Learn Hardcore Hungarian: Nemcsak a tengerpartot nézzük meg, hanem a város múzeumait is. - We will look not only at the seaside, but also at the city’s museums.

Nemcsak a tengerpartot nézzük meg,
= We will not only look at the beach,
hanem a város múzeumait is.
= but also the city’s museums as well.

The is normally appears in the second part of the pair, after the phrase it emphasizes:

hanem a város múzeumait is = but also the city’s museums.

Why is nemcsak written as one word and not nem csak?

Both nemcsak and nem csak exist, but they are used slightly differently.

When it forms the fixed pair nemcsak … hanem (hanem … is) = “not only … but (also …)”, it is usually written together:
- Nemcsak a tengerpartot nézzük meg, hanem a város múzeumait is.
When nem simply negates csak in a looser sense, you may see it separated:
- Nem csak a tengerpartot nézzük meg.
  = We don’t just look at the beach. (More like “not just”, without the explicit “but also …” part.)

In ordinary “not only … but also …” constructions, nemcsak as one word is the more standard form.

Why do tengerpartot and múzeumait end in -t?

The -t ending marks the accusative case: the direct object of the verb.

tengerpart = seaside / (sea) shore / beach
- -ot → tengerpartot = the seaside as an object:
- a tengerpartot nézzük meg = we (will) look at / visit the seaside.
múzeumai = its museums (museums of the city)
- -t → múzeumait = its museums as an object:
- a város múzeumait = the city’s museums (as an object).

So both nouns are marked as things that we are going to look at / visit.

How is múzeumait formed, and what exactly does it mean?

Breakdown of múzeumait:

múzeum = museum
Plural possessed stem for “its museums” (the city’s museums):
- múzeumai = its museums (museums of it → here “it” = the city)
  Pattern: múzeum + ai → múzeumai
Accusative ending:
- múzeumai + t → múzeumait = its museums as direct object.

Phrase level:

a város múzeumait = literally “the city’s museums (object form)”
→ in natural English: “the city’s museums” or “the museums of the city”.

Why is it a város múzeumait and not a városi múzeumokat?

Both are grammatically correct, but there’s a difference in structure and nuance:

a város múzeumait
- város = city (noun)
- város múzeumai = the city’s museums (possessive structure)
- város múzeumait (accusative) = the city’s museums (as objects)
This is a possessive structure: “the city’s museums”.
a városi múzeumokat
- városi = urban / city- (adjective derived from város)
- múzeumokat = museums (accusative plural)
This is more like “city museums / urban museums”, emphasizing their type (city-type museums), not necessarily that they belong to a specific city that you just mentioned.

In this sentence, a város múzeumait fits nicely because we are talking about the museums of the city we are visiting.

What exactly is nézzük meg? Why two words, and what does each part mean?

Nézzük meg comes from the verb megnézni = to look at, to check out, to see (as a tourist).

Breakdown:

nézzük
- stem: néz- (to look)
- form: 1st person plural, definite conjugation, present/imperative → “we look (at it)” / “let’s look (at it)”
meg
- a verbal prefix that often means something like “through / properly / completely / out”.
- megnézni is often “to go and see / visit / check out”.

In imperative (like “Let’s …”), Hungarian usually puts the verbal prefix after the verb:

statement: Meglátogatjuk a város múzeumait.
= We (will) visit the city’s museums.
suggestion/imperative: Látogassuk meg a város múzeumait!
= Let’s visit the city’s museums!

Similarly:

nézzük meg = “let’s look at / let’s go see”.

In context, the sentence is inviting / planning:

Nemcsak a tengerpartot nézzük meg, hanem a város múzeumait is.
≈ We’re not only going to see the beach, but the city’s museums as well.
or more literally: Let’s not only see the beach, but also the city’s museums.

Why is it nézzük meg and not megnézzük?

The two forms reflect mood and prefix position:

megnézzük
- prefix meg in front of the verb
- typical for a statement:
  - Holnap megnézzük a város múzeumait.
    = Tomorrow we’ll look at / visit the city’s museums.
nézzük meg
- same verb, but meg is placed after the verb
- this word order is characteristic of the imperative / “let’s …”:
  - Nézzük meg a város múzeumait!
    = Let’s look at the city’s museums!

So in your sentence, the nézzük meg form suggests a plan / invitation (“let’s …”), not just a plain factual statement.

Why is the verb nézzük (definite) instead of nézünk (indefinite)?

Hungarian has definite and indefinite verb conjugations, depending on how specific the object is.

Use indefinite when:
- the object is indefinite (no article, or egy, or something not clearly specific)
- or when there is no object.
- Example:
  - Tengerpartot nézünk. = We’re looking at a beach / some beach.
Use definite when:
- the object is definite, e.g. with article a/az, a possessive, a proper name, or a demonstrative.
- In this sentence:
  - a tengerpartot = the seaside
  - a város múzeumait = the city’s museums (possessive, and with article)

Since the objects are definite, the verb takes definite conjugation:

nézzük (meg) rather than nézünk (meg).

What does is at the end of a város múzeumait is do, and could it go somewhere else?

Here, is means “also / too / as well”.

It always attaches to the word or phrase immediately before it.
In nemcsak … hanem … is structures, is usually goes in the second part, after the phrase you are adding:
- Nemcsak a tengerpartot nézzük meg, hanem a város múzeumait is.
  = Not only the beach will we see, but also the city’s museums.

If you moved is, you would be saying something slightly different:

Nemcsak a tengerpartot is nézzük meg, hanem a város múzeumait.
This sounds odd in this context and would suggest “we also see the beach, not only something else”, twisting the emphasis.

So:

a város múzeumait is = the city’s museums as well (added item).
is should stay right after the phrase it modifies.

Can we change the word order, for example: Nemcsak a tengerpartot, hanem a város múzeumait is nézzük meg?

Yes, you can shift the word order a bit, and both of these are natural:

Nemcsak a tengerpartot nézzük meg, hanem a város múzeumait is.
- Focus in each clause is on what we’re seeing:
  - Clause 1 focus: a tengerpartot
  - Clause 2 focus: a város múzeumait is
Nemcsak a tengerpartot, hanem a város múzeumait is nézzük meg.
- Now the whole list (beach + museums) appears before the verb, and the verb (nézzük meg) rounds off the sentence.
- Still perfectly fine and quite common in speech/writing.

Hungarian word order is quite flexible, but:

The focused element usually stands right before the conjugated verb.
In both versions, the main contrast between a tengerpartot and a város múzeumait is is still clear.

Does nézzük meg mean “we will look at” or “let’s look at”? How do we know?

Morphologically, nézzük can be present indicative or imperative/subjunctive in 1st person plural, and the difference often depends on context and prefix position.

Statement type (future or present):
- Holnap megnézzük a város múzeumait.
  = We will look at / visit the city’s museums tomorrow.
  (prefix meg in front)
Suggestion / “let’s …” type:
- Nézzük meg a város múzeumait!
  = Let’s look at / visit the city’s museums!
  (prefix meg after the verb)

In your sentence:

Nemcsak a tengerpartot nézzük meg, hanem a város múzeumait is.

This very naturally reads as a plan or proposal (“what we are going to do”, “let’s …”). In English we usually translate it as future intention:

We’re not only going to see the beach, but also the city’s museums.

If you wanted a crystal-clear, “will” future in Hungarian, you could also say:

Nemcsak a tengerpartot fogjuk megnézni, hanem a város múzeumait is.
(using fogjuk = we will)

Why is the article a repeated: a tengerpartot … a város múzeumait?

In Hungarian, when you coordinate two separate definite noun phrases, it’s very common (and often more natural) to repeat the article:

a tengerpartot és a város múzeumait
a kávét és a teát

You can sometimes share one article for simple pairs:

a fiú és lány (the boy and girl)

But when each noun phrase is more complex (especially with possessives, adjectives, etc.), speakers usually repeat the article for clarity and rhythm:

Nemcsak a tengerpartot nézzük meg, hanem a város múzeumait is.

Omitting the second a would sound a bit off here.

Does nézzük meg mean “look at” or “visit”? How should I understand it in this context?

Literally, megnézni = to look at, to take a look at.
However, in tourism / sightseeing contexts, it often means something closer to “to go and see / to visit (as a tourist)”.

So in this sentence:

Nemcsak a tengerpartot nézzük meg, hanem a város múzeumait is.

Natural translations include:

We’re not only going to see the beach, but also the city’s museums.
We’ll not only visit the beach, but the city’s museums as well.

Both “see” and “visit” can be good translations, depending on what sounds more idiomatic in English in that context.