Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A barátom is reméli, hogy az útlevelek a táskában maradnak. - My friend also hopes that the passports stay in the bag.

It is not the verb to be. Hungarian doesn’t use a separate word like is / am / are in the present tense before adjectives and nouns (e.g. Ő tanár = He is a teacher).

Where exactly does is go in the sentence? Could I put it somewhere else?

Is usually comes right after the word it is modifying.

A barátom is reméli… = My friend also hopes…
(someone else hopes; my friend too)

If you moved is:

A barátom reméli is… – sounds wrong here.
A barátom is reméli – correct, focus is on barátom (my friend also).

If you wanted to say also hopes this (in addition to something else), you could say:

A barátom ezt is reméli. = My friend also hopes this.

The position of is changes what is “also”. Here, it clearly belongs to barátom.

Why is it reméli and not just remél?

Hungarian verbs have two present-tense conjugations: indefinite and definite.

remél = 3rd person singular, indefinite
reméli = 3rd person singular, definite

The definite form is used when the verb has a definite object (something specific). A subordinate clause with hogy often counts as such an “object”:

A barátom remél. = My friend hopes. (in general, nobody specified what)
A barátom reméli, hogy… = My friend hopes that… (this specific content)

So reméli is the correct form because it’s “hopes that [specific thing]”.

What does hogy do in …reméli, hogy az útlevelek…? Can it be left out like English that?

Hogy is the conjunction that introducing a subordinate clause:

reméli, hogy… = hopes that…

Unlike English, Hungarian normally requires hogy in this structure. You cannot usually drop it:

English: I hope (that) the passports stay… – that can be omitted.
Hungarian: Remélem, hogy az útlevelek… – leaving out hogy is either incorrect or sounds very odd here.

So you should keep hogy in sentences like this.

Why is it A barátom and not just Barátom?

Both can exist, but they feel different:

A barátom = my (specific) friend (the definite article emphasizes it as a particular person)
Barátom alone can:
- sound slightly more formal / “elevated” (e.g., in letters, Kedves barátom, My dear friend,), or
- be used in some styles without the article.

In everyday spoken Hungarian, for a simple sentence like this, A barátom is the most natural: My friend also hopes…

Why is barátom written as one word? How does possession work here?

Barátom is barát (friend) + -om (my). The -m endings mark possession for 1st person singular:

barát = friend
barátom = my friend
barátod = your friend
barátja = his/her friend

In Hungarian, possession is usually shown with an ending on the noun, not with a separate word like my. You can also optionally add én:

Az én barátom is reméli… = My friend also hopes…, with extra emphasis on my.

Why is it az útlevelek with az, not a?

Hungarian has two definite articles:

a before words starting with a consonant: a táska, a könyv
az before words starting with a vowel sound: az útlevél, az autó

Since útlevél starts with the vowel ú, you must use az:

az útlevelek = the passports

Why are útlevelek plural? Could it be singular útlevél?

Útlevél = passport, útlevelek = passports.

The Hungarian sentence talks about the passports (plural), so útlevelek is used.

You could say:

…hogy az útlevél a táskában marad. = …that the passport stays in the bag. (one passport)
…hogy az útlevelek a táskában maradnak. = …that the passports stay in the bag. (more than one)

Hungarian, like English, changes the verb for plural:

singular: marad
plural: maradnak

Why is there no word for in before a táskában? How does -ban/-ben work?

Hungarian often uses case endings instead of separate prepositions.

táska = bag
táskában = in the bag

The ending -ban/-ben means in, inside. You choose -ban or -ben based on vowel harmony:

back vowels (a, o, u) → -ban: táska → táskában
front vowels (e, i, ö, ü, etc.) → -ben: szekrény → szekrényben (in the cupboard)

So a táskában literally is in the bag.

Why is the word order az útlevelek a táskában maradnak? Could I say az útlevelek maradnak a táskában?

Both orders are grammatical, but they differ in focus / emphasis.

Hungarian word order is heavily driven by information structure. Roughly:

az útlevelek a táskában maradnak
– neutral statement, gentle emphasis on where they stay (the passports stay in the bag).
az útlevelek maradnak a táskában
– emphasizes the verb and what happens to them (the passports are the ones that *stay in the bag* – maybe something else doesn’t).

In your sentence, the given order is a natural, neutral way to say that the passports stay in the bag. For a beginner, az útlevelek a táskában maradnak is a very good default.

Why is maradnak in the present tense when in English I’d say “will stay”?

Hungarian often uses present tense where English uses future if the future meaning is clear from context:

Az útlevelek a táskában maradnak.
Literally: The passports stay in the bag.
Natural English: The passports will stay in the bag.

The context (a hope about what will happen) makes the future meaning obvious. You can use fognak maradni for a very explicit future:

…hogy az útlevelek a táskában fognak maradni.

But in everyday speech, present (maradnak) with a future meaning is completely normal and often preferred.

Why does the verb end in -nak in maradnak?

Maradnak is the 3rd person plural form of marad (to stay).

Present, indefinite conjugation of marad:

(ő) marad = he/she/it stays
(ők) maradnak = they stay

Since the subject az útlevelek (the passports) is plural, the verb must also be plural: maradnak.