Learn Hardcore Hungarian: Hazafelé a sarkon lévő boltban vásárolok kenyeret. - On the way home I buy bread in the shop on the corner.

In this sentence hazafelé functions as an adverbial phrase of time/route: it tells us when/along what route the action happens: “On the way home, …”

You could say:

Hazafelé vásárolok. – “I shop on the way home.”

But you wouldn’t normally replace hazafelé with plain haza in this position; haza is used more directly with verbs of motion (megyek haza, jövök haza, viszek valamit haza, etc.).

What is the structure a sarkon lévő boltban doing? Why is lévő there?

A sarkon lévő boltban literally breaks down as:

a = the
sark-on = on/at the corner (sarok “corner” + -on, “on/at”)
lévő = “being (located)” – a participle of lenni (“to be”)
bolt-ban = in the shop (bolt “shop” + -ban, “in”)

So a sarkon lévő bolt is “the shop that is on the corner” or “the shop on the corner”.

Lévő works like an attributive participle to compress a relative clause:

a bolt, amely a sarkon van
= the shop that is on the corner

→ a sarkon lévő bolt
= the on-the-corner being shop → the shop on the corner

We then add -ban (inessive) to bolt to say in the shop:

a sarkon lévő boltban – in the shop that is on the corner

You can’t just say a sarkon boltban; you need either lévő or a different adjective form (sarki bolt, “corner shop”) to connect “corner” and “shop.”

Why is it sarkon and not something like sarknál or just sark?

Sarok means “corner.” Hungarian expresses “at/on the corner” with the superessive case -on/-en/-ön:

sark-on = on/at the corner

-nál/-nél is “at/near” someone or something, often more like “by, next to”:

a sarknál – at/by the corner (slightly more like “near the corner,” e.g. standing near that point)

For a shop located literally *at the corner, Hungarian likes a sarkon lévő bolt.

Using bare sark would be ungrammatical: nouns almost always need an ending or postposition to show this kind of relation.

Can I say a sarki boltban instead of a sarkon lévő boltban? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can, and it’s very natural:

a sarki boltban = in the corner shop / in the shop on the corner

Sarki is an adjective formed from sarok (“corner”) + -i, which often means “-y / of, located at”:

sarok → sarki – “corner-” (corner shop)
város → városi – “urban / city-”
Budapest → budapesti – “from Budapest / Budapest-”

A sarkon lévő bolt and a sarki bolt usually refer to the same thing.
Difference in feel:

a sarkon lévő bolt – more descriptive, literally “the shop that is on the corner”
a sarki bolt – compact, like “the corner shop” in English

Both are fine in everyday speech.

What exactly does the ending -ban in boltban mean, and how is it chosen?

-ban/-ben is the inessive case, meaning “in, inside”.

bolt – shop
boltban – in the shop

Hungarian alternates between -ban and -ben for ease of pronunciation. After most consonants you pick one that sounds natural; here, bolt + ban is the regular combination and is easy to pronounce.

Some quick parallels:

ház → házban – in the house
kert → kertben – in the garden
város → városban – in the city

So boltban vásárolok = “I shop in the shop.”

What is the role of vásárolok here, and how is it conjugated?

Vásárolok comes from vásárolni = “to shop, to buy (by shopping).”

Conjugation:

stem: vásárol-
ending: -ok = 1st person singular, indefinite conjugation

So vásárolok = “I buy / I am buying / I shop.”

In Hungarian, you choose between indefinite and definite verb endings depending on the object:

With an indefinite, nonspecific object (like kenyeret here):
→ vásárolok kenyeret – I buy (some) bread.
With a specific object:
→ vásárolom a kenyeret – I buy the bread (that we talked about).

In this sentence, the bread is not specified; it’s just bread in general, so vásárolok (indefinite) is correct.

Why is it kenyeret and not just kenyér?

Kenyér means “bread.” To mark it as the direct object (“bread” is what you buy), Hungarian adds the accusative ending -t:

kenyér → kenyer-et – bread (as object)

Because kenyér ends in a consonant, an extra vowel e is inserted before -t to keep it pronounceable: kenyeret.

So:

Kenyér van az asztalon. – There is bread on the table. (subject, nominative)
Kenyeret veszek. – I’m buying bread. (object, accusative)

In our sentence, kenyeret is the thing being bought, so it must take the -t object ending.

Why is there no article (a/az) before kenyeret? When would I say a kenyeret?

Without an article, kenyeret means “(some) bread” in a general, nonspecific sense:

vásárolok kenyeret – I buy (some) bread.

You use a/az + noun + -t when the object is definite/specific:

Megveszem a kenyeret. – I buy the bread (we both know which bread).
A kenyeret, amit vettél, finom. – The bread that you bought is tasty.

In this sentence, the speaker is just describing a routine: “On the way home I buy bread (as a general habit).” It’s not about particular, already-identified bread, so no article is used, and the verb stays in indefinite conjugation (vásárolok).

If you changed it to:

Hazafelé a sarkon lévő boltban vásárolom a kenyeret.

you would imply a specific bread (e.g. “the bread (we mentioned) I buy in the shop on the corner”), which has a narrower, more specific meaning.

Could I also say Hazafelé a sarkon lévő boltban kenyeret vásárolok? Does the word order change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

Hazafelé a sarkon lévő boltban kenyeret vásárolok.

This is still natural and means essentially the same thing: “On the way home I buy bread in the shop on the corner.”

In Hungarian, word order is flexible, but it affects focus (what is emphasized):

… vásárolok kenyeret.
Neutral: I buy bread (no special focus).
… kenyeret vásárolok.
Slight emphasis on kenyeret: it’s bread that I’m buying (not something else).

In everyday speech, both orders are common here. The version in your sentence is more neutral; kenyeret vásárolok slightly highlights that bread is the thing you’re buying.

Where does hazafelé usually go in the sentence? Can it move around?

Adverbials like hazafelé (“on the way home”) are relatively free, but Hungarian tends to put time / route information early in the sentence.

Common positions:

Hazafelé a sarkon lévő boltban vásárolok kenyeret.
→ Very natural (your sentence).
A sarkon lévő boltban hazafelé vásárolok kenyeret.
→ Grammatically OK, but sounds a bit unusual; it can suggest a contrast (e.g. “In the shop on the corner, it is on the way home that I buy bread (as opposed to some other time)”).

Best to keep hazafelé near the start, before the main place phrase or before the verb, unless you have a specific emphasis in mind.

What is the difference between vásárolok kenyeret and veszek kenyeret?

Both can mean “I buy bread,” but they differ in nuance:

vásárolok kenyeret – more like I’m doing shopping and (among other things) I buy bread.
It can sound a bit more formal or “shopping-like.”
veszek kenyeret – very common, everyday “I’ll get/buy some bread.”

In everyday speech, veszek kenyeret is extremely frequent. Your sentence with vásárolok is perfectly correct and idiomatic, just a touch more “neutral/formal.” Both are fine:

Hazafelé a sarkon lévő boltban veszek kenyeret.
Hazafelé a sarkon lévő boltban vásárolok kenyeret.

Same basic meaning; choice of verb is stylistic.