Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A barátnőm nem az üzletbe megy, hanem abba a boltba a sarkon. - My girlfriend does not go to the shop, but to that shop on the corner.

üzlet:
- can mean shop/store, but also business or deal (e.g. üzletet köt = “make a deal”).
- sounds a bit more neutral or “business-like”.
bolt:
- is the very common everyday word for shop/store.
- often feels a bit more concrete, physical (the actual little shop).

In this sentence, the main point is that she is not going to one shop (the usual/expected one: az üzletbe), but instead to that specific shop on the corner (abba a boltba a sarkon). The use of two slightly different words helps underline that we are talking about two different places, not just rephrasing the same one.

Why do we say az üzletbe, with the article az? Could we just say üzletbe?

You normally need the article here.

az üzletbe = into the shop (a specific shop, already known from context).
egy üzletbe = into a shop (some shop, not specified).
Bare üzletbe without any article would sound incomplete or very unusual in this context.

Hungarian almost always uses an article with a specific noun, especially with motion suffixes like -ba / -be. So az üzletbe megy (“goes into the shop”) is the natural form.

Why is nem placed before az üzletbe ( nem az üzletbe megy ) and not directly before the verb?

In Hungarian, nem normally comes right before the part of the sentence that is being negated or contrasted, which is often the focus.

A barátnőm nem az üzletbe megy, hanem…
→ The contrast is between where she is going:
not to the shop, but to that shop on the corner.
So az üzletbe is in focus, therefore nem is placed before it.

If you say:

A barátnőm nem megy az üzletbe.
This is more like: My girlfriend is not going to the shop (at all) – no contrast with another destination is expressed.

So the position nem az üzletbe megy, hanem… reflects the contrast in destinations.

What exactly does hanem mean, and how is it different from de?

Both hanem and de can be translated as but, but they are used differently.

hanem = but rather / but instead
- Used after a negation (with nem) when you correct or replace something.
- Pattern: nem X, hanem Y = not X, but (rather) Y.
- Example:
  - Nem este jövök, hanem reggel. = I’m not coming in the evening, but in the morning.
de = but / however
- General contrast, not “instead of X”.
- Does not require a negation before it.
- Example:
  - Szeretnék menni, de fáradt vagyok. = I’d like to go, but I’m tired.

In the sentence nem az üzletbe megy, hanem abba a boltba a sarkon, we are saying not to this place, but to that other place, so hanem is the correct choice.

Why is there no second megy after hanem? Why don’t we say …hanem abba a boltba a sarkon megy?

Hungarian very often omits repeated verbs when the meaning is clear. This is called ellipsis.

Full (more explicit) form would be:
A barátnőm nem az üzletbe megy, hanem abba a boltba a sarkon megy.

Because megy is already used with the first part, it does not need to be repeated. So the natural sentence is:

A barátnőm nem az üzletbe megy, hanem abba a boltba a sarkon.

Native speakers automatically understand that the verb megy applies to both parts.

Why is it abba a boltba and not just abba a bolt?

The suffix -ba / -be expresses motion into something (like English into / to a place). It must be attached to the noun that is the destination:

bolt = shop
boltba = into the shop

abba already includes the same motion suffix:

az (that) + -ba (into) → abba (“into that”).

So:

abba a boltba literally: into-that the shop-into
= into that shop.

You cannot drop the -ba from boltba, because then the noun would have no case ending and you would lose the meaning “into”.

abba a bolt (without -ba) would be ungrammatical here.

Why do we need both abba and a in abba a boltba? Isn’t that double?

This is a regular pattern with Hungarian demonstratives (this/that) + nouns:

az a bolt = that shop
abba a boltba = into that shop

The rule is:

You use a demonstrative pronoun (ez / az) with a suffix:
- ez + -be → ebbe (into this)
- az + -ba → abba (into that)
You also use the article a/az and repeat the same case ending on the noun:
- ebbe a boltba = into this shop
- abba a boltba = into that shop

So abba points to the shop (“that one there”), and a boltba names it and repeats the case ending. This doubling is obligatory with demonstratives + nouns in Hungarian.

Why do we have -be in üzletbe, but -ba in boltba and abba?

This is because of vowel harmony.

Hungarian suffixes change form depending on whether the word has front vowels or back vowels.

üzlet has front vowels (ü, e) → it takes -be:
- üzlet + -be → üzletbe (into the shop)
bolt has back vowels (o) → it takes -ba:
- bolt + -ba → boltba (into the shop)
abba comes from az + -ba (that + into), and az also counts as a back-vowel word → -ba.

So:

front-vowel word → -be
back-vowel word → -ba.

What does a sarkon mean exactly, and why is the ending -on used?

sarok = corner
sarkon = on/at the corner

The ending -on / -en / -ön is the superessive case, usually translated as on something, but in many places it really means at.

For locations like corners, squares, islands, etc., Hungarian very often uses -on:

a téren = on/at the square
a sarkon = on/at the corner

So a sarkon here simply tells you where that shop is located: on the corner.

Does a sarkon describe the verb (megy) or the shop (boltba)?

In this sentence, a sarkon belongs to boltba, not to megy.

abba a boltba a sarkon = to that shop on the corner

So the structure is:

abba a boltba (destination: to that shop)
a sarkon (extra information about that shop: which one? the one on the corner)

Taken together, it means: into that shop that is on the corner. It does not mean she is walking on a corner; it’s the shop that is on the corner.

Why do we say A barátnőm with an article, even though -m already shows “my”?

barátnő = (female) friend / girlfriend
barátnőm = my (girl)friend, with the possessive suffix -m.

In Hungarian, possessed nouns usually also take the definite article:

a barátnőm = my girlfriend
a házam = my house
a könyvem = my book

So a barátnőm is the most neutral, standard form.

You can drop the article in some contexts (e.g. for emphasis or in certain fixed expressions), but with a simple subject like this, the version with the article is the default and most natural.

Can we say the sentence with a different word order, like A barátnőm nem megy az üzletbe, hanem abba a boltba a sarkon?

Yes, that version is grammatical and would be understood, but the focus feels slightly different.

A barátnőm nem az üzletbe megy, hanem abba a boltba a sarkon.
- Focus is directly on the destination:
  “It’s not to the shop that she’s going, but to that shop on the corner.”
A barátnőm nem megy az üzletbe, hanem abba a boltba a sarkon.
- Feels a bit more like a simple statement:
  “My girlfriend is not going to the shop, but (instead) to that shop on the corner.”
- The contrast is still about destination, but the clean focus-before-verb structure is a bit weaker.

Both are correct. The original nem az üzletbe megy, hanem… is very typical when you strongly contrast two possible destinations.