Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A barátom is külföldi, de már jól beszél magyarul. - My friend is also a foreigner, but she already speaks Hungarian well.

The Hungarian verb “to be” (present tense, 3rd person singular van) is actually left out here. In Hungarian, when you say X is Y with a noun or adjective in the present tense 3rd person, you usually omit van:

A barátom külföldi. = My friend is foreign / a foreigner. (no explicit “is”)

Then where is the verb “to be” in this sentence?

It is simply not expressed.

Hungarian often leaves out van (“is/are”) in the present tense, 3rd person, when linking a subject to:

a noun:
- Péter tanár. = Peter is a teacher.
or an adjective:
- A barátom külföldi. = My friend is foreign / is a foreigner.

So in A barátom is külföldi, the literal structure is more like:

The my-friend also foreign
and Hungarian speakers understand the “is” (to be) from the structure.

What does the A at the beginning mean? Is it like English “a”?

No. Hungarian A here is the definite article, meaning “the”, not “a/an”.

a / az = the
- a before consonant sounds: a barátom (the my-friend)
- az before vowel sounds: az autó (the car)
egy = a / an (indefinite article)

So A barátom = “The my friend” literally, but idiomatically we just say “my friend” in English.

What exactly does barátom mean, and how is it formed?

Barátom means “my friend”.

It is built from:

barát = friend
-om = my (1st person singular possessive ending)

So:

barátom = my friend
barátod = your friend (singular)
barátja = his/her/their friend
barátunk = our friend

In the sentence A barátom is külföldi, A is the article (the), and barátom itself already includes “my”.

Can I leave out the A and just say Barátom is külföldi?

Yes, you can say Barátom is külföldi, and it is correct.

With possessive forms like barátom, the article a/az is often used but not strictly required. In many neutral contexts:

A barátom külföldi.
Barátom külföldi.

Both can mean “My friend is foreign / a foreigner.”
Using A is probably a bit more common and neutral, but dropping it is also natural, especially in spoken language or in slightly more “elevated” style.

Does barátom say anything about gender, like “boyfriend” vs “girlfriend”?

By itself, barátom just means “my friend” and does not clearly indicate gender.

barátom – my (male) friend, or just friend in general
barátnőm – literally female friend, and very often means “my girlfriend”

So:

A barátom is külföldi – My friend is also foreign (likely male friend, or gender-irrelevant)
A barátnőm is külföldi – My (girl)friend is also foreign (commonly: my girlfriend)

What does külföldi mean exactly? Is it “foreign” or “foreigner”?

Külföldi can function as both an adjective and a noun:

As an adjective: “foreign”
- külföldi diák = foreign student
As a noun: “foreigner”
- Ő egy külföldi. = He/She is a foreigner.

In the sentence A barátom is külföldi, it works like a predicative adjective/noun, so the meaning is roughly:

My friend is also a foreigner / is also foreign.

English normally chooses the noun “foreigner”, but Hungarian doesn’t need to change form.

What does de mean, and is the comma before it necessary?

De means “but”.

A barátom is külföldi, de már jól beszél magyarul.
= My friend is also foreign, but he/she already speaks Hungarian well.

The comma before de is normal and standard in Hungarian, just like before “but” in English when it joins two clauses. You generally write:

…, de …
just as in English “, but …”.

What does már mean here, and how is it different from még?

Már means “already”.

In de már jól beszél magyarul:

már jól beszél ≈ “already speaks well”

Basic contrasts:

már = already
- Már beszél magyarul. = He/She already speaks Hungarian.
még = still / yet
- Még nem beszél magyarul. = He/She doesn’t speak Hungarian yet.
már nem = no longer / not anymore
- Már nem beszél magyarul. = He/She no longer speaks Hungarian.

So már adds the idea of progress or earlier-than-expected achievement.

Why is it jól and not jó before beszél?

Jó is the adjective = “good”.
Jól is the adverb = “well”.

Adjective vs. adverb:

jó könyv = a good book
jól olvas = he/she reads well

In jól beszél magyarul:

jól modifies the verb beszél (speaks), so you need the adverb form:
- He/She speaks Hungarian well. (not “speaks Hungarian good”)

Hungarian often forms adverbs from adjectives by adding -l, though the spelling can vary (jó → jól).

Why is it magyarul and not just magyar after beszél?

Magyarul is the “in Hungarian / Hungarian (language)” form.

The suffix -ul / -ül often turns language names into an adverbial form meaning “in X language”:

magyar → magyarul = in Hungarian
angol → angolul = in English
német → németül = in German

So:

magyarul beszél = (he/she) speaks Hungarian
angolul beszél = (he/she) speaks English

If you say just magyar, it is usually an adjective (“Hungarian”) or a noun (“a Hungarian person”), not “in Hungarian (language)”.

Could I say magyart beszél instead of magyarul beszél?

You will sometimes hear (a) magyart beszéli or magyarul beszél, but they are not interchangeable in all contexts.

Most of the time, when talking about ability in a language, Hungarian uses the -ul/ül form:

Jól beszél magyarul. = He/She speaks Hungarian well.
(most natural)

You can say:

Jól beszéli a magyart.

Here a magyart is a definite object (“the Hungarian (language)”), so the verb usually appears in definite conjugation (beszéli, not beszél).

Nuance:

magyarul beszél – neutral, most common for “speaks Hungarian”
beszéli a magyart – a bit more “object-like” or evaluative (he really knows the Hungarian language)

Why is there no word for “he” or “she” in the second part?

Hungarian usually omits personal pronouns when they are clear from context, especially in the 3rd person.

In de már jól beszél magyarul:

the subject is still A barátom (“my friend”) from the first part
so there is no need to add ő (“he/she”)

You could say:

A barátom is külföldi, de ő már jól beszél magyarul.

This is also correct, but ő adds emphasis on the person (“but he/she already speaks Hungarian well”).

How do I know whether it means “he” or “she”? Does Hungarian mark gender?

Hungarian does not mark grammatical gender in the third person pronoun or in verb forms.

ő = he or she
Verbs don’t change for gender.

So A barátom is külföldi, de már jól beszél magyarul could refer to:

“he” or
“she”,

and only the broader context (or a noun like barátnőm vs barátom) tells you which.

Why is the word order A barátom is külföldi and not A barátom külföldi is?

The particle is (“also”) normally attaches to the word before it and puts focus on that word.

A barátom is külföldi.
Focus: my friend is also foreign (in addition to someone else, probably me).
A barátom külföldi is.
This is not a normal way to say it; it sounds wrong or at best very odd.

So you place is immediately after the element you want to say “also” about:

Én is külföldi vagyok. = I am also foreign.
A barátom is külföldi. = My friend is also foreign.
Jól is beszél magyarul. = He/She also speaks it well. (in addition to speaking it at all)

The position of is is therefore important for meaning and correctness.