A kéz tiszta.

The hand is clean.

Breakdown of A kéz tiszta.

• lenni: to be
• tiszta: clean
• kéz: the hand

Questions & Answers about A kéz tiszta.

Why is there no word for is (like van) in A kéz tiszta?

Hungarian normally drops the verb van (to be) in the 3rd person present tense when the predicate is a noun or an adjective.

So:

• A kéz tiszta.
  The hand is clean.
• A víz hideg.
  The water is cold.
• Ő orvos.
  He/She is a doctor.

In all of these, English needs is, but Hungarian leaves van out. It is still understood from the structure of the sentence.

When do you actually have to use van?

You do use van / vannak (is/are) in several situations:

1. With adverbs or place expressions as the predicate

   • A kéz itt van.
     The hand is here.
   • A könyv az asztalon van.
     The book is on the table.

2. In persons other than 3rd person singular/plural

   • Én vagyok tanár.
     I am a teacher.
   • Te vagy fáradt.
     You are tired.

3. In other tenses

   • A kéz tiszta volt.
     The hand was clean.
   • A kéz tiszta lesz.
     The hand will be clean.

So A kéz tiszta is present tense, 3rd person, with an adjective as the predicate → no van.

What does A mean in A kéz tiszta, and why is it there?

A is the definite article, equivalent to English the before a consonant (before vowels it is az).

• a kéz = the hand
• az ember = the person

You use a/az when you are talking about a specific, identifiable thing, just like English the.

So A kéz tiszta literally corresponds to The hand is clean, not just Hand is clean.

Can I say Kéz tiszta without the article?

Grammatically, Kéz tiszta is not the normal, full-sentence way to say it in standard Hungarian. It would usually sound like:

• a telegraphic note
• a headline
• or an incomplete phrase on a sign

In normal speech or writing, you would say:

• A kéz tiszta. – The hand is clean.
• Or, if you mean hands in general: A kezek tiszták. – (The) hands are clean.

So for a full, neutral sentence, you generally keep the article: A kéz tiszta.

Is kéz singular or plural? How do I say The hands are clean?

Kéz is singular: hand.

The plural is kezek (irregular change: kéz → kezek), and the full plural sentence is:

• A kezek tiszták.
  The hands are clean.

Compare:

• A kéz tiszta. – The hand is clean.
• A kezek tiszták. – The hands are clean.

Why is the adjective tiszta and not something like a plural or gender form?

Hungarian adjectives:

• have no gender (no masculine/feminine forms)
• in predicative position (after van/omitted van) agree in number with a plural subject by taking -k
• in attributive position (before the noun) do not take plural marking

So:

Predicative (like in your sentence):

• A kéz tiszta. – The hand is clean.
• A kezek tiszták. – The hands are clean. (tiszták = plural)

Attributive (before the noun):

• tiszta kéz – a clean hand
• tiszta kezek – clean hands (no plural on tiszta here)

In A kéz tiszta, the subject is singular, so the adjective stays singular: tiszta.

Can I also say Tiszta a kéz? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say Tiszta a kéz, and it is grammatically correct. The difference is mainly in emphasis and information structure:

• A kéz tiszta. – neutral statement; topic is the hand, and you state that it is clean.
• Tiszta a kéz. – puts more emphasis on tiszta (clean); something like “It is clean, the hand,” often used as a correction or contrast.

In neutral, context-free examples, textbooks will normally give A kéz tiszta as the basic word order.

How do I say The hand is not clean in Hungarian?

Use nem to negate, placed before the predicate (the adjective here):

• A kéz nem tiszta.
  The hand is not clean.

You can also say:

• Nem tiszta a kéz.

The second version puts a bit more stress on nem tiszta (not clean), but both are correct and common. Neutral choice: A kéz nem tiszta.

How would I say My hand is clean?

Use a possessed form of kéz:

• A kezem tiszta.
  My hand is clean.

Details:

• kéz (hand)
• possessive suffix -em for 1st person singular → kezem = my hand
  (the vowel changes: kéz → kezem)

The article a is normally kept in such sentences:

• A kezem fáj. – My hand hurts.
• A kezem tiszta. – My hand is clean.

In informal speech you may sometimes hear the article dropped (Kezem tiszta.), but the version with a is the standard.

Where is the subject pronoun like it in A kéz tiszta? Why isn’t there any?

Hungarian does not use a dummy subject pronoun like English it. The subject is the noun phrase itself:

• A kéz = the hand (subject)
• tiszta = clean (predicate adjective, with an understood van)

So you do not say anything corresponding to it here; the sentence is complete as:

• A kéz tiszta. – The hand is clean.

Subject pronouns (ő, ez, az, etc.) are used when you specifically want to refer to he/she/this/that, but there is no general empty it.