Menj át a zebrán, majd fordulj jobbra a híd után!

In everyday Hungarian, zebra is a very common informal word for a pedestrian crossing / crosswalk.

So:

• zebra = zebra
• a zebra = the crosswalk
• a zebrán = on the crosswalk

This comes from the striped appearance, like a zebra’s stripes. In more formal language, you may also see:

• gyalogátkelőhely = pedestrian crossing

But in normal spoken Hungarian, zebra is extremely common.

Menj is the informal singular imperative form of menni (to go).

So:

• menni = to go
• mész = you go
• menj! = go!

In this sentence, it is a command or instruction addressed to one person that the speaker is speaking to informally.

Examples:

• Menj haza! = Go home!
• Menj be! = Go in!
• Menj át! = Go across!

Because át is a verbal prefix meaning something like across / over, and in commands it is often placed after the verb.

The basic verb is:

• átmenni = to go across / to cross

But in an imperative, Hungarian commonly separates the prefix:

• Menj át! = Cross! / Go across!

This is very normal in Hungarian. Compare:

• Átmegyek az úton. = I cross / go across the road.
• Menj át az úton! = Cross the road!

So the meaning is still the same verb idea, but the prefix changes position.

Zebrán is zebra + -n, using the superessive case, which often means on a surface.

So:

• zebra = crosswalk
• zebrán = on the crosswalk

In this sentence, Menj át a zebrán literally feels like Go across on the crosswalk.

This is natural in Hungarian because a crosswalk is treated as a kind of surface you move on.

Other examples of the same case:

• asztalon = on the table
• úton = on the road
• hídon = on the bridge

The article a means the.

So:

• a zebra = the crosswalk
• a zebrán = on the crosswalk

Hungarian often uses the definite article where English might or might not use it, and in directions it is very natural to say a zebrán when referring to the crossing the listener should use.

Here majd means then, after that, or next.

It links the two instructions:

1. Menj át a zebrán = Cross at the crosswalk.
2. majd fordulj jobbra = then turn right.

So it shows sequence.

Important: majd can also sometimes relate to the future in other contexts, but here it simply means then / afterward.

Fordulj is the informal singular imperative of fordulni, which means to turn.

So:

• fordulni = to turn
• fordulj! = turn!

Examples:

• Fordulj balra! = Turn left!
• Fordulj jobbra! = Turn right!

Like menj, it is a command addressed to one person informally.

Because jobbra means to the right / rightward, which is what you need after a verb of movement like turn.

Compare:

• jobb = right / better
• jobbra = to the right

So:

• Fordulj jobbra! = Turn right!

Similarly:

• bal = left
• balra = to the left

Examples:

• Menj balra! = Go left!
• Nézz jobbra! = Look to the right!

The ending -ra/-re often expresses movement onto / toward something, and with directions it gives this toward that side meaning.

Because után is a postposition meaning after.

Hungarian often uses postpositions where English uses prepositions. A postposition comes after the noun:

• a híd után = after the bridge

So literally:

• a híd = the bridge
• után = after

Unlike a case ending, után is a separate word.

Other examples:

• a ház előtt = in front of the house
• az autó mögött = behind the car
• a bolt mellett = next to the shop

In this sentence, it normally means after the bridge in a directional/location sense: once you are past the bridge, turn right.

So it is not primarily about time, but about position along a route.

Hungarian után can be used both:

• in time: ebéd után = after lunch
• in space/route: a híd után = after the bridge

Here it is clearly the route meaning.

Because Hungarian usually leaves out the subject pronoun when it is already clear from the verb form.

The forms menj and fordulj already tell you that the speaker is talking to you (singular, informal).

So Hungarian does not need to say te unless it wants extra emphasis.

Compare:

• Menj át a zebrán! = Cross at the crosswalk!
• Te menj át a zebrán! = You cross at the crosswalk! (emphatic)

Yes, this sentence is informal singular, used when speaking to one person with te.

Informal:

• Menj át a zebrán, majd fordulj jobbra a híd után!

Formal singular:

• Menjen át a zebrán, majd forduljon jobbra a híd után!

Plural informal:

• Menjetek át a zebrán, majd forduljatok jobbra a híd után!

So the main thing that changes is the verb form.

Yes, Hungarian word order is flexible, though it can slightly change emphasis.

The given sentence is very natural:

• Menj át a zebrán, majd fordulj jobbra a híd után!

But you could also hear:

• Menj át a zebrán, majd a híd után fordulj jobbra!

This version puts more emphasis on after the bridge as the point where the turning happens.

Both are correct. Hungarian often uses word order to highlight what is most important or most contrastive.

A rough word-by-word breakdown is:

• Menj = go
• át = across
• a zebrán = on the crosswalk
• majd = then
• fordulj = turn
• jobbra = to the right
• a híd után = after the bridge

So a very literal version would be:

Go across on the crosswalk, then turn to the right after the bridge.

That is more literal than natural English, but it shows how the Hungarian sentence is built.