Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A szállodában sok turista vár a recepció előtt. - In the hotel many tourists are waiting in front of the reception.

-ban / -ben is a case ending meaning “in / inside”.
You choose -ban after “back vowels” (a, o, u), and -ben after “front vowels” (e, i, ö, ü, etc.).
- szálloda has back vowels (a, o, a) → szállodában.

So a szállodában literally means “in the hotel” (not just “at the hotel” in a vague sense, but specifically inside the building).

Why does the Hungarian sentence say “in the hotel” (a szállodában) while English usually says “at the hotel”?

Hungarian is more concrete about spatial relations:

a szállodában = inside the hotel building
a szállodánál = by / at the hotel (building), more like outside or near it

In English, “at the hotel” can cover both in and near the hotel.
In Hungarian, if the tourists are waiting inside at the reception area, a szállodában is the natural choice.

So the literal “in the hotel” matches the actual location better than “at” does.

Why is it sok turista and not sok turisták if it means “many tourists”?

In Hungarian, after most quantity words, the noun stays singular, even though the meaning is plural:

sok turista = many tourists
kevés könyv = few books
három gyerek = three children
tíz autó = ten cars

So sok + singular noun is the standard pattern.
You almost never say *sok turisták; that sounds incorrect or very odd in standard Hungarian.

If sok turista is plural in meaning, why is the verb vár in the singular?

With quantified subjects like sok, kevés, három, etc., Hungarian usually uses a singular verb in neutral, factual statements:

Sok turista vár. – Many tourists are waiting.
Három diák tanul magyarul. – Three students study Hungarian.

So sok turista vár is the normal, neutral form.

Using a plural verb (*sok turista várnak) is generally felt as non‑standard or dialectal in this type of sentence. Standard Hungarian grammar prefers the singular verb after sok in such statements.

Where is the English “are” / “are waiting” in this Hungarian sentence?

The information of “are waiting” is all in the single verb vár.

English distinguishes:
- wait (simple present)
- are waiting (present continuous / progressive)
Hungarian has only one present tense, which can cover both:
- vár = waits / is waiting

So sok turista vár can mean both:

Many tourists wait … (habitually), or
Many tourists are waiting … (right now),

depending on context. There is no separate “are” as a helper verb for progressives in Hungarian.

I learned várni valamire = “to wait for something.” Here, there is only a place. Is something missing?

The verb vár has two common patterns:

vár valakire / valamire – to wait for someone / something
- A turista a buszra vár. – The tourist is waiting for the bus.
vár valahol – to wait somewhere (at some place)
- A turista a szállodában vár. – The tourist is waiting in the hotel.

Your sentence uses pattern (2): vár + a szállodában + a recepció előtt.
So nothing is missing; it simply describes where they are waiting, not what they are waiting for.

What exactly is előtt, and why does it come after recepció?

Előtt is a postposition meaning “in front of, before (in space or time)”.

In English, it’s a preposition: in front of the reception.
In Hungarian, it comes after the noun: a recepció előtt.

Structure:

a recepció – the reception (desk/area)
előtt – in front of

So a recepció előtt literally = “the reception in‑front‑of” → in front of the reception.
The noun recepció remains in its base (nominative) form; előtt itself carries the “in front of” meaning.

What’s the difference between a recepció előtt and a recepciónál?

Both can be used near the reception, but they have different nuances:

a recepció előtt
- literally: in front of the reception
- Suggests people are standing directly in front of the reception desk, often in a line or crowd.
a recepciónál = a recepció + -nál
- -nál / -nél ≈ at, by
- Means “at the reception (desk)”, without focusing on the fact that they are physically in front of it.

In your sentence, a recepció előtt emphasizes a group of tourists standing in front of the desk, which fits the image of people queued up in the lobby.

Why is the article a repeated: a szállodában and a recepció előtt? Could one of them be dropped?

You normally need the definite article before each separate noun phrase:

a szállodában – in the hotel
a recepció előtt – in front of the reception

They are two independent phrases (one place, another more specific place), so Hungarian repeats a:

A szállodában sok turista vár a recepció előtt.

Leaving out one of them (*szállodában sok turista vár a recepció előtt) sounds incomplete or less natural in standard Hungarian, especially in a sentence like this that is not telegraphic (like a note or headline).

Can I change the word order, for example to Sok turista vár a szállodában a recepció előtt? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can change the word order; the core meaning stays the same, but the focus shifts.

A szállodában sok turista vár a recepció előtt.
- Topic: A szállodában (“In the hotel…”) – sets the scene.
- Then comments what happens there.
- Roughly: “In the hotel, many tourists are waiting in front of the reception.”
Sok turista vár a szállodában a recepció előtt.
- Topic/Focus: Sok turista (“Many tourists…”) – emphasizes the number of tourists first.
- Then tells you where they are.

Both are correct. Hungarian word order is flexible, but the first part of the sentence usually sets the topic (what we’re talking about) or focus (what is emphasized). The original version emphasizes the location (in the hotel) first.

Is there any reason this sentence uses szálloda instead of hotel?

Hungarian has both words:

szálloda – native/Hungarian word for hotel
hotel – international word, also fully used and understood

You could also say:

A hotelben sok turista vár a recepció előtt.

Both are correct. Szálloda is a bit more “Hungarian‑sounding” and maybe slightly more formal or neutral in many contexts, but in everyday modern language hotel is extremely common too.