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A gyerek gyorsan mossa a kezét szappannal, majd törölközőt keres.

A gyerek gyorsan mossa a kezét szappannal, majd törölközőt keres.
The child quickly washes her hands with soap, then looks for a towel.
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Questions & Answers about A gyerek gyorsan mossa a kezét szappannal, majd törölközőt keres.

Why is gyorsan used instead of gyors?

Because gyors is an adjective meaning fast/quick, while gyorsan is an adverb meaning quickly.

Here it describes how the child washes, so Hungarian uses the adverb:

  • gyors gyerek = a fast child
  • gyorsan mossa = washes quickly

A common adverb ending in Hungarian is -an/-en/-ön.

Why is the verb mossa and not just mos?

Hungarian verbs often have two kinds of forms:

  • indefinite conjugation: used when there is no definite object
  • definite conjugation: used when the object is definite

Here the object is a kezét = his/her hand / his/her hands, which is definite, so the verb is mossa.

Compare:

  • mos = washes, is washing
  • mossa = washes it / washes the ...

So:

  • A gyerek mos. = The child is washing.
  • A gyerek mossa a kezét. = The child is washing his/her hand(s).

Also, mos + ja becomes mossa in spelling.

What exactly does a kezét mean?

It is built from several parts:

  • kéz = hand
  • keze = his/her hand
  • kezét = his/her hand, as a direct object

So a kezét literally means his/her hand with the definite article.

Hungarian usually shows possession on the noun itself, so there is no separate word for his or her here.

Why is there still an article a before kezét if the possessive ending already means his/her?

Because the possessive ending and the article do different jobs.

  • the possessive ending shows whose hand it is
  • the article a shows that the noun phrase is definite

So a kezét is perfectly normal Hungarian.
Hungarian often keeps the definite article even with possessed nouns.

If you wanted extra emphasis on the possessor, you could say:

  • az ő kezét = his/her hand
Why can kezét be translated as hands in English even though it looks singular?

Literally, kezét is singular: his/her hand.

But with body parts, Hungarian and English do not always match exactly in number. In natural English, a sentence like this is often translated as washes his/her hands.

So:

  • literal form: his/her hand
  • natural English in context: often his/her hands

If you want clearly plural Hungarian, you can say a kezeit.

What does szappannal mean, and why does it have double n?

szappannal means with soap.

It comes from:

  • szappan = soap
  • -val/-vel = with

So you would expect szappanval, but Hungarian changes it through assimilation:

  • szappan + val → szappannal

The v changes to match the final consonant, so you get a doubled consonant.

This happens a lot:

  • kéz + vel → kézzel = with a hand
  • híd + val → híddal = with a bridge / by bridge
Why is it törölközőt keres and not a törölközőt keresi?

Because törölközőt here is an indefinite object: a towel, not the towel.

That has two effects:

  1. there is no definite article a
  2. the verb uses the indefinite form keres

So:

  • törölközőt keres = is looking for a towel
  • a törölközőt keresi = is looking for the towel

You could also say:

  • egy törölközőt keres = is looking for a towel / one towel
What does the -t ending do in kezét and törölközőt?

It marks the accusative, which is the case used for a direct object.

In this sentence, the things affected by the verbs are:

  • kezét = the thing being washed
  • törölközőt = the thing being looked for

So both get accusative -t.

Examples:

  • könyv = book
  • könyvet = book, as a direct object
What does majd mean here?

Here majd means then, and then, or after that.

It links the two actions in sequence:

  1. the child washes
  2. then the child looks for a towel

It is a very common everyday connector in Hungarian.

A somewhat more explicit alternative is azután = after that.

Is the word order fixed in this sentence?

No, Hungarian word order is flexible, but the version you have is a neutral, natural one.

Current order:

  • A gyerek = the subject
  • gyorsan = how
  • mossa a kezét = the action + object
  • szappannal = with soap
  • majd törölközőt keres = then looks for a towel

You can move parts around, but the emphasis changes. For example:

  • A gyerek szappannal mossa a kezét.
    This gives more attention to with soap.
  • Gyorsan mossa a kezét a gyerek.
    This sounds more marked and emphasizes quickly.

So the sentence is not rigid, but word order matters for focus and emphasis.

How should I pronounce some of the tricky parts of this sentence?

A few useful points:

  • gy in gyerek is a soft sound, roughly similar to dy in some pronunciations of during
  • ss in mossa sounds like a long sh
  • ö and ő in törölközőt are rounded front vowels; ő is the long version

Stress in Hungarian is normally on the first syllable of each word:

  • GYErek
  • GYORsan
  • MOSsa
  • SZAPpannal
  • TÖrölközőt
  • KEres

So a rough pronunciation guide would be:

  • A GYE-rek GYOR-shan MOSH-sha a KE-zét SZAP-pan-nal, majd TÖ-röl-kö-zőt KE-res.