diáknak?

You can, but the meaning changes:

A tanár levelet küld a diáknak.
→ The teacher sends a letter to the student. (both specific)
Tanár levelet küld diáknak.
→ A teacher sends a letter to a student. (more general/indefinite, sounds like part of a description or headline)

Hungarian articles (a/az, egy) are important for marking whether people/things are specific or general/indefinite, much like “the” vs “a” in English.

How would I say it with plurals, like “The teachers send letters to the students”?

You need to make each part plural:

tanár → tanárok (teachers)
levél → levelek (letters) → accusative: leveleket
diák → diákok → dative plural: diákoknak
küld → küldenek (3rd person plural, indefinite)

So:

A tanárok leveleket küldenek a diákoknak.
→ The teachers send letters to the students.

How do I say the negative, like “The teacher does not send a letter to the student”?

To negate a verb in Hungarian, you normally use nem before the verb (and you keep all the same endings):

A tanár levelet küld a diáknak.
→ The teacher sends a letter to the student.
A tanár nem küld levelet a diáknak.
→ The teacher does not send a letter to the student.

If the object is definite:

A tanár a levelet küldi a diáknak.
→ The teacher is sending the letter to the student.
A tanár nem a levelet küldi a diáknak.
→ The teacher is not sending the letter to the student. (He is sending something else.)