Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A lány ritkán néz tévét, inkább a számítógépen néz filmet az interneten. - The girl rarely watches TV; she prefers to watch movies on the computer on the internet.

vowel-ending nouns: add -t
- autó → autót (car)
- tévé → tévét (TV)
consonant-ending nouns: add a linking vowel + -t
- film → filmet
- könyv → könyvet (book)

So néz tévét, néz filmet = watches TV, watches a film.

Why is there no article in front of tévét and filmet, even though in English we’d often say “the TV” or “a film”?

With tévét and filmet here, we are talking about them as types of activity, not particular, specific objects:

tévét néz = watch(es) TV (the activity of watching TV)
filmet néz = watch(es) (a) film, watch(es) movies (in general)

In these “activity” uses, Hungarian usually does not use an article. This is similar to English watch TV (no article) and a bit like drink coffee (no the or a).

If you add an article, the meaning becomes more specific, and the verb normally switches to definite conjugation:

Nézi a tévét. = She is watching the TV (set / that programme).
Nézi a filmet. = She is watching the film (a particular one).

So:

tévét / filmet néz → general activity, no article, indefinite verb néz
a tévét / a filmet nézi → a specific TV / film, with article, definite verb nézi

Why does the adverb ritkán come before the verb néz?

In Hungarian, adverbs of frequency, manner, time, etc. normally stand just before the verb:

mindig olvas – always reads
gyakran főz – often cooks
ritkán néz – rarely watches

Also, the position immediately before the verb is a kind of focus position. Putting ritkán there makes it clear that what we want to say about the action is how often it happens:

A lány ritkán néz tévét.
→ It is rarely that the girl watches TV.

You can move ritkán elsewhere, but then the emphasis changes slightly (see next question on word order).

How flexible is the word order in this sentence? What other versions are possible, and do they change the meaning?

Hungarian word order is quite flexible, but word order carries emphasis. Here are some variants of the first clause:

A lány ritkán néz tévét.
Neutral, common version. The new/important information is that she rarely watches TV.
Ritkán néz tévét a lány.
Often sounds like a contrast: It’s the girl who rarely watches TV (maybe others do more often).
A lány tévét ritkán néz.
Now tévét is just before ritkán, so the sentence tends to highlight tévét in contrast:
It’s TV that she rarely watches (maybe she often watches something else).

All are grammatical, but not identical in emphasis. The original version is the most natural neutral statement for “The girl rarely watches TV.”

The second clause could also be:

A lány inkább a számítógépen néz filmet az interneten.
Inkább a számítógépen néz filmet az interneten a lány.

Again, the basic meaning stays, but the focus (what is being contrasted or highlighted) shifts depending on what you put immediately before néz.

What exactly does inkább mean here, and where does it go in the sentence?

Inkább means something like rather / instead / preferably and expresses a preference or choice between options.

In this sentence, it contrasts two activities:

ritkán néz tévét – she rarely watches TV
inkább … néz filmet – instead, she prefers watching films (on the computer, on the internet)

Typical positions:

At the start of the clause:
- Inkább a számítógépen néz filmet az interneten.
After the subject:
- A lány inkább a számítógépen néz filmet az interneten.

In the original, it comes right after the comma:

…, inkább a számítógépen néz filmet az interneten.

This is natural because we are explicitly giving an alternative to the first clause:
“She rarely watches TV; instead she watches films on the computer on the internet.”

Why is it a számítógépen and az interneten, not something with a separate word for “on”?

Hungarian usually does not use a separate preposition like English on. Instead, it uses case endings on the noun.

Here, -on / -en / -ön (written according to vowel harmony) is the superessive case, often translated as on:

számítógép (computer) → számítógépen = on the computer
internet → interneten = on the internet

So:

a számítógépen néz filmet = she watches a film on the computer
az interneten = on the internet

If you used számítógépet instead, that would be accusative (direct object): the computer (as something she looks at / uses / buys, etc.), not a place where the watching happens.

What exactly is the difference between néz tévét and nézi a tévét?

Two main differences:

Indefinite vs definite object
- néz tévét
  - verb: néz – indefinite conjugation
  - object: tévét – no article, general activity
    → watches TV (in general)
- nézi a tévét
  - verb: nézi – definite conjugation
  - object: a tévét – with article, specific
    → watches the TV / that TV (programme)
General activity vs specific instance
- tévét néz is like English watch TV as an activity.
- a tévét nézi suggests a particular TV set or a specific programme that we both know about.

So in your sentence, ritkán néz tévét talks about her general habits, which is why indefinite néz and articleless tévét are used.

Why is it az interneten but a számítógépen?

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:

a – used before words starting with a consonant
- a lány – the girl
- a számítógépen – on the computer
az – used before words starting with a vowel sound
- az alma – the apple
- az interneten – on the internet

So the choice a / az is purely phonetic, not grammatical: it just depends on the first sound of the next word. Internet starts with i (a vowel), so we need az.

Why is filmet singular if she regularly watches movies? Could we say filmeket instead?

Hungarian often uses singular when talking about an activity in a general or habitual way:

sört iszik – he drinks beer
filmet néz – she watches films / movies (as an activity)

So filmet néz can mean:

she is watching a film (now), or
she watches films / likes watching movies (in general),

depending on context.

You can say filmeket néz:

A lány a számítógépen néz filmeket az interneten.

This emphasises more strongly that there are several films (plural). In many situations, though, filmet néz is the more natural, idiomatic way to describe the activity without stressing the number.

Why is there no subject pronoun (ő) in the second part after the comma?

Hungarian is a “pro‑drop” language: subject pronouns (like én, te, ő) are usually left out when they are clear from context and from the verb ending.

Ő ritkán néz tévét. → fully explicit
Ritkán néz tévét. → subject understood: he/she rarely watches TV.

In your sentence, the subject a lány (the girl) is already given in the first clause. In the second clause, the same subject continues, so there is no need to repeat ő:

A lány ritkán néz tévét, (ő) inkább a számítógépen néz filmet az interneten.

Saying ő here would sound slightly heavy or emphatic, like stressing she, as opposed to someone else, so the natural choice is simply to omit it.

Could the verb néz be left out in the second part, like: A lány ritkán néz tévét, inkább a számítógépen filmet az interneten?

Hungarian can sometimes omit a repeated verb when the meaning is clear, for example:

Péter almát eszik, Anna körtét.
→ Péter eats apples, Anna (eats) pears.

So in theory, something like:

A lány ritkán néz tévét, inkább a számítógépen filmet az interneten.

could be understood as:

The girl rarely watches TV; instead, (she watches) films on the computer on the internet.

However:

In this particular sentence, most speakers would find the version with the second néz more natural and clearer:
- …, inkább a számítógépen néz filmet az interneten.
Omitting néz here feels more elliptical and less standard, especially for learners.

So it’s best to keep the second verb; it sounds fluent and avoids any ambiguity.

What tense is néz here? Does Hungarian have a separate form for “is watching”?

Néz is in the present tense (3rd person singular). Hungarian has only one present tense form, which can correspond to both:

English simple present:
- Ritkán néz tévét. = She rarely watches TV.
English present continuous:
- Most néz filmet. = She is watching a film now.

The context decides how we translate it:

With ritkán and inkább, it clearly describes habitual behaviour → watches (in general).
With time words like most (now), éppen (just now), it suggests “is …‑ing”.

So there is no separate “is watching” form in Hungarian; you use néz, and context does the rest.