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A pénztáros azt mondja, hogy az ár ma nem változik.

A pénztáros azt mondja, hogy az ár ma nem változik.
The cashier says that the price is not changing today.

Breakdown of A pénztáros azt mondja, hogy az ár ma nem változik.

ma
today
nem
not
azt
that
mondani
to say
hogy
that
ár
the price
pénztáros
the cashier
változni
to change
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Questions & Answers about A pénztáros azt mondja, hogy az ár ma nem változik.

Why is there A at the beginning: A pénztáros?

A is the definite article the. So A pénztáros means the cashier (a specific cashier, or the cashier in the situation).
If it were Egy pénztáros, that would mean a cashier (some cashier, not specified).

Why does the sentence use az in az ár instead of a?

Hungarian has two forms of the:

  • a before a consonant
  • az before a vowel
    Since ár starts with a vowel (á), you get az ár = the price.
What is the role of azt in azt mondja?

azt is the accusative form of az (roughly that → that-ACC), and it acts like a “placeholder” object:
A pénztáros azt mondja, hogy ... = The cashier says (that) ...
Literally it’s like The cashier says that (thing), that ..., where the real “thing” is the clause after hogy.

Can I omit azt and still be correct?

Often, yes. In many contexts you can say:

  • A pénztáros mondja, hogy az ár ma nem változik.
    But azt mondja, hogy ... is extremely common and very natural; learners will see it all the time.
Why is the verb mondja and not mond?

Hungarian verbs can use an indefinite vs definite conjugation.
Here, mondja is the definite form because there is a definite object (azt, referring to a specific statement/content).
Compare:

  • A pénztáros mond valamit. = The cashier says something. (indefinite, nonspecific)
  • A pénztáros azt mondja, hogy ... = The cashier says that ... (definite content)
What does hogy do here?

hogy introduces a subordinate clause and corresponds to that in English:
azt mondja, hogy ... = says that ...
In Hungarian, using hogy is very typical in this structure.

Why is there a comma before hogy?

Hungarian punctuation normally puts a comma before a subordinate clause introduced by hogy. So:

  • main clause: A pénztáros azt mondja
  • subordinate clause: hogy az ár ma nem változik
Why does Hungarian use present tense nem változik if the meaning is about today (and could feel future-like in English)?

Hungarian often uses the present tense for situations that are true now or for scheduled/expected facts in the near future.
So ma nem változik can be understood as doesn’t change today / isn’t changing today / won’t change today, depending on context.

Why is it nem változik and not something like nem változtat?

változik is intransitive: to change (by itself).
változtat is transitive/causative: to change something (actively cause a change).
Here the subject is az ár (the price), and it “changes” (or not) on its own in the sentence’s logic, so nem változik is the right choice.

Where does the negation nem go, and can I move it?

nem typically comes directly before the verb it negates:

  • nem változik = does not change
    You can move other elements for emphasis, but nem stays right before the verb most of the time.
Why is ma placed before nem változik?

ma = today often goes early in the clause, before the verb phrase:

  • az ár ma nem változik = the price today does not change
    Other word orders are possible for emphasis (Hungarian is flexible), but this one is neutral and common.
How should I pronounce the long vowels and stress in this sentence?

Key points:

  • Stress is usually on the first syllable of each word: PÉNZtáros, MONDja, VÁLtozik.
  • Long vowels matter: pénz has é, ár has long á. These are length contrasts, not just “accent marks.”
    So ár is held longer than a short a.