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A barátnőm tegnap óta jobban van, de még otthon pihen.

A barátnőm tegnap óta jobban van, de még otthon pihen.
My girlfriend has been feeling better since yesterday, but she is still resting at home.
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Questions & Answers about A barátnőm tegnap óta jobban van, de még otthon pihen.

Why is there an a at the beginning? English would just say my girlfriend or my female friend, not the my....

In Hungarian, it is very normal to use the definite article before a possessed noun:

  • a barátnőm = my girlfriend / my female friend
  • a testvérem = my sibling
  • a házam = my house

So a barátnőm is simply standard Hungarian. It does not mean the my girlfriend. The article is just part of the normal noun phrase.

Does barátnőm mean my girlfriend or my female friend?

It can mean either one.

  • barátnőm = my girlfriend
  • barátnőm = my female friend

Context usually tells you which meaning is intended. If the speaker has already introduced the person, or the situation makes the relationship clear, Hungarian often leaves the ambiguity unresolved because native speakers do not always need to spell it out.

How is barátnőm built up?

It breaks down like this:

  • barátnő = girlfriend / female friend
  • -m = my

So:

  • barátnőm = my girlfriend / my female friend

A useful comparison:

  • barát = friend / boyfriend / male friend, depending on context
  • barátnő = girlfriend / female friend
  • barátnőm = my girlfriend / my female friend

The -m is a possessive ending, not a separate word.

What exactly does tegnap óta mean?

Tegnap óta means since yesterday.

Literally:

  • tegnap = yesterday
  • óta = since

So it refers to a period that started yesterday and continues up to now.

In this sentence, it means that her improved condition started yesterday and is still true now.

Does tegnap óta jobban van mean better than yesterday?

Not exactly.

Tegnap óta jobban van means she has been better since yesterday or starting yesterday, she is doing better.

If you want to say she is better than yesterday, Hungarian would more naturally say something like:

  • Tegnaphoz képest jobban van.

So óta is about a stretch of time from a starting point until now, not just a comparison with yesterday.

Why is Hungarian using present tense here? English often says has been better since yesterday.

This is a very common difference between English and Hungarian.

Hungarian often uses the present tense for a situation that started in the past and is still continuing now, especially with expressions like óta.

So:

  • A barátnőm tegnap óta jobban van. = literally My girlfriend is better since yesterday = natural English My girlfriend has been better since yesterday or has been feeling better since yesterday

So the Hungarian present tense here corresponds to an English present perfect idea.

Why is it jobban van and not jobb van?

Because Hungarian uses jól van and jobban van as idiomatic expressions for health or general condition.

  • jól van = is well / is doing well
  • jobban van = is better / is feeling better

Here:

  • jól = well
  • jobban = better

So this is based on the adverb jól, not the adjective jó.

That is why jobban van is correct, while jobb van is not.

What does még mean here?

Here még means still.

So:

  • de még otthon pihen = but she is still resting at home

It shows that even though she is doing better, the resting is continuing.

Depending on context, még can also mean things like yet, another, or more, but in this sentence still is the right idea.

Why does the sentence use otthon? Could it be itthon?

Yes, both words relate to home, but they are not exactly the same.

  • otthon = at home
  • itthon = here at home

In this sentence, otthon is the neutral, general choice: she is resting at home.

If you said itthon, it would sound more like the speaker is thinking from their own location or viewpoint: here at home.

So:

  • még otthon pihen = she is still resting at home
  • még itthon pihen = she is still resting here at home
Why is there no word for she before van or pihen?

Because Hungarian usually does not need subject pronouns if the subject is already clear.

Here the subject is already given:

  • A barátnőm = my girlfriend / my female friend

After that, Hungarian does not need to repeat ő = she.

So the sentence naturally says:

  • A barátnőm tegnap óta jobban van, de még otthon pihen.

Adding ő is possible, but it would usually add emphasis or contrast.

Is the word order fixed, or could the words be moved around?

Hungarian word order is fairly flexible, but different orders change the emphasis.

This sentence has a very natural, neutral structure:

  • A barátnőm = topic
  • tegnap óta = time frame
  • jobban van = what is being said about her
  • de még otthon pihen = contrasting second part

If you move things, the meaning may stay similar, but the focus changes. For example:

  • Még otthon pihen. = neutral
  • Otthon pihen még. = stronger focus on at home
  • Tegnap óta a barátnőm jobban van... = stronger focus on since yesterday

So the given word order is not the only possible one, but it is a very natural one.