Hétfőn nem megyek az irodába.

On Monday I don’t go to the office.

Breakdown of Hétfőn nem megyek az irodába.

• menni: to go
• nem: not
• -ba: to
• iroda: the office
• -n: at
• hétfő: the Monday

Questions & Answers about Hétfőn nem megyek az irodába.

Why do we say Hétfőn instead of just Hétfő?

In Hungarian, to say “on Monday” you add the -n / -on / -en / -ön ending to the day of the week.

• Hétfő = Monday
• Hétfőn = on Monday

This is the superessive case, often meaning “on” (on the table = az asztalon, on Monday = hétfőn).

With words that already end in a vowel, like hétfő, you just add -n:

• hétfő + n → hétfőn

With words ending in a consonant, you get -on / -en / -ön depending on vowel harmony:

• asztal (table) → asztalon (on the table)
• könyv (book) → könyvön (on the book)

Where is the word “I” in this sentence? Why isn’t én used?

Hungarian usually doesn’t use subject pronouns unless they’re emphasized.

The verb ending in megyek already shows:

• person: 1st person
• number: singular So megyek by itself means “I go / I am going”.

You can add én for emphasis:

• Én hétfőn nem megyek az irodába.
  = I am not going to the office on Monday (but maybe someone else is).

Without én, it’s the neutral, default way to say it.

What does the ending -ek in megyek tell us?

The -ek ending in megyek marks:

• present tense
• 1st person singular
• indefinite conjugation (no specific definite object)

Rough breakdown:

• megy- → verb stem (“go”)
• -ek → “I” (1st person singular)

So megyek = “I go / I am going”.

Why is it megyek and not something like menek, if the infinitive is menni (“to go”)?

The verb menni (“to go”) is irregular. Its stem changes:

• infinitive: menni (to go)
• 3rd person singular: megy (he/she/it goes)
• 1st person singular: megyek (I go)
• 2nd person singular: mész (you go)

So although the dictionary form is menni, many present-tense forms use the stem megy-, not men-. You simply have to memorize this pattern.

Why is the negation word nem placed before megyek?

In Hungarian, nem normally comes directly before the verb it negates.

• Megyek az irodába. = I am going to the office.
• Nem megyek az irodába. = I am not going to the office.

If you want to emphasize who is not going, you move the pronoun in front of nem:

• Én nem megyek az irodába. = I am not going to the office.

But the basic rule: nem + verb.

Why do we say az irodába and not just irodába?

Az is the definite article (“the”).

Hungarian has:

• a before words starting with a consonant: a ház (the house)
• az before words starting with a vowel: az iroda (the office)

We use the article here because we’re talking about a specific office, usually:

• “the office” = my workplace / the usual office everyone knows about

If you drop the article (irodába megyek), it sounds more like “I’m going (to) an office” in a more general or less specific sense. In everyday speech, with places like iskola (school), iroda (office), egyetem (university), the article is very commonly kept when you mean your usual place.

What does the ending -ba in irodába mean?

-ba / -be is a case ending that means “into” (motion inside something).

• iroda = office
• irodába = into the office / to the office (going inside)

It contrasts with:

• -ban / -ben = “in, inside (location, not movement)”

So:

• Az irodában vagyok. = I am in the office. (location)
• Az irodába megyek. = I am going to/into the office. (movement)

The choice between -ba and -be is vowel harmony:

• back vowels → -ba (e.g. irodába)
• front vowels → -be (e.g. szívbe, into the heart)

Why is it written irodába with á, not irodaba?

The base noun is iroda.

Many Hungarian nouns ending in -a or -e change that vowel to á or é when you add a suffix that starts with a vowel (like -ba / -be, -ban / -ben, -nak / -nek, etc.):

• iroda → irodába (into the office)
• iroda → irodában (in the office)
• szoba → szobában (in the room)
• böde → bödében (in the jar)

So the lengthening a → á is a regular stem change you see with many -a / -e nouns when they take vowel-initial suffixes. You just have to learn to expect it.

Can the word order be different, for example Nem megyek hétfőn az irodába?

Yes, Hungarian word order is more flexible than English, but it’s not random; it reflects focus and emphasis.

All of these are grammatically correct:

1. Hétfőn nem megyek az irodába.
   – Monday is the topic (“as for Monday”), then you say what happens: I’m not going to the office.

2. Nem megyek hétfőn az irodába.
   – Neutral English equivalent: “I’m not going to the office on Monday.”
   – Focus is more on the negation of the action, the time is less emphasized.

3. Az irodába hétfőn nem megyek.
   – More contrastive, like: “To the office I’m not going on Monday (maybe another day I am).”

The safest, most neutral options for learners are:

• Hétfőn nem megyek az irodába.
• Nem megyek hétfőn az irodába.

How would I say “On Mondays I don’t go to the office” (habitually, every Monday)?

To express a habit / regular repeated action, you can use:

1. Hétfőnként nem megyek az irodába.
   – hétfőnként ≈ “on Mondays / every Monday”

2. Minden hétfőn nem megyek az irodába.
   – minden hétfőn = “every Monday”

Both mean that as a rule, on Mondays you don’t go to the office, not just this coming Monday.

Do all days of the week take this -n ending to mean “on [day]”?

Yes, Hungarian normally uses the -n / -on / -en / -ön endings with days of the week to mean “on [that day]”. Here are the usual forms:

• hétfőn – on Monday
• kedden – on Tuesday
• szerdán – on Wednesday
• csütörtökön – on Thursday
• pénteken – on Friday
• szombaton – on Saturday
• vasárnap (often just the bare form is used; you may also hear vasárnapon, but vasárnap alone is very common for “on Sunday”)

So the pattern is: name of day + -n/-on/-en/-ön depending on the word’s sounds.

How do I pronounce Hétfőn nem megyek az irodába?

Approximate pronunciation (with English-style hints):

• Hétfőn → roughly “HAYT-furn”

  • é like “ay” in day but a bit shorter/cleaner
  • ő is like the German ö in schön, similar to the “i” in British sir but with rounded lips

• nem → “nem” (like English nem in nemesis without the last part)

• megyek → roughly “MED-yeck”

  • gy is a soft sound, like the “d” in British during or like a very soft “dy”
  • stress is on me-

• az → like “oz” (short a, almost like English “us” but with z)

• irodába → roughly “ee-ro-DAA-ba”

  • i like “ee” in see
  • o like “o” in dog (in many accents)
  • á like “a” in father but longer
  • stress is always on the first syllable: I-ro-dá-ba

Hungarian stress is always on the first syllable of each word.

Could I say Hétfőn nem az irodába megyek? What would that mean?

Yes, that is correct, but the meaning shifts:

• Hétfőn nem megyek az irodába.
  = I am not going to the office on Monday (maybe I’m staying home).

• Hétfőn nem az irodába megyek.
  = On Monday it is not to the office that I’m going (I am going somewhere, but to a different place, not the office).

In Hétfőn nem az irodába megyek, the focus is on az irodába (the destination). You’re contrasting the office with some other place.

Is there a difference between Én hétfőn nem megyek az irodába and Hétfőn nem megyek az irodába?

Grammatically, both are fine; the difference is emphasis:

• Hétfőn nem megyek az irodába.
  – Neutral: “On Monday I’m not going to the office.”
  – Subject “I” is understood from megyek, no extra emphasis.

• Én hétfőn nem megyek az irodába.
  – Emphasizes Én: “I am not going to the office on Monday (maybe others are).”

So adding én highlights a contrast with someone else, or corrects a possible misunderstanding about who is not going.