Nekem a kék ing tetszik, nem a fekete.

Because with tetszik, Hungarian uses the person who experiences the liking in the dative: nekem = to me.

So the structure is closer to:

The blue shirt is pleasing to me

not:

I like the blue shirt in a literal word-for-word sense.

That is why én is not used here. Én would be the subject form I, but in this sentence the grammatical subject is a kék ing.

Also, nekem is the special dative form of én.

Because with tetszik, the thing that is liked is not a direct object. It is the subject of the sentence.

So:

• a kék ing = the blue shirt → subject, nominative
• nekem = to me → dative

If you used a verb like szeret instead, then the shirt would be a direct object:

• Szeretem a kék inget. = I love / like the blue shirt.

But with tetszik, Hungarian says it in a different way, so ing stays without -t.

Because the verb agrees with a kék ing, which is singular.

Hungarian verbs agree with the grammatical subject, and here the subject is the blue shirt, not me.

So:

• a kék ing tetszik = the blue shirt is pleasing
• a kék ingek tetszenek = the blue shirts are pleasing

Even though English says I like..., Hungarian is built around the shirt pleases me, so the verb matches shirt.

Here tetszik means to be pleasing / to appeal to someone, which is the normal Hungarian way to say that you like something in terms of appearance, style, impression, etc.

So Nekem a kék ing tetszik is roughly:

I like the blue shirt or more literally The blue shirt pleases me

This is often used for opinions such as:

• clothes
• colors
• music
• ideas
• appearances

It is not exactly the same as szeret, which is often stronger or more general.

Because Hungarian word order often shows focus.

In this sentence, a kék ing is in the focused position right before the verb, which gives a contrastive meaning:

It’s the blue shirt that I like, not the black one.

So the sentence is not just giving information; it is also contrasting blue with black.

A rough breakdown is:

• Nekem = as for me / to me
• a kék ing = focused element
• tetszik = verb
• nem a fekete = not the black one

This word order fits the contrast in the second half of the sentence.

Because both refer to definite, specific things.

• a kék ing = the blue shirt
• a fekete = the black one

In the second part, a fekete still has the article because it stands for an understood noun: a fekete ing.

Hungarian often keeps the article when an adjective is used by itself like this.

It could be a fekete ing, but Hungarian often leaves out the repeated noun when it is obvious from context.

So:

• nem a fekete
  really means
• nem a fekete ing

This is very natural. English does something similar with the black one.

In Hungarian, the adjective can stand on its own if the noun is clear.

Yes, if it is already clear who is doing the liking.

For example:

• A kék ing tetszik, nem a fekete.

This still works.

But nekem is useful when you want to stress my opinion, especially if you are contrasting it with someone else’s:

• Nekem a kék ing tetszik... = I like the blue shirt...

So in this sentence, nekem helps give a more personal, contrastive feel.

Not exactly.

• Nekem a kék ing tetszik = I like the blue shirt / the blue shirt appeals to me
• Szeretem a kék inget = I love / like the blue shirt

Tetszik often sounds more like expressing taste, preference, or visual appeal. Szeret is usually stronger and can mean affection, fondness, or a more general liking.

Also, the grammar changes:

• with tetszik: a kék ing is the subject
• with szeret: a kék inget is the object

So the two are similar in meaning, but not identical in tone or structure.

Here it creates a contrast:

not the black one

So the idea is:

I like the blue shirt, not the black one.

The speaker is not saying I don’t like the black color in general. They are choosing between two specific shirts, and the preferred one is the blue one.

This kind of X, not Y structure is very common in Hungarian.

Yes. Because of nekem at the front, the sentence can carry that as for me / in my opinion feeling.

So depending on context, it may sound like:

• I like the blue shirt, not the black one
• As for me, it’s the blue shirt I like, not the black one

That extra nuance comes from the word order and the presence of nekem.