Breakdown of A barátom megpróbálja megjavítani az autót, mielőtt a repülőtérre megy.
Questions & Answers about A barátom megpróbálja megjavítani az autót, mielőtt a repülőtérre megy.
Barát = friend.
barát-om adds the 1st person singular possessive ending -om, so barátom = my friend.
The -om already contains the idea of my, so you don’t need a separate word like my.
Hungarian commonly uses the definite article (a/az) even with possessed nouns: a barátom, az anyám, etc.
It often sounds more natural than leaving it out, especially in neutral statements. (You can omit it in some contexts, but a barátom is very standard.)
Hungarian has two forms of the:
- a before a consonant sound
- az before a vowel sound
barátom starts with b (a consonant), so it’s A barátom.
megpróbálja = (he/she) tries (it).
It’s 3rd person singular, definite conjugation (the -ja ending), which is used when the verb has a definite object (something specific).
With verbs like megpróbál (try) followed by an infinitive phrase, Hungarian typically treats that infinitive action as a definite “thing” being attempted, so the definite form (megpróbálja) is common.
This is a very common pattern:
conjugated verb + infinitive
- megpróbálja = tries
- megjavítani = to fix
So it’s literally: My friend tries [to fix the car].
The main verb is conjugated; the second verb stays in the infinitive (-ni).
meg- is a verbal prefix that often adds a sense of completion / “successfully done” / bounded action.
- megjavítani tends to mean fix (successfully / get it repaired) rather than just do some repairing.
- megpróbálja is a very common prefixed form meaning attempts/tries; it’s basically the normal everyday way to say tries here.
Depending on context, removing meg- can sound different in nuance or less idiomatic.
autó = car.
autó-t adds the accusative marker -t, which marks the direct object: the car (the thing being fixed).
So az autót = the car (as an object).
Because autó starts with a vowel sound (a...), Hungarian uses az before vowels:
- az autó
- az autót (same article, but the noun is in accusative)
mielőtt means before introducing a full clause (literally before that):
mielőtt a repülőtérre megy = before (he) goes to the airport.
Hungarian normally separates a main clause and a subordinate clause with a comma, so the comma before mielőtt is standard.
Hungarian often uses the present tense to talk about near-future or planned actions when the timing is clear from context (here, the before clause makes the sequence clear).
You can also say a more explicit future:
- mielőtt a repülőtérre fog menni = before he will go to the airport
…but it’s often heavier than needed in everyday speech.
-ra/-re expresses motion onto / to / toward a place (destination).
- repülőtér = airport
- repülőtér-re = to the airport (going there)
Contrast:
- a repülőtéren (-on/-en/-ön) = at the airport (location, not motion)
- a repülőtérről (-ról/-ről) = from the airport
Hungarian often drops subject pronouns because the context (and verb forms) makes them unnecessary. Here, the natural assumption is that my friend is the one who megy (goes).
If you want to be extra explicit, you can add ő (he/she), but it’s usually not needed:
- ...mielőtt ő a repülőtérre megy.
With negation, Hungarian typically places nem before the conjugated verb, and the verbal prefix often moves after that verb:
- A barátom nem próbálja meg megjavítani az autót, mielőtt a repülőtérre megy.
= My friend isn’t trying to fix the car before going to the airport.
Notice nem próbálja meg (prefix meg shifts to after próbálja). The infinitive megjavítani usually keeps its prefix attached.