A gyerek szendvicset kér, mert éhes.

A is the definite article, meaning the. So a gyerek means the child.

Without the article, gyerek would usually mean child in a more general or less anchored way, depending on context. In this sentence, the speaker seems to be referring to a specific child, so a gyerek is natural.

Also, Hungarian uses a before consonant sounds and az before vowel sounds, so it is a gyerek, not az gyerek.

Because szendvics is the direct object of the verb kér.

Hungarian marks direct objects with the accusative suffix, usually -t. With many words, an extra linking vowel appears before that -t, so:

• szendvics → szendvicset

So szendvicset means a sandwich as the thing being asked for.

Hungarian often inserts a vowel before the accusative -t when a word would be awkward to pronounce otherwise.

Since szendvics ends in a consonant cluster-like ending, Hungarian prefers:

• szendvics + t → not used like that
• szendvics + et → szendvicset

The vowel is also influenced by vowel harmony and by established word patterns. So this is the normal correct form.

Hungarian often leaves the indefinite article egy out when English would use a/an.

So:

• szendvicset kér = asks for a sandwich
• egy szendvicset kér = also possible, but it more clearly highlights one sandwich or makes the indefiniteness more explicit

In many everyday sentences, the bare object sounds perfectly natural.

Here kér means asks for, requests, or wants to receive.

That is important because English ask has two main uses:

• ask a question
• ask for something

Hungarian usually separates those meanings more clearly:

• kér = ask for, request
• kérdez = ask a question

So in this sentence, A gyerek szendvicset kér means the child is requesting a sandwich, not asking a question about one.

In Hungarian, the verb to be is normally omitted in the third person singular and plural in the present tense when talking about identity, quality, or state.

So:

• A gyerek éhes. = The child is hungry.

Hungarian does not need a separate word for is there.

But in other persons, the verb appears:

• Éhes vagyok. = I am hungry.
• Éhes vagy. = You are hungry.

So the missing is is completely normal Hungarian grammar.

Hungarian usually does not need subject pronouns unless they are emphasized.

Also, Hungarian does not mark grammatical gender the way English does. There is no built-in distinction between he and she in a sentence like this.

So mert éhes simply means because (he/she) is hungry, and the context tells you that it refers back to a gyerek.

Yes, but it is also a very natural order.

Hungarian word order is more flexible than English word order. It often reflects topic and emphasis, not just grammar.

In this sentence:

• A gyerek is the topic: we are talking about the child
• szendvicset kér tells us what the child does

This is a normal, neutral way to say it.

If you change the order, the meaning may stay similar, but the emphasis changes. Hungarian uses word order to highlight different parts of the sentence much more than English does.

Because mert introduces a subordinate clause meaning because.

Hungarian normally separates such clauses with a comma:

• A gyerek szendvicset kér, mert éhes.

So the comma is standard punctuation here.

Yes.

Gyerek means child and does not say anything about gender. Hungarian nouns generally do not have grammatical gender, and third-person reference also does not force a he/she distinction the way English does.

So this sentence could refer to:

• a boy
• a girl
• any child whose gender is not being specified

A few Hungarian spellings here are especially important:

• gy in gyerek: a soft sound somewhat like the dy in British-style duke for some speakers, though not exactly the same
• sz: pronounced like English s
• s by itself in Hungarian: pronounced like English sh
• cs in szendvics: pronounced like English ch
• é in éhes: a long vowel, roughly like ay in say, but pure and without the English glide

So roughly:

• gyerek ≈ dyeh-rek
• szendvicset ≈ send-vi-chet
• éhes ≈ ay-hesh

These are only approximations, but they help a lot at the beginning.

Yes, absolutely.

That version is also correct. Adding egy makes the indefiniteness more explicit, and can suggest one sandwich a bit more clearly.

So the difference is roughly:

• A gyerek szendvicset kér, mert éhes. = natural, general The child is asking for a sandwich
• A gyerek egy szendvicset kér, mert éhes. = also natural, but slightly more explicit: The child is asking for one/a sandwich

Both are good Hungarian; the version without egy is very common.