Délután a piacra megyünk csirkéért és salátáért.

Here délután is an adverb meaning in the afternoon.

Hungarian often uses time words by themselves:

• reggel = in the morning
• délelőtt = before noon / in the morning
• délután = in the afternoon
• este = in the evening

So Délután a piacra megyünk is a very natural way to say We’re going to the market in the afternoon.

Because Hungarian usually marks direction with a suffix.

• piac = market
• a piacra = to the market

The ending -ra / -re often means onto / to / toward a place.

So:

• piacra megyünk = we are going to the market
• piacon vagyunk = we are at the market

The a is the definite article, so a piacra is literally to the market.

In this sentence, -ra shows movement toward a destination.

A useful contrast:

• a piacra = to the market
• a piacon = at the market
• a piacról = from the market

So with verbs of motion like menni (to go), Hungarian often uses a directional ending rather than a separate word like to.

Megyünk means we go or we are going.

Hungarian verbs show the subject in the ending, so you usually do not need a separate pronoun.

Here:

• megyek = I go
• mész = you go
• megy = he/she/it goes
• megyünk = we go
• mentek = you all go
• mennek = they go

So mi (we) is usually omitted unless you want emphasis:

• Mi megyünk = We are the ones going

They both use the suffix -ért, which often means for in the sense of to get something or for the sake of something.

So:

• csirkéért = for chicken / to get chicken
• salátáért = for lettuce/salad / to get lettuce/salad

In shopping contexts, X-ért megyünk often means we’re going to get X.

Compare:

• Kenyérért megyek. = I’m going to get bread.
• Tejért ugrottam be. = I popped in for milk.

In Hungarian, case endings are normally attached to each item in a list.

So you say:

• csirkéért és salátáért

not usually:

• csirke és salátáért

That is because each noun needs to show its own grammatical role. English uses one preposition before a whole phrase very easily, but Hungarian usually repeats the suffix on each coordinated noun.

This is a normal spelling and sound change in Hungarian.

When certain suffixes are added to nouns ending in a or e, that final vowel often lengthens:

• a → á
• e → é

So:

• csirke + ért → csirkéért
• saláta + ért → salátáért

This is very common in Hungarian morphology, and it is something learners just have to get used to noticing.

Because the sentence is talking about the items in a general, indefinite shopping sense.

So:

• csirkéért és salátáért = for chicken and salad/lettuce

If you added articles, it would sound more like specific, already-known items:

• a csirkéért = for the chicken
• a salátáért = for the salad

In a basic shopping sentence, no article is the most natural choice.

Both words can be a little flexible depending on context.

• csirke can mean chicken as an animal or chicken as food.
• saláta can mean salad, but in shopping contexts it can also refer to lettuce or salad greens, depending on the situation.

In this sentence, because they are going to the market to buy things, csirke is very likely chicken as food, and saláta is something like lettuce/salad greens or simply salad.

The sentence can be rearranged, but the emphasis may change.

This version:

• Délután a piacra megyünk csirkéért és salátáért.

is a natural neutral sentence.

Other possible orders:

• A piacra megyünk délután csirkéért és salátáért.
• Csirkéért és salátáért megyünk a piacra délután.

Hungarian word order is more flexible than English, but it is not random. Different positions can highlight different information. In this sentence, putting délután first makes the time frame feel like the starting point of the message.