Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A gyerek a tóban úszik, amíg a szülők a padon ülnek. - The child is swimming in the lake while the parents are sitting on the bench.

A gyerek a tóban úszik, amíg a szülők a padon ülnek.
→ main clause: A gyerek a tóban úszik
→ subordinate clause: amíg a szülők a padon ülnek

Even if English doesn’t require a comma before while, Hungarian spelling rules require one before amíg in this kind of sentence. Leaving it out is considered a spelling/punctuation mistake in standard Hungarian.

What is the difference between míg and amíg? Could I just say míg here?

Both míg and amíg can mean while or until, and they overlap a lot.

amíg is slightly more formal and is very common in written language.
míg is a bit shorter and frequent in speech; it can feel a little more colloquial in some contexts.

In this sentence you could say:

A gyerek a tóban úszik, míg a szülők a padon ülnek.

and it would be understood the same way. Native speakers use both, and in many cases they’re interchangeable. Here, amíg is just the writer’s choice, not required by grammar.

Does amíg here mean “while” or “until”? How do I know?

In this sentence amíg clearly means while / as long as, not until:

A gyerek a tóban úszik, amíg a szülők a padon ülnek.
→ The two actions happen at the same time: child swimming, parents sitting.

If amíg meant until, we’d expect a change or an endpoint in the second clause (something that will happen, not something that is just ongoing), often with a perfective verb:

Vár, amíg a szülők leülnek.
→ He/she waits until the parents sit down. (There is a change: they go from standing to sitting.)

So you look at:

Is the second action an ongoing state? → usually while.
Is it a change / endpoint event? → often until.

Why is it tóban for “in the lake” and padon for “on the bench”? How do -ban and -on work?

Hungarian uses case endings instead of prepositions like in, on, at.

-ban / -ben = in (inessive case)
- tó (lake) → tóban = in the lake
  Choice of -ban vs -ben follows vowel harmony:
- back vowels (a, á, o, ó, u, ú) → -ban
- front vowels (e, é, i, í, ö, ő, ü, ű) → -ben
  tó has the back vowel ó, so: tóban.
-on / -en / -ön = on (superessive case)
- pad (bench) → padon = on the bench
  The exact form (-on / -en / -ön) depends on vowel harmony and some sound rules. With pad (back vowel a), you get -on → padon.

So:

tóban = in the lake
padon = on the bench

Why is the word order A gyerek a tóban úszik and not A gyerek úszik a tóban? Are both correct?

Both are grammatically correct, but Hungarian word order is used to show emphasis and information structure, not just subject–verb–object.

A gyerek a tóban úszik.
- Neutral reading here: topic A gyerek, then known place a tóban, then verb.
- Slight emphasis that the swimming is in the lake (as opposed to somewhere else, like a pool).
A gyerek úszik a tóban.
- Feels more neutral in everyday speech, like a simple description:
  “The child is swimming in the lake.”
- The emphasis is less clearly on the location.

In this particular context, the difference is subtle; both can be used. If you really want to emphasize the location (“not in the pool, in the lake”), you’d naturally stress tóban, and the word order A gyerek a tóban úszik supports that emphasis.

Why is it a szülők (with an article) and not just szülők for “the parents”?

Hungarian uses the definite article a / az similarly to English the, but article usage is not completely identical.

Here:

a szülők = the parents (a specific set of parents we have in mind – usually the child’s parents).
szülők (without an article) would normally mean parents in a more general sense, as a class:
- A szülők általában aggódnak. – Parents usually worry. (parents in general)

In your sentence, we’re talking about the parents of that child, so they are specific → a szülők. That’s why the article is used.

Why is the verb úszik singular and ülnek plural?

Hungarian verbs agree with the subject in person and number.

A gyerek a tóban úszik.
- gyerek = child (3rd person singular)
- verb: úszik = he/she swims
… amíg a szülők a padon ülnek.
- szülők = parents (3rd person plural)
- verb: ülnek = they sit / they are sitting

So:

singular subject → singular verb (úszik)
plural subject → plural verb (ülnek)

There is no explicit he/they pronoun here; the verb ending shows the number.

Why is the verb form present simple? Does úszik mean “swims” or “is swimming”?

Hungarian has one present tense form that covers both:

úszik can mean:
- swims (habitual) or
- is swimming (right now, progressive)

The exact meaning comes from context.

In your sentence, English would most naturally say is swimming / are sitting, but Hungarian just uses the plain present:

A gyerek a tóban úszik
→ The child is swimming in the lake.
… a szülők a padon ülnek
→ the parents are sitting on the bench.

So present continuous in English is usually just present tense in Hungarian.

Could the word order be A gyerek úszik a tóban, amíg a szülők ülnek a padon? Is that different?

Yes, you can say:

A gyerek úszik a tóban, amíg a szülők ülnek a padon.

This is still correct and natural. Differences:

The original:
- A gyerek a tóban úszik, amíg a szülők a padon ülnek.
  Groups the location closer to the verb and sounds slightly more “packed” and descriptive.
The variant:
- A gyerek úszik a tóban, amíg a szülők ülnek a padon.
  Sounds a bit more like the English pattern “swims in the lake, sit on the bench”, giving each clause its own little subject–verb–place rhythm.

In everyday conversation, both versions are fine; the meaning doesn’t change. The differences are mainly in rhythm and subtle emphasis.

What is szülők exactly? Is szülő literally “parent”?

Yes:

szülő = parent (literally “one who gives birth”, but used for both mother and father)
-k = plural ending
szülők = parents

You don’t usually say “my parents” as az én szülők – instead you use a possessive form:

a szüleim = my parents
(stem changes: szülő → szülő
- -im → szüleim due to vowel harmony and shortening)

In your sentence, a szülők refers to the identifiable parents of the child in context.

Why don’t we see any pronouns like “they” or “he” in the sentence?

Hungarian is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns (ő, ők, etc.) are often omitted, because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

A gyerek a tóban úszik.
Literally: “The child in the lake swims.”
No pronoun is needed.

If you really want to stress the pronoun (contrast or emphasis), you can add it:

Ő úszik a tóban. – He/She is the one who is swimming in the lake. (not someone else)

But in neutral sentences like yours, it’s more natural to leave pronouns out.

How would the sentence change if it were “The children are swimming in the lake while the parents are sitting on the bench”?

You’d mark the subject gyerek as plural and also change the verb:

A gyerekek a tóban úsznak, amíg a szülők a padon ülnek.

Changes:

gyerek → gyerekek (children)
úszik (he/she swims) → úsznak (they swim)

The second clause stays the same, because szülők … ülnek is already plural.