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Emlékszem a jelszóra.

Emlékszem a jelszóra.
I remember the password.

Breakdown of Emlékszem a jelszóra.

én
I
emlékezni
to remember
jelszó
the password
-ra/-re
to
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Questions & Answers about Emlékszem a jelszóra.

Why is it a jelszóra and not something like a jelszót (accusative)?

Because the verb emlékszik (emlékszem = I remember) does not take a direct object in Hungarian. Instead, it “governs” the sublative case -ra/-re, roughly “remember onto / with regard to.”
So you say emlékszem valamire (I remember something), not emlékszem valamit.

What does the ending -ra mean here, and why is it -ra not -re?

-ra/-re is the sublative case, used here because emlékszik requires it: valami-re/ra emlékszik.
It’s -ra because of vowel harmony: jelszó has back vowels (e is neutral, but ó is back), so the back-vowel version -ra is chosen: jelszó + ra → jelszóra.

What is the role of a in a jelszóra? Is it “a” like English?

No. Hungarian a/az is the definite article and means the.

  • a jelszó = the password
  • az alma = the apple (uses az before a vowel sound)

So Emlékszem a jelszóra. = I remember the password.

Can I omit the article and say Emlékszem jelszóra?

Usually, no. Without an article it sounds unnatural here, because you typically mean a specific password.
To sound natural you’d keep it: Emlékszem a jelszóra.
(Article omission is possible in some fixed patterns, headlines, notes, etc., but this sentence normally wants a.)

Why does emlékszem already mean “I”? Where is the pronoun én?

Hungarian verb endings include the subject. emléksz-em = remember-1SG, so the -em ending marks I.
You can add én for emphasis/contrast: Én emlékszem a jelszóra. (I remember the password [but someone else doesn’t].)

Is emlékszem present or past? It looks like “I remembered” in English.

It’s present tense: emlékszem = I remember / I do remember.
Hungarian typically uses present to express the state of remembering.
Past would be emlékeztem or commonly emlékeztem rá / emlékeztem a jelszóra (I remembered / I used to remember depending on context).

I’ve also seen emlékezem. Is that the same as emlékszem?

Yes, basically.

  • emlékszem is the most common, everyday 1st person singular form.
  • emlékezem is a bit more formal/old-fashioned (or stylistically different), but still correct.
    Both take the same complement: valamire.
Could I also say Emlékszem rá instead of Emlékszem a jelszóra?

Yes, if the password is already clear from context.

  • Emlékszem a jelszóra. = I remember the password.
  • Emlékszem rá. = I remember it.
    Here rá = rá (onto it), the pronoun form that matches the -ra/-re requirement.
What’s the typical word order here? Can I move a jelszóra?

Hungarian word order is flexible and depends on focus. Neutral is:

  • Emlékszem a jelszóra.
    If you want to emphasize the password (not something else), you can front it:
  • A jelszóra emlékszem. = It’s the password that I remember.
    Both are grammatical; the emphasis changes.
How do I negate this sentence?

Put nem before the verb:

  • Nem emlékszem a jelszóra. = I don’t remember the password.
    If you want contrastive emphasis:
  • A jelszóra nem emlékszem. = It’s the password that I don’t remember.
How is this pronounced, especially emlékszem and jelszóra?

Approximate pronunciation:

  • Emlékszem ≈ EM-layk-sem (stress on the first syllable: EM-)
  • a is a short aw/uh sound.
  • jelszóra ≈ YEL-soh-raw (again, stress on the first syllable: YEL-)
    Hungarian stress is almost always on the first syllable of each word.