Breakdown of A recepció mellett van a lift és a lépcső is, mindkettő a második emeletre megy.
Questions & Answers about A recepció mellett van a lift és a lépcső is, mindkettő a második emeletre megy.
In Hungarian, many words that express place or relation are postpositions, not prepositions. That means they come after the noun.
- a recepció mellett = next to the reception / beside the reception
- a recepció – the reception
- mellett – next to, beside
So the literal structure is “the reception next-to”, which corresponds to English “next to the reception”.
Other common postpositions work the same way:
- az asztal alatt – under the table
- az iskola előtt – in front of the school
- a ház mögött – behind the house
is is a small word that usually means “also / too / as well”. It always attaches to the word before it, and it gives that word the meaning “also”.
In the phrase:
- a lift és a lépcső is
we have:
- és – and
- a lépcső is – the stairs also / too
So the idea is:
- “the lift and the stairs too”
- or more naturally: “both the lift and the stairs”
The is emphasizes that it’s not only the lift, but also the stairs that are next to the reception (and that go to the second floor).
They are completely different words:
és = and
- joins two things: a lift és a lépcső – the lift and the stairs
is = also / too
- adds the meaning “also”: a lépcső is – the stairs too, the stairs also
So in a lift és a lépcső is you literally have both:
- és = and
- is = also
Together they mean something like: “the lift and the stairs as well.”
Hungarian uses the definite article a / az broadly, even more often than English uses “the”.
- a before a consonant: a recepció, a lift, a lépcső, a második emelet
- az before a vowel: az autó, az étterem
In this sentence, we’re talking about specific, known things:
- a recepció – the (hotel) reception, a specific one
- a lift – the elevator there, not just any elevator in the world
- a lépcső – the stairs there
- a második emeletre – (to) the second floor of this building
English sometimes can omit “the” (“go to second floor” in some styles), but Hungarian keeps the article here: a második emeletre megy.
Strict agreement would suggest a plural verb:
- A recepció mellett vannak a lift és a lépcső is.
However, in existential / “there is” type sentences with fronted location, Hungarian often uses singular van even when several things are listed, especially in casual speech:
- A recepció mellett van a lift és a lépcső is.
The focus here is “Next to the reception, there is …” and then we list what there is. Many native speakers find both versions acceptable:
- van – very natural in spoken language
- vannak – more strictly matching the plural subject
As a learner, using vannak with a clearly plural subject is always safe and correct; just be aware that you will often hear van in this kind of structure.
Yes, that sentence is correct too:
- A lift és a lépcső is a recepció mellett van.
The basic meaning is the same: The lift and the stairs are next to the reception.
The difference is in emphasis / information structure:
A recepció mellett van a lift és a lépcső is…
- Topic: “Next to the reception”
- You first locate a place, then say what is there.
A lift és a lépcső is a recepció mellett van.
- Topic: “The lift and the stairs”
- You start with the things and say where they are.
Both are natural; Hungarian word order is flexible and used mainly to express what is already known (topic) and what is new or focused information.
mindkettő literally means “both (of them)”. It is a pronoun formed from:
- mind – all
- kettő – two
In the sentence:
- mindkettő a második emeletre megy
mindkettő refers back to a lift és a lépcső is:
- mindkettő – both (the lift and the stairs)
- a második emeletre megy – goes to the second floor
So the clause means: “both (of them) go to the second floor.”
Grammatically, mindkettő is treated as a singular pronoun in Hungarian, even though its meaning is “both (of them)”.
So you use a singular verb:
- mindkettő megy – both (of them) go
- mindkettő tetszik – I like both (both are pleasing)
- mindkettő jó – both are good
This is why we have:
- mindkettő a második emeletre megy – both go to the second floor
(with megy, not mennek)
Yes, these are closely related forms:
mindkettő – pronoun, used alone
- Mindkettő a második emeletre megy. – Both go to the second floor.
mind a kettő – more analytic version of the same pronoun
- Mind a kettő a második emeletre megy. – Both (of them) go to the second floor.
Meaning and usage are practically the same as mindkettő.
- Mind a kettő a második emeletre megy. – Both (of them) go to the second floor.
mindkét – used before a noun, like an adjective
- Mindkét lépcső a második emeletre megy. – Both (sets of) stairs go to the second floor.
- Mindkét lift működik. – Both elevators are working.
In your sentence, since we’re replacing “the lift and the stairs” with one pronoun, mindkettő or mind a kettő is the natural choice.
The ending -ra / -re is a case suffix called the sublative, and one of its common uses is to show movement to / onto / up to a place.
- emelet – floor, storey
- emeletre – to the floor, onto the floor
So:
- a második emeletre megy
literally: “goes to/onto the second floor.”
Other examples:
- az egyetemre megyek – I’m going to the university
- a falra teszem – I put it on the wall
- az asztalra teszem – I put it on the table
If you were talking about being on that floor (no movement), you’d use a different ending, -on / -en / -ön:
- a második emeleten van – it is on the second floor
They express two different ideas: location vs movement.
a második emeleten van
- -en: “on / at” → static location
- means: it is on the second floor (that’s where it is located)
a második emeletre megy
- -re: “to / onto” → movement / direction
- means: it goes to the second floor (that’s where it leads or where it travels)
In your sentence, we’re describing where the lift and stairs lead:
- mindkettő a második emeletre megy – both go up to the second floor.
You can hear sentences like:
- A recepció mellett van lift és lépcső is.
This sounds more like “There is an elevator and stairs next to the reception”, i.e. more indefinite / generic. Without the articles, it feels less like you are referring to one specific, known lift and one specific, known stairway.
With the articles:
- A recepció mellett van a lift és a lépcső is…
you’re clearly talking about “the lift and the stairs (of this place)”. For a learner, it’s safer to keep the articles when you mean specific things.
The comma separates two clauses:
A recepció mellett van a lift és a lépcső is
– Next to the reception there is the lift and also the stairs.mindkettő a második emeletre megy
– both go to the second floor.
These two parts could be written as two separate sentences:
- A recepció mellett van a lift és a lépcső is. Mindkettő a második emeletre megy.
Writing them with a comma keeps them closely connected, but grammatically they are two full statements.