Ez a hét hosszú.

This week is long.

Breakdown of Ez a hét hosszú.

• ez: this
• lenni: to be
• hosszú: long
• hét: the seven

Questions & Answers about Ez a hét hosszú.

Why is there no word for “is” in Ez a hét hosszú?

In Hungarian, the verb “to be” (lenni) is usually omitted in the present tense, 3rd person (he/she/it, they) when it links a noun or pronoun to an adjective or a noun.

So:

• Ez a hét hosszú.
  = This week is long.
  (Literally: This the week long.)

There is no separate word for “is” here; Hungarian simply leaves it out.
You would only use a form of van (is/are) in special cases, e.g.:

• when expressing location:
  A könyv az asztalon van. – The book is on the table.
• when emphasizing existence:
  Van egy ötletem. – I have an idea. (literally: There is an idea of mine.)

What does Ez a hét hosszú literally mean word-for-word?

Breakdown:

• Ez – this
• a – the (definite article)
• hét – week
• hosszú – long

So literally: “This the week long.”
Natural English: “This week is long.”

Why do we say Ez a hét, not just Ez hét?

In Hungarian, when a demonstrative pronoun (ez = this, az = that) directly modifies a noun, you almost always add the definite article (a / az) before the noun:

• ez a hét – this week
• az a ház – that house
• ez a könyv – this book

*Ez hét is ungrammatical in standard Hungarian.
Think of the pattern as:

ez/az + a/az + noun → this/that + the + noun
(but in English we just say this/that + noun)

Can hét mean both “week” and “seven”? How do I know which it is here?

Yes, hét means both:

• hét (noun) – week
• hét (number) – seven

You tell from context and structure:

• In Ez a hét hosszú, the pattern “Ez a + noun + adjective” strongly suggests a noun meaning “week”, so it’s “This week is long.”

• As the number seven, hét usually appears:

  • before a noun: hét nap – seven days
  • alone as an answer: Hány van? – Hét. (How many? – Seven.)

If a demonstrative + article structure like Ez a hét… is followed by an adjective describing a time period, it’s almost certainly “week”.

Could Ez a hét hosszú also mean “These seven are long”?

No. For “these seven are long”, you would need:

• Ez a → Ezek a (plural “these”)
• Often a plural noun for clarity
• Plural adjective ending -ak/–ek/–ök

For example:

• Ezek a hetek hosszúak. – These weeks are long.
• Ez a hét hosszú. – This week is long.

So Ez a hét hosszú is singular and understood as “This week is long.”

Can I say Ez a hosszú hét instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, Ez a hosszú hét is grammatical, but the meaning changes:

• Ez a hét hosszú.

  • Structure: subject + predicate adjective
  • Meaning: This week is long. (you are stating a fact about the week)

• Ez a hosszú hét.

  • Structure: demonstrative + article + adjective + noun
  • Meaning: This (is) the long week. / This long week (as opposed to some other week).
  • Here, “hosszú” is an attributive adjective that is part of the noun phrase “hosszú hét” – long week.

So:

• Ez a hét hosszú. → comment about the week.
• Ez a hosszú hét. → identifying which week you mean: the long one, not the short one.

Could I change the word order to Hosszú ez a hét?

Yes. Hosszú ez a hét. is also correct, but the emphasis changes.

• Ez a hét hosszú. – neutral, factual: This week is long.
• Hosszú ez a hét. – emphasizes “long”:
  More like: Long, this week! / This week sure is long.

Hungarian uses word order to mark focus/emphasis, not just grammar. Putting hosszú first stresses the quality “long.”

Why doesn’t the adjective hosszú change form to agree with hét?

In Hungarian, adjectives:

• do not change for gender (Hungarian has no grammatical gender),
• do not change for case or number when they are predicate adjectives (as in this sentence: after “to be”).

So:

• Ez a hét hosszú. – This week is long.
• Ezek a hetek hosszúak. – These weeks are long.

Note:

• Singular: hosszú
• Plural: hosszúak (adjectives used predicatively take a plural ending -ak/–ek/–ök when the subject is plural)

In our sentence, hét is singular, so hosszú stays in its base form.

How do I make the plural “These weeks are long”?

You need to pluralize:

1. the demonstrative (ez → ezek),
2. the noun (hét → hetek),
3. and the predicate adjective (hosszú → hosszúak).

So:

• Ez a hét hosszú. – This week is long.
• Ezek a hetek hosszúak. – These weeks are long.

Can I add “very” and say “This week is very long” in Hungarian?

Yes. Use nagyon (“very”), normally right before the adjective:

• Ez a hét nagyon hosszú. – This week is very long.

You can keep the same structure; just insert nagyon:

• Ez a hét hosszú. – This week is long.
• Ez a hét nagyon hosszú. – This week is very long.

Why do we use a (not az) before hét?

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:

• a – before words starting with a consonant
• az – before words starting with a vowel sound

Examples:

• a hét – the week (h- is a consonant)
• az alma – the apple
• az idő – the time

In our sentence:

• Ez a hét hosszú. – hét begins with h, so we use a, not az.

When do I actually say van in a sentence like this?

You usually do not use van in present tense 3rd person for simple “X is Y” statements:

• Ez a hét hosszú. – This week is long. (no van)

You do use van / vannak when:

1. Expressing location:

   • A könyv az asztalon van. – The book is on the table.
   • A gyerekek az udvaron vannak. – The children are in the yard.

2. Expressing existence / possession:

   • Van egy problémám. – I have a problem. (literally: There is a problem of mine.)

3. Expressing time, weather, price, etc.:

   • Hány óra van? – What time is it?

So Ez a hét hosszú correctly omits van.

How do you pronounce hosszú, especially the double s and long ú?

hosszú is pronounced approximately:

• hos-szú
  
  • hosz – like hoss in hoss but with a clear sz sound
  • sz in Hungarian is like English s in see
  • the double ssz just means the s sound is held a little longer
  • ú – a long “oo” sound (like in food), and it is clearly held longer than a short u

IPA (approx.): [ˈhosːuː]

Key points:

• sz = s (English s)
• s = sh (English sh) – not in this word, but good to know
• Double consonants and long vowels are really held longer in Hungarian and can distinguish words.