Mire hazaérek, a vacsora már kész lesz.

Here mire means by the time.

So Mire hazaérek means By the time I get home.

This is a very common Hungarian pattern:

• Mire megérkezem, elindulnak. = By the time I arrive, they will leave / have left.
• Mire visszajössz, végzek. = By the time you come back, I’ll be finished.

Be careful: mire can mean other things in other contexts, but in this sentence it is a time conjunction.

Hungarian often uses the present tense to talk about the future, especially in time clauses like this one.

So:

• Mire hazaérek literally looks like By the time I get home / I arrive home
• but in meaning it refers to the future

This is very natural in Hungarian. English does something similar in clauses with when, after, before, by the time, etc.:

• When I get home, I’ll eat.
• not usually When I will get home...

Hungarian works similarly here.

hazaérek is made up of:

• haza = homeward / to home / home
• érek = I arrive / I reach

Together, hazaérek means I get home or I arrive home.

This is a very common verbal combination in Hungarian. The haza- part gives the direction homeward, and the verb ér means arrive / reach.

Related forms:

• hazamegyek = I go home
• hazaérek = I get home / arrive home
• hazajövök = I come home

In Hungarian, direction particles like haza often attach closely to the verb, especially in neutral word order.

So hazaérek is the normal compact form.

You can also separate the particle in some situations, especially for emphasis or with certain structures, but the joined form is the basic one here.

For learners, it is best to think of hazaér as a unit meaning to get home.

A vacsora means the dinner.

Hungarian often uses the definite article where English might or might not use one, depending on context. Here the speaker is talking about a specific dinner that both speaker and listener can identify from the situation, so a vacsora sounds natural.

Compare:

• Vacsora kész. = more like Dinner is ready as a general statement
• A vacsora kész lesz. = The dinner will be ready

In this sentence, a vacsora is the subject.

Már means already.

It shows that by the time the speaker gets home, the dinner will have reached the state of being ready.

So:

• A vacsora kész lesz. = The dinner will be ready.
• A vacsora már kész lesz. = The dinner will already be ready.

It adds the sense that the preparation will be completed before that moment.

Because the sentence refers to a future state.

• kész = ready
• lesz = will be

So:

• A vacsora kész. = The dinner is ready.
• A vacsora kész lesz. = The dinner will be ready.

Hungarian forms the future of to be with lesz.

Not exactly, though they are often close in meaning.

• kész lesz = will be ready
• elkészül = will get finished / will be completed

So:

• A vacsora már kész lesz. focuses on the resulting state: it will be ready
• A vacsora már elkészül. focuses more on the process reaching completion

In many everyday situations, either could work, but kész lesz is very straightforward and natural here.

Because Mire hazaérek is a subordinate clause.

Hungarian normally separates subordinate clauses with a comma:

• Mire hazaérek, a vacsora már kész lesz.

This is similar to English:

• By the time I get home, dinner will already be ready.

Yes. Hungarian word order is flexible, though changes can affect emphasis.

The given sentence is neutral and natural:

• Mire hazaérek, a vacsora már kész lesz.

You could also say:

• A vacsora már kész lesz, mire hazaérek.

This still means the same basic thing, but it puts the main clause first.

Hungarian word order often reflects what is being highlighted, not just rigid grammar rules.

No, not quite.

• amikor = when
• mire = by the time

Compare:

• Amikor hazaérek, eszünk. = When I get home, we’ll eat.
• Mire hazaérek, a vacsora már kész lesz. = By the time I get home, dinner will already be ready.

Mire suggests that something will have happened or will already be true before that time arrives.

Grammatically you may encounter future forms like fogok elsewhere, but here Mire hazaérek is much more natural.

In Hungarian, after time expressions like mire, amikor, miután, speakers very often use the present tense for future meaning.

So:

• Mire hazaérek... = natural
• Mire haza fogok érni... = much less natural, and usually avoided in this kind of sentence

For learners, the safe choice is: with mire, use the present tense if the meaning is future.

It breaks down like this:

• Mire hazaérek = By the time I get home
• a vacsora = the dinner
• már = already
• kész lesz = will be ready

So the structure is:

time clause + main clause

A very literal gloss would be:

By-the-time I-get-home, the dinner already ready will-be.

That is why the natural English translation is:

By the time I get home, dinner will already be ready.