Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A tó körül is erdő van, ezért a hely nyugodt és szép. - There is also a forest around the lake, therefore the place is calm and beautiful.

A tó körül erdő is van.
that would mean: There is a forest there too (in addition to something else that is there).
Now is is attached to erdő, so it’s the existence of a forest that is “also” being added.

So the position of is changes what is being emphasized as “also.”

What is körül, and why is it separate from tó instead of being an ending?

Körül is a postposition meaning “around”. In Hungarian, many spatial relations use postpositions (separate words) instead of case endings.

A tó körül = around the lake
literally: the lake around

You cannot say ~tóban~ or ~tóban~ to mean “around the lake” — that would mean “in the lake.” Körül is always separate:

a ház körül – around the house
a város körül – around the town

With pronouns you often get a combined form:

körülötte – around him / her / it
körülöttem – around me

Why is there van in erdő van, but no van in a hely nyugodt és szép?

In Hungarian, the verb van (to be) behaves differently depending on what you’re saying:

Existence / location sentences usually need van:
- Erdő van. – There is a forest.
- A tó körül erdő van. – There is forest around the lake.
Simple descriptions with adjectives in the present, 3rd person usually omit van:
- A hely nyugodt és szép. – The place is calm and beautiful.
- A ház nagy. – The house is big.

So:

“There is” → you say van.
“X is [adjective]” in 3rd person present → you normally drop van.

You would only use van with adjectives in special emphatic or contrastive contexts.

Why is there no article before erdő? Why not egy erdő van?

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things:

Erdő van.
General / mass-like: There is forest (there is woodland).
It talks about forest as a type of landscape, not one specific, countable forest.
Egy erdő van.
More like: There is a forest.
This suggests one specific forest (and maybe in contrast to another place that has none).

In A tó körül is erdő van, the idea is that the area is forested around the lake, so the article-less “erdő” (like “forest/woodland”) sounds more natural.

What exactly does ezért mean, and how is it different from mert?

Ezért means “therefore / because of this / that’s why.” It introduces the result / consequence:

…ezért a hely nyugodt és szép.
= …therefore the place is calm and beautiful.

Mert means “because” and introduces the reason / cause:

A hely nyugodt és szép, mert a tó körül erdő van.
= The place is calm and beautiful, because there is forest around the lake.

So:

A tó körül erdő van, ezért a hely nyugodt és szép.
Cause first, then therefore → consequence.
A hely nyugodt és szép, mert a tó körül erdő van.
Consequence first, then because → cause.

Why is there a comma before ezért?

In Hungarian, coordinating conjunctions like ezért, ezért, ezért are usually preceded by a comma when they connect two clauses.

Here we have two clauses:

A tó körül is erdő van – There is forest around the lake too.
a hely nyugodt és szép – the place is calm and beautiful.

They are joined by ezért, so Hungarian punctuation requires a comma:

A tó körül is erdő van, ezért a hely nyugodt és szép.

What is the literal word order and structure of the whole sentence?

The sentence:

A tó körül is erdő van, ezért a hely nyugodt és szép.

Breakdown:

A – the (definite article)
tó – lake
körül – around
is – too / also (attached to körül)
erdő – forest / woodland
van – is / there is
ezért – therefore / for this reason
a – the
hely – place
nyugodt – calm / peaceful
és – and
szép – beautiful

Literal-ish:

A tó körül is erdő van
“Around the lake too forest is.”
ezért a hely nyugodt és szép
“therefore the place calm and beautiful.”

Natural English:
There is forest around the lake as well, therefore the place is calm and beautiful.

What does hely mean here? Is it more like “place,” “location,” or “area”?

Hely is a very general word meaning “place / spot / location.” In this sentence, it can be understood as:

the place / this place / that spot / this area.

Context would usually make clear which: maybe a tourist spot, a lakeside area, etc. Hungarian often uses hely where English might choose “place,” “area,” or “location” depending on style.

How do nyugodt and szép function grammatically here?

Nyugodt (calm, peaceful) and szép (beautiful) are adjectives used as predicative complements, describing the subject a hely.

Structure:

a hely – subject (“the place”)
nyugodt – predicate adjective 1
és – and
szép – predicate adjective 2

Together they form the predicate “is calm and (is) beautiful.”
Hungarian does not repeat van or any other copula here in the present, 3rd person.

Could you change the word order a hely nyugodt és szép to something else?

Yes, but the basic order “a hely nyugodt és szép” is the neutral, most natural one.

You could say:

Nyugodt és szép a hely.

This is still correct, but it gives a bit more emphasis to nyugodt és szép (the qualities) rather than a hely.

In everyday speech, a hely nyugodt és szép is the most typical, neutral-sounding order.

What is the difference between körül and köré?

Both relate to “around,” but:

körül = around (static location)
- A tó körül erdő van. – There is forest around the lake.
- No movement; it describes where something is.
köré = around (direction / movement towards around)
- Fákat ültetnek a tó köré. – They are planting trees around the lake.
- It answers “around what?” in a sense of “to around it.”

So:

körül – where something is situated around something.
köré – where something is put/moves to be around something.

If the area had several forests, how would I say “There are forests around the lake too”?

You would make both the noun and the verb plural:

A tó körül is erdők vannak.

Breakdown:

erdők – forests (plural)
vannak – are (3rd person plural of van)

Meaning: There are forests around the lake too.