Amikor nincs áram, egy gyertya van az asztalon, és halkan beszélgetünk.

Yes. Amikor means when and introduces a time clause.

In this sentence:

Amikor nincs áram = When there is no electricity / when the power is out

A very literal breakdown is:

• amikor = when
• nincs áram = there is no electricity

Hungarian often puts the time clause first, just like English can:

• When there is no power, ...

Hungarian uses special negative forms of van (to be / there is) in the present tense.

So:

• van = there is / is
• nincs = there is not / is not

That means:

• van áram = there is electricity / the power is on
• nincs áram = there is no electricity / the power is out

You do not normally say nem van in standard Hungarian for this meaning.

Related forms:

• van = is / there is
• nincs = is not / there is not
• vannak = are / there are
• nincsenek = are not / there are not

Here áram means electricity or electrical power.

Its basic meaning is also current or flow of electricity, but in everyday Hungarian, van áram / nincs áram is the normal way to talk about whether the power is on.

So:

• van áram = there is electricity
• nincs áram = there is no electricity / the power is out

A native English speaker might expect something like no power, and that is exactly the idea here.

Egy can mean both one and a/an, depending on context.

Here:

• egy gyertya = a candle

It does not strongly emphasize the number one here. It simply introduces the noun as indefinite.

So:

• gyertya = candle
• egy gyertya = a candle / one candle

In this sentence, a candle is the most natural translation.

This is a very common Hungarian pattern for saying that something exists somewhere:

[something] van [somewhere]
= there is [something] [somewhere]

So:

• egy gyertya van az asztalon = there is a candle on the table

Hungarian often uses a structure that looks more like:

• a candle is on the table

but in meaning it often matches English there is.

This is especially common when introducing something new or mentioning its presence somewhere.

Hungarian usually expresses location with suffixes attached to nouns, rather than separate prepositions.

Here:

• asztal = table
• -on = on

So:

• asztalon = on the table

The az is the definite article the.

So:

• az asztalon = on the table

This suffix changes depending on vowel harmony and sometimes spelling:

• asztalon = on the table
• széken = on the chair
• földön = on the ground

This -on / -en / -ön set is one of the common location endings in Hungarian.

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:

• a
• az

Use az before a vowel sound, and a before a consonant sound.

Since asztal starts with a vowel, it becomes:

• az asztal
• az asztalon

Compare:

• a ház = the house
• az autó = the car

This is similar to the difference between a and an in English, although Hungarian uses it only for the definite article.

Halkan means quietly or softly.

It comes from:

• halk = quiet, soft

Then the adverb is formed as:

• halk + an → halkan

So:

• halk beszéd = quiet speech
• halkan beszél = speaks quietly

In this sentence:

• halkan beszélgetünk = we talk quietly / we chat softly

Hungarian often forms adverbs from adjectives with endings like -an / -en.

This is a very useful distinction.

• beszélünk = we speak / we are speaking / we talk
• beszélgetünk = we chat / we converse / we talk with each other

The verb beszélget has a more conversational, mutual feeling. It suggests an ongoing, informal exchange rather than just the act of speaking.

So:

• beszélünk could simply mean we speak
• beszélgetünk more naturally means we chat or we are talking together

In this sentence, beszélgetünk fits the cozy scene better: the power is out, there is a candle on the table, and we chat quietly.

The ending -ünk shows:

• 1st person plural
• we

So beszélgetünk means:

• we chat / we are chatting

This is why Hungarian often does not need a separate word for we. The verb ending already tells you the subject.

Some related forms of beszélgetni:

• beszélgetek = I chat
• beszélgetsz = you chat
• beszélget = he/she chats
• beszélgetünk = we chat
• beszélgettek = you all chat
• beszélgetnek = they chat

Because Hungarian verbs usually show the subject clearly through their endings.

Here:

• beszélgetünk already means we chat

So adding mi (we) is usually unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

For example:

• Beszélgetünk. = We’re chatting.
• Mi beszélgetünk. = We are chatting.
  This sounds more emphatic, as if contrasting with someone else.

This is very normal in Hungarian: subject pronouns are often omitted when the verb ending already makes the meaning clear.

Hungarian word order is more flexible than English, but different orders change the focus or emphasis.

The given sentence is neutral and natural:

Amikor nincs áram, egy gyertya van az asztalon, és halkan beszélgetünk.

It presents the scene in a straightforward way.

But Hungarian could move things around for emphasis. For example:

• Amikor nincs áram, az asztalon van egy gyertya... This gives a little more focus to the location on the table.

• Amikor nincs áram, halkan beszélgetünk... This brings quietly earlier for emphasis.

So the sentence is not rigidly fixed, but the original version is a good neutral pattern for learners.

It most naturally suggests a habitual or typical situation:

When there is no power, there is a candle on the table, and we talk quietly.

Hungarian present tense often covers both:

• general truths
• regular habits
• present situations

So this could mean:

• this is what we usually do when the power goes out

If you wanted to make it clearly about one specific past event, Hungarian would normally use past tense forms instead.

Because Amikor nincs áram is a subordinate clause at the beginning of the sentence.

Hungarian, like English, normally separates this kind of introductory clause with a comma.

So the structure is:

• Amikor nincs áram, = When there is no power,
• egy gyertya van az asztalon,
• és halkan beszélgetünk. = and we talk quietly.

The comma helps show where the time clause ends and the main clause begins.

Not usually in this exact form.

Egy gyertya van az asztalon introduces the candle as indefinite, so the natural translation is:

• There is a candle on the table

If you wanted the candle is on the table, Hungarian would normally use:

• A gyertya az asztalon van.

That version makes the candle definite and already known.

So the difference is:

• egy gyertya van az asztalon = there is a candle on the table
• a gyertya az asztalon van = the candle is on the table

It is closer to we talk quietly or we chat softly than to we whisper.

Halkan means quietly / softly, but not necessarily so quietly that it becomes whispering.

If Hungarian specifically wanted to say we whisper, it would use a different verb, such as:

• suttogunk = we whisper

So:

• halkan beszélgetünk = we chat quietly
• suttogunk = we whisper

The original sentence sounds gentle and quiet, but not necessarily secretive.