Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A fiú gyorsan fut az úton, a lány lassúbb, de ő is fut a parkban. - The boy runs fast on the road, the girl is slower, but she also runs in the park.

a before words starting with a consonant
- a fiú = the boy
- a lány = the girl
az before words starting with a vowel sound
- az út = the road
- az úton = on the road (same rule: út starts with a vowel sound, so article = az)

So a/az is really the same word, just changing form for easier pronunciation, like English a vs an.

What do the endings -n in úton and -ban in parkban mean?

These are case endings that show location:

-n / -on / -en / -ön: mostly “on” (surface)
- út = road
- úton = on the road
-ban / -ben: “in” (inside something)
- park = park
- parkban = in the park

So instead of using separate prepositions (“on, in”) like in English, Hungarian usually attaches an ending to the noun:

az úton = on the road
a parkban = in the park

Why is it just fut and not something like “is running”? How does Hungarian express “is running” vs “runs”?

Hungarian generally uses one present tense where English has both:

fut can mean:
- he runs (habitually)
- he is running (right now), depending on context

So:

A fiú gyorsan fut az úton.
can be:
- The boy runs quickly on the road.
  or
- The boy is running quickly on the road.

If you really need to emphasize “right now,” you can add words like:

most = now
- A fiú most gyorsan fut az úton. = The boy is running quickly on the road now.

But grammatically, fut itself covers both English “runs” and “is running.”

Why is it gyorsan fut and not fut gyorsan? Where do adverbs like “quickly” go?

The neutral, most common order for verb-modifying adverbs is:

adverb + verb
- gyorsan fut = runs quickly
- lassan beszél = speaks slowly

So A fiú gyorsan fut az úton is the normal, unmarked word order.

You can say A fiú fut gyorsan az úton, but then gyorsan is in a focus position: it sounds more like:

It’s quickly that the boy runs on the road
implying contrast, e.g. “He doesn’t walk, he runs quickly.”

For a learner: use adverb + verb (like gyorsan fut) as your default.

What exactly does lassúbb mean, and where is the “than” (like “slower than the boy”)?

lassúbb is the comparative of lassú:

lassú = slow
lassúbb = slower

Hungarian comparatives are usually formed by adding -bb to the adjective:

gyors → gyorsabb = fast → faster
szép → szebb = beautiful → more beautiful / prettier
könnyű → könnyebb = easy → easier

About “than”:

Full comparison:
- A lány lassúbb, mint a fiú.
  = The girl is slower than the boy.

In your sentence:

A fiú gyorsan fut az úton, a lány lassúbb, de ő is fut a parkban.

The “than the boy” part is understood from context. Literally it’s:

The boy runs quickly on the road, the girl is slower, but she also runs in the park.

Hungarian often leaves out the mint … (than …) if it’s obvious who you are comparing to.

Why do we say ő is fut when we already mentioned a lány? Could we say de a lány is fut a parkban instead?

Both are correct, with slightly different emphasis.

Your original:
- … a lány lassúbb, de ő is fut a parkban.
- Literally: … the girl is slower, but she too runs in the park.
Here ő (“he/she”) refers back to a lány. Hungarian likes to use ő to avoid repeating the noun.
Alternative:
- … a lány lassúbb, de a lány is fut a parkban.
- Grammatically OK, but sounds a bit repetitive and heavier. You’d usually only repeat a lány if you need special emphasis or to avoid confusion.

So natural Hungarian:

Mention the noun first (a lány)
Then refer back with ő = he/she.

Also, is after ő means “too / also”:

ő fut = he/she runs
ő is fut = he/she also runs

What does the little word is do in ő is fut a parkban? Where does it go in the sentence?

is means “also / too / as well.”

Its position is important: it usually comes right after the word it is adding “also” to.

Ő is fut a parkban.
- He/She also runs in the park. (In addition to someone else.)

Compare:

Ő a parkban is fut.
- He/She also runs in the park (not only somewhere else).
- Here is is after parkban, so “also” applies to the park.

In your sentence:

… a lány lassúbb, de ő is fut a parkban.
- “Also” clearly refers to ő (the girl): the girl also runs.

So rule of thumb: is goes right after the word that is “also.”

Why is there a comma between A fiú gyorsan fut az úton and a lány lassúbb? Are these separate sentences?

Hungarian often uses commas where English might use:

a comma + and, or
a full stop (.) between sentences.

Your sentence:

A fiú gyorsan fut az úton, a lány lassúbb, de ő is fut a parkban.

This has three parts:

A fiú gyorsan fut az úton
= The boy runs quickly on the road.
a lány lassúbb
= the girl is slower
de ő is fut a parkban
= but she also runs in the park.

In more English-like punctuation, you might write:

A fiú gyorsan fut az úton. A lány lassúbb, de ő is fut a parkban.

So that first comma is basically joining two closely related statements. Hungarian is a bit more relaxed about using commas to link short clauses than English is.

How do we know ő means “she” here and not “he,” since Hungarian doesn’t have gendered pronouns?

Hungarian ő covers both “he” and “she.” There is no separate word for “she.”

So how do we know?

From context and previous nouns:
- A fiú gyorsan fut az úton, a lány lassúbb, de ő is fut a parkban.

The last subject mentioned before ő is a lány (the girl), so ő is interpreted as “she.”

If the context were:

A fiú fáradt, de ő is fut.
Then ő would naturally mean “he”, referring back to a fiú.

If there is any danger of confusion, Hungarian speakers simply repeat the noun:

A fiú gyorsan fut az úton, a lány lassúbb, de a lány is fut a parkban.
- Clear: but the girl also runs in the park.

Why are fiú and lány singular here? How would the sentence change if we talked about “boys” and “girls”?

In your sentence:

A fiú = the boy (singular)
A lány = the girl (singular)

To talk about plurals:

fiú → fiúk = boys
lány → lányok = girls

A plural version could look like:

A fiúk gyorsan futnak az úton, a lányok lassabbak, de ők is futnak a parkban.
- The boys run quickly on the road, the girls are slower, but they also run in the park.

Notice what changes in plural:

Nouns: fiú → fiúk, lány → lányok
Verbs: fut → futnak (plural verb form)
Adjectives in predicative position: lassúbb → lassabbak
Pronoun: ő → ők = they

In your original sentence everything is singular, so we keep fiú, lány, fut, lassúbb, ő.