Learn Hardcore Hungarian: Ma nem vagyok olyan fáradt, mint tegnap.

So Ma nem vagyok olyan fáradt, mint tegnap literally is “Today I am not that tired, as (I was) yesterday”, which corresponds to English “Today I’m not as tired as yesterday.”

Without olyan, the comparison structure would be incomplete; you normally need olyan (or annyira) together with mint for this “as … as” meaning.

What is the role of mint in this sentence?

Mint is the conjunction that introduces the second part of the comparison, just like “as” or “than” in English comparative structures.

olyan fáradt, mint tegnap
= as tired as yesterday

So the pattern is:

olyan/annyira + adjective + mint + comparison point

Here, mint tegnap means “as (I was) yesterday” or more literally “than yesterday” in English terms, but because the first part is an equality comparison (olyan fáradt), the full meaning is “not as tired as yesterday.”

Why is there a comma before mint? Is it always required?

In this sentence, mint tegnap functions like a subordinate comparative clause, and standard Hungarian punctuation normally uses a comma before mint in such cases:

Ma nem vagyok olyan fáradt, mint tegnap.

You will sometimes see the comma omitted in informal writing, but the version with the comma is the norm when mint introduces a comparative clause that could be expanded to a full clause, for example:

Ma nem vagyok olyan fáradt, mint tegnap voltam.
(Here it’s very clearly a full clause after mint, so the comma is unquestionable.)

So: in this type of comparison, placing the comma before mint is correct and recommended.

Why do we have vagyok here, when I’ve seen van sometimes omitted in Hungarian?

Hungarian often omits the present‑tense form of van (“to be”) only in third person singular and plural, in simple nominal sentences:

Ő fáradt. (not Ő van fáradt.) = “He/She is tired.”
Ők fáradtak. (not Ők vannak fáradtak.) = “They are tired.”

But in the first and second person, the verb must be present:

Én fáradt vagyok. = “I am tired.”
Te fáradt vagy. = “You are tired.”

So in Ma nem vagyok olyan fáradt, mint tegnap, vagyok is required.
You cannot omit it: ✗ Ma nem fáradt. would instead mean “Today he/she is not tired.”

Why is there no verb after mint tegnap? Isn’t something missing?

Yes, something is understood but omitted, which is very common in Hungarian (and also possible in English).

The full, fully explicit version would be:

Ma nem vagyok olyan fáradt, mint amilyen fáradt voltam tegnap.

or more simply:

Ma nem vagyok olyan fáradt, mint tegnap voltam.

In everyday speech, Hungarian drops the repeated part (olyan fáradt voltam), because it is clear from context:

Ma nem vagyok olyan fáradt, mint tegnap.
= “Today I’m not as tired as (I was) yesterday.”

So grammatically, vagyok / voltam is understood after mint tegnap, but not said.

Could I say Ma nem vagyok olyan fáradt, mint tegnap voltam instead? Is there any difference?

Yes, that sentence is perfectly correct:

Ma nem vagyok olyan fáradt, mint tegnap voltam.

Meaning-wise, it is the same: “Today I’m not as tired as I was yesterday.”

The difference is stylistic:

The original (…mint tegnap.) is shorter and more natural in everyday speech.
The version with volt(am) is more explicit and can sound a bit heavier or more formal, but it is still common and acceptable.

In most casual contexts, speakers prefer to leave out voltam when it’s obvious.

What’s the difference between olyan fáradt, mint tegnap and annyira fáradt, mint tegnap?

Both can translate as “as tired as yesterday”, and both are correct here:

Ma nem vagyok olyan fáradt, mint tegnap.
Ma nem vagyok annyira fáradt, mint tegnap.

Nuance:

olyan is more general, referring to “such / that kind / that degree”;
annyira points more directly to degree/intensity (“to that extent”).

In practice, with adjectives like fáradt, they are almost interchangeable in this comparative pattern. You will hear both; olyan might sound a bit more neutral, annyira a bit more focused on the amount.

How would I say “Today I’m more tired than yesterday” instead of “not as tired as yesterday”?

For “more tired than yesterday”, use the comparative form of fáradt, which is fáradtabb, and still use mint:

Ma fáradtabb vagyok, mint tegnap.
= “Today I’m more tired than yesterday.”

Structure:

adjective + -bb → comparative (fáradt → fáradtabb)
mint + comparison point

Your original sentence uses equality comparison (olyan… mint = “as … as”), while this one uses comparative degree (fáradtabb… mint = “more … than”).

Can I move ma to another position, like Nem vagyok ma olyan fáradt, mint tegnap? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

Nem vagyok ma olyan fáradt, mint tegnap.

This is grammatically correct and means essentially the same thing: “I’m not as tired today as yesterday.”

Word order in Hungarian mainly affects emphasis (focus):

Ma nem vagyok olyan fáradt, mint tegnap.
Slight emphasis on “today” as the setting: As for today, I’m not that tired…
Nem vagyok ma olyan fáradt, mint tegnap.
Slight emphasis on “not” / the state today,” but in everyday speech the difference is subtle; both are natural.

Both versions are common; the original order with Ma at the beginning is very typical when you start the sentence with a time expression.

Why is nem placed before vagyok and not somewhere else, like Ma vagyok nem olyan fáradt?

In Hungarian, nem normally appears directly before the verb or the focused element it negates.

Here, what is being negated is the whole predicate vagyok olyan fáradt (“am that tired”), so nem goes in front of vagyok:

nem vagyok olyan fáradt = “I am not that tired”

The version ✗ Ma vagyok nem olyan fáradt is ungrammatical or, at best, extremely unnatural. The neutral pattern is:

[Time] + nem + [verb + rest of predicate]

So:

Ma nem vagyok olyan fáradt, mint tegnap.

Is fáradt an adjective here, or a verb form?

Fáradt is an adjective meaning “tired”.

It is historically related to the verb fárad (“to get tired”), but in modern usage fáradt behaves as a simple adjective:

fáradt vagyok = “I am tired.”
nagyon fáradt = “very tired.”

Hungarian does not change the form of adjectives for person or number in this kind of “be + adjective” structure. Only the verb (vagyok, vagy, van, vagyunk, vagytok, vannak) shows person and number, while fáradt stays the same.