Breakdown of Nekünk is adnak egy kulcsot, és felmegyünk a szobába.
Questions & Answers about Nekünk is adnak egy kulcsot, és felmegyünk a szobába.
Hungarian has different case forms for pronouns, and they do not all translate the same way as English us.
- nekünk = “to us / for us” (dative case)
- minket = “us” as a direct object (accusative case)
In Nekünk is adnak egy kulcsot, the idea is:
- “They give a key to us as well.”
The verb adni (“to give”) often uses a dative for the person who receives something:
- Adnak nekünk egy kulcsot. – “They give a key to us.”
If you said:
- Minket adnak… – That would mean “They give us (as the thing)…”, which is a completely different meaning and sounds wrong here.
So: nekünk is correct because we are the recipient, not the object being given.
is is a little particle that usually means “also / too / as well”.
- nekünk = “to us”
- nekünk is = “to us as well / to us too”
In Hungarian, is always comes after the word it relates to:
- mi is = “we also”
- nekünk is = “to us also”
- a vendégek is = “the guests also”
The position of is changes what is being emphasized:
- Mi is kapunk egy kulcsot. – “We also get a key.” (We, as opposed to others.)
- Nekünk is adnak egy kulcsot. – “They give a key to us as well.” (Us, in addition to someone else getting one.)
So the word order nekünk is shows that we are included among the people who get a key.
The subject “they” is not explicitly written, but it is understood from the verb ending.
- adnak = “they give”
Hungarian is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns (like én, te, ő, mi, ti, ők) are often omitted when the verb ending makes the subject clear.
- Adok. – “I give.”
- Adsz. – “You give.”
- Adnak. – “They give.”
In a full sentence:
- Nekünk is adnak egy kulcsot. – “They also give us a key.”
So adnak already contains the information “they”, and you only say ők adnak if you need extra emphasis or contrast:
- Ők adnak nekünk kulcsot, nem mások. – “They are the ones who give us a key, not others.”
Hungarian has two main conjugations in the present:
- indefinite (for indefinite or non‑specific objects)
- definite (for specific, definite objects)
Here the object is:
- egy kulcsot – “a key” (indefinite)
Because the object is indefinite, we must use the indefinite conjugation:
- adnak egy kulcsot – “they give a key”
Compare with a definite object:
- a kulcsot adják – “they give the key”
- a mi kulcsunkat adják – “they give our key”
So:
- egy kulcsot adnak ✅ (indefinite object → indefinite conjugation)
- egy kulcsot adják ❌ (mismatch: indefinite object + definite verb)
The -t on kulcsot marks the accusative case (direct object).
- kulcs = “key” (base form)
- kulcsot = “key” as a direct object (“a key” that is being given)
In Hungarian, the direct object normally needs the accusative ending -t:
- Veszek egy könyvet. – “I buy a book.”
- Eszem egy almát. – “I eat an apple.”
- Adnak egy kulcsot. – “They give a key.”
Without -t, egy kulcs would sound like a subject or a bare noun, not something being given:
- Egy kulcs az asztalon van. – “A key is on the table.”
Here egy kulcs is not an object; it’s the subject.
Hungarian present tense can often refer to the near future, especially when the context makes it clear:
- Holnap moziba megyünk. – “We are going to the cinema tomorrow / We will go to the cinema tomorrow.”
- Most mindjárt eszünk. – “We’re about to eat.”
In your sentence:
- Nekünk is adnak egy kulcsot, és felmegyünk a szobába.
In a typical context (e.g. checking into a hotel), this naturally refers to what is about to happen:
- “They will also give us a key, and we will go up to the room.”
So the Hungarian present (adnak, felmegyünk) comfortably covers what English often expresses with “will” or the “be going to” future.
fel- is a verbal prefix (particle) meaning roughly “up / upwards”.
- megyünk = “we go”
- felmegyünk = “we go up / we go upstairs”
About word order:
- felmegyünk a szobába is the neutral, “normal” form in this context.
- megyünk fel a szobába is also possible but usually felt as somewhat more emphatic or contrastive, depending on context.
Basic pattern:
- In a neutral statement, the verbal prefix comes before the verb:
Felmegyünk a szobába. If the verb is in focus, negated, or in certain questions, the prefix often moves after the verb:
- Nem megyünk fel. – “We are not going up.”
- Mikor megyünk fel? – “When are we going up?”
Here, felmegyünk a szobába is the standard, unmarked way to say “we go up to the room.”
The ending on szoba expresses direction / location:
- szobában (‑ban/‑ben) = “in the room” (location inside)
- szobához (‑hoz/‑hez/‑höz) = “to the room / to the door/area of the room” (towards, up to something)
- szobába (‑ba/‑be) = “into the room” (movement into an interior)
In the sentence:
- felmegyünk a szobába = “we go up into the room / up to the room (and into it).”
Since the action is going up and entering, Hungarian uses -ba/-be (illative case – movement into). If you said:
- felmegyünk a szobában ❌ – “we go up in the room” (awkward / wrong here)
- felmegyünk a szobához – “we go up to (the door/area of) the room” (not clearly going inside)
So a szobába matches the idea of going into the room.
a is the definite article (“the”).
- szobába = “into a room” (any room, very unspecific, and often sounds odd here)
- a szobába = “into the room” (a specific, known room)
Hungarian uses definite articles often where English also uses “the”, especially:
- when both speaker and listener know which room is meant (e.g. “our room” in a hotel),
- when you are talking about a specific, previously mentioned place.
So a szobába here naturally means “to the room” (the one assigned to you), not just some random room. Omitting a here (felmegyünk szobába) sounds incomplete or unusual in standard Hungarian.
Yes, you can say Mi is kapunk egy kulcsot, but it changes both the verb and the focus.
Verb choice
- adnak = “they give” (focus on the giver’s action)
- kapunk = “we get / receive” (focus on the receiver)
Focus with is
- Mi is kapunk egy kulcsot. – “We also get a key.”
Focus: we (we, as well as others, are getting a key). - Nekünk is adnak egy kulcsot. – “They also give us a key.”
Focus: to us (we are also among those to whom they are giving keys).
- Mi is kapunk egy kulcsot. – “We also get a key.”
Both are grammatically correct and natural; they just present the event from different angles and with slightly different emphasis.
egy can be:
- the number “one”, or
- the indefinite article “a / an”.
In many everyday contexts, egy before a singular noun simply functions as “a / an”:
- egy kulcsot adnak = “they give a key”
It can mean exactly one if the context makes that important, but often it just signals that the noun is indefinite:
- Kérhetnénk egy kulcsot? – “Could we have a key?” (not emphasizing the exact number, just “a key”)
So in Nekünk is adnak egy kulcsot, the natural reading is “They also give us a key”, not emphatically “one and only one key” unless context stresses that contrast.