A gyerek átmegy a zebrán.

In Hungarian, a / az is the definite article, so it means the.

So in A gyerek átmegy a zebrán:

• a gyerek = the child
• a zebrán = on/across the crosswalk

Hungarian uses:

• a before a consonant sound
• az before a vowel sound

So:

• a gyerek
• az autó

If you wanted a child in the indefinite sense, you would normally use egy:

• Egy gyerek átmegy a zebrán. = A child is crossing the crosswalk.

Átmegy is built from:

• át = across / over
• megy = goes

Together, átmegy means goes across, crosses, or passes over/across, depending on context.

In this sentence, it means the child is crossing the crosswalk.

This is very common in Hungarian: a preverb such as át-, be-, ki-, fel-, etc. combines with a verb and changes its meaning.

For example:

• megy = goes
• bemegy = goes in
• kimegy = goes out
• felmegy = goes up
• átmegy = goes across

In a neutral statement, the preverb usually stays attached to the verb:

• átmegy

So A gyerek átmegy a zebrán is the normal neutral order.

But the preverb can separate from the verb in certain situations, especially with:

• focus
• negation
• questions
• some kinds of emphasis

Examples:

• A gyerek megy át a zebrán.
  This puts more focus on the action/route.
• A gyerek nem megy át a zebrán.
  = The child does not cross at the crosswalk.
• Átmegy a gyerek a zebrán?
  = Is the child crossing the crosswalk?

So the one-word form is not random; it is the normal form when nothing special is being emphasized.

This is a very common question for English speakers, because English says cross the crosswalk/street, where crosswalk/street looks like a direct object.

Hungarian often expresses this idea differently.

Here:

• zebra = crosswalk / zebra crossing
• zebrán = on the crosswalk

The ending -n here is the superessive ending, which often means on.

So the Hungarian structure is closer to:

• The child goes across on the crosswalk

rather than literally The child crosses the crosswalk.

That is why you do not see the accusative -t here.

Compare:

• a zebrán = on the crosswalk
• a hídon = on the bridge
• az úton = on the road

Hungarian often describes movement using a location/path case instead of making the path a direct object.

Yes. In everyday Hungarian, zebra commonly means zebra crossing / pedestrian crossing / crosswalk.

This comes from the striped appearance, like a zebra.

So:

• a zebra usually means the crosswalk in everyday context
• a zebrán = on the crosswalk

There is also a more formal, full word:

• zebraátkelőhely = pedestrian crossing

In normal speech, though, people very often just say zebra.

Technically, zebra can also mean the animal, of course, but context usually makes the meaning obvious.

It is a case ending, specifically the superessive case.

The superessive usually means on a surface.

So:

• asztal = table

• asztalon = on the table

• zebra = crosswalk
• zebrán = on the crosswalk

The reason it appears as -án instead of just -n is that Hungarian case endings often change shape depending on the word they attach to.

With zebra, the correct form is:

• zebrán

This is something learners usually get used to over time: the basic case meaning matters most at first, and the exact form becomes more natural with exposure.

Yes, gyerek is a very normal, everyday word for child.

You will also see:

• gyermek

Both mean child, but they differ in tone:

• gyerek = everyday, common, natural in speech
• gyermek = more formal, literary, or official

So in ordinary conversation, A gyerek átmegy a zebrán sounds very natural.

In a more formal or written style, you might see:

• A gyermek átmegy a zebrán.

Both are correct.

Yes. Hungarian word order is more flexible than English word order, but changes in order usually affect focus and emphasis, not just style.

The sentence:

• A gyerek átmegy a zebrán.

is a neutral statement.

Other orders are possible, for example:

• A zebrán megy át a gyerek.
  This emphasizes where the child is crossing.
• A gyerek a zebrán megy át.
  This also gives more attention to the route/location.

So the original version is a good neutral default, but Hungarian word order is not as rigid as English.

A simple learner-friendly approximation is:

aw GYE-rek AAT-megy aw ZEB-raan

A few useful points:

• Stress in Hungarian is almost always on the first syllable of each word.
• á is a long vowel.
• gy is a special Hungarian sound that does not exist exactly in English.

Roughly:

• gyerek starts with a soft sound somewhat like the d+y in some pronunciations of during, but not exactly.
• át has a long á, like a longer open a sound.
• zebrán has stress on ze-, and the final á is long.

A rough stress pattern:

• A GYErek ÁTmegy a ZEbrán

Yes, if the subject is already understood from context.

Hungarian often leaves out subject pronouns, and sometimes the noun phrase can also be omitted if it is already known.

So:

• Átmegy a zebrán.
  = He/she is crossing the crosswalk or He/she goes across the crosswalk, depending on context.

But if you want to specify who is doing the action, or if you are introducing the child into the conversation, then you keep:

• A gyerek átmegy a zebrán.

So the full sentence is natural when the subject matters.

Usually, yes, in this context it strongly suggests going across on foot, because the subject is a child and the location is a crosswalk.

The base verb megy often corresponds to goes or walks, depending on context.

So in this sentence, English might naturally translate it as:

• The child walks across the crosswalk
• The child crosses at the crosswalk
• The child goes across the crosswalk

The exact English wording can vary, but the Hungarian sentence itself is perfectly natural for a person crossing on foot.