A könyvtár még mindig nyitva van.

The library is still open.

Breakdown of A könyvtár még mindig nyitva van.

• lenni: to be
• könyvtár: the library
• nyitva: open
• még mindig: still

Questions & Answers about A könyvtár még mindig nyitva van.

What does each word in A könyvtár még mindig nyitva van mean literally?

A word-by-word breakdown is:

• a = the
• könyvtár = library
• még mindig = still
• nyitva = open / in an open state
• van = is

So the whole sentence means The library is still open.

Why is there a at the beginning?

A is the Hungarian definite article, meaning the.

Hungarian has two forms of the:

• a before most consonants
• az before vowels

So:

• a könyvtár = the library
• az iskola = the school

Since könyvtár starts with a consonant sound, Hungarian uses a.

How do you pronounce könyvtár?

A rough pronunciation is something like kuhnyv-taar, but a few sounds need special attention:

• ö is similar to the vowel in German schön or French peu
• ny is like the ny in canyon
• á is a long a, like a stretched ah

So könyvtár is approximately:

könyv-tár

with the stress on the first syllable, because Hungarian stress is almost always on the first syllable of the word.

Why does Hungarian use még mindig for still? Why not just one word?

In this sentence, még mindig is the normal way to say still in the sense of continuing up to now.

• még by itself often means still / yet / more
• mindig means always
• together, még mindig means still

So this is a fixed, very common expression.

Examples:

• Még mindig itt van. = He/She is still here.
• Még mindig esik. = It is still raining.

A learner should usually treat még mindig as one unit when it means still.

What exactly is nyitva? Is it just an adjective meaning open?

Not quite. Nyitva is a very common Hungarian form meaning open in the sense of being in an opened state.

It comes from the verb nyit = to open.

So nyitva van literally feels a bit like:

• is in an opened state
• is open

This pattern is extremely common in Hungarian:

• nyitva van = is open
• zárva van = is closed
• kinyitva van = is opened
• becsukva van = is shut

So although English uses a simple adjective here, Hungarian often uses this -va/-ve + van structure.

Why is van included here? I thought Hungarian often leaves out is.

That is a very good question, because Hungarian does often omit van in the present tense.

For example:

• A könyvtár nagy. = The library is big.
• A könyvtár csendes. = The library is quiet.

In these sentences, van is normally omitted.

But in A könyvtár nyitva van, van is normally used, because nyitva is part of a different kind of predicate: it expresses a state with the -va/-ve form.

So:

• A könyvtár nagy. = no van
• A könyvtár nyitva van. = van is needed

This is one of the important patterns learners have to get used to.

Could I say A könyvtár még mindig nyitott instead?

Sometimes yes, but it is not exactly the same.

• nyitva van focuses on the current state: it is open
• nyitott is more like an adjective: open

In many everyday situations, especially for shops, libraries, offices, doors, and so on, nyitva van is the most natural way to say that something is open right now.

So for this sentence, A könyvtár még mindig nyitva van is the safest and most idiomatic choice.

Why is the word order A könyvtár még mindig nyitva van? Could the words be moved around?

Yes, Hungarian word order is flexible, but changing it often changes the emphasis.

The version you have is a neutral, natural sentence:

• A könyvtár még mindig nyitva van.
• The library is still open.

Other orders are possible, for example:

• Még mindig nyitva van a könyvtár.

  • This can sound more like The library is still open with a little more focus on the fact.

• A könyvtár nyitva van még mindig.

  • Also possible, but less neutral in many contexts.

So the given order is a very good standard form for learners.

Why is nyitva before van?

In Hungarian, the main content part of the predicate often comes before van.

So in expressions like these, the state word usually comes first:

• nyitva van = is open
• zárva van = is closed
• rendben van = is okay / is in order

This is the normal order. Putting van before nyitva would not sound natural in a basic statement like this.

How would I make this sentence negative?

The most natural negative equivalents are usually:

• A könyvtár nincs nyitva. = The library isn’t open.
• A könyvtár még mindig nincs nyitva. = The library still isn’t open.

Notice that van changes to nincs in this kind of sentence.

You can also say:

• A könyvtár zárva van. = The library is closed.

That is often more natural than directly negating open, depending on the situation.

Is könyvtár in any special case here?

No. Könyvtár is in the basic dictionary form, the nominative.

Here it is the subject of the sentence:

• A könyvtár = the library

There is no case ending on it because it is simply the thing being talked about.

Can this sentence refer to a building, or does it mean the institution?

Usually it can mean either, depending on context, just like English the library.

In everyday use:

• it can mean the physical place is open
• it can also mean the library, as a public service or institution, is open for visitors

Most of the time, context makes this clear, and Hungarian does not need a separate word here.

What is the natural rhythm or stress of the sentence?

Hungarian normally stresses the first syllable of each word:

• A KÖNYVtár még MINDig NYITva van

In a neutral sentence, nyitva often feels prominent because it carries important information.

If you want to emphasize still, you might stress még mindig more strongly:

• A könyvtár MÉG MINDIG nyitva van.

If you are just learning, the most important thing is:

• stress the first syllable of each word
• keep még mindig together as one idea
• say nyitva van as a natural pair