A lány az ablak előtt fésülködik, a fésű pedig a tükör mellett van.

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:

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

So:

• a lány = the girl
• az ablak = the window

The same rule appears elsewhere too:

• a tükör = the mirror
• a fésű = the comb

Even though fésű starts with the letter f, it still takes a because f is a consonant.

Előtt means in front of / before.

Hungarian often uses postpositions instead of prepositions. That means the word comes after the noun, not before it.

So:

• az ablak előtt = in front of the window

Literally, Hungarian structures it more like:

• the window in-front-of

This is normal in Hungarian. The same pattern appears in:

• a tükör mellett = next to the mirror

Fésülködik is the natural Hungarian verb for to comb one’s hair / to comb oneself.

It is built from:

• fésű = comb
• fésül = to comb something
• fésülködik = to comb oneself / do one’s hair

This -kodik / -kedik / -ködik type of ending often gives a reflexive or self-directed meaning.

So:

• fésüli a haját = he/she combs his/her hair
• fésülködik = he/she is combing his/her hair / combing himself/herself

In this sentence, fésülködik sounds natural because no direct object is needed.

Yes, it is effectively reflexive in meaning, but Hungarian does not need a separate word like herself here.

English says:

• The girl is combing her hair
• or The girl is combing herself

Hungarian can simply use:

• A lány fésülködik.

The reflexive meaning is already built into the verb. So there is no need for an extra pronoun.

Yes, Hungarian word order is flexible, and it often reflects topic and focus, not just basic grammar.

This version is fairly neutral:

• A lány az ablak előtt fésülködik.

It presents:

• A lány as the topic: what we are talking about
• the rest as information about her

You could also say:

• Az ablak előtt fésülködik a lány.

That puts more emphasis on where she is combing her hair.

So Hungarian word order is not random, but it is more flexible than English. Different orders often change the emphasis rather than the core meaning.

Here pedig works like and, while, as for, or sometimes a mild but, depending on context.

In this sentence:

• a fésű pedig a tükör mellett van

it helps shift attention to a second piece of information:

• the girl is doing one thing,
• and/as for the comb, it is next to the mirror.

So pedig does not have to mean a strong contrast. It often marks a new but related point.

A natural interpretation here is something like:

• and the comb, meanwhile, is next to the mirror
• or as for the comb, it is next to the mirror

Because the sentence contains two coordinated clauses:

• A lány az ablak előtt fésülködik
• a fésű pedig a tükör mellett van

Hungarian normally separates such clauses with a comma, especially when a linking word like pedig appears.

So the comma is standard punctuation here.

Van means is / exists.

In this clause:

• a fésű pedig a tükör mellett van = and the comb is next to the mirror

Hungarian needs van because this is a locational statement: it says where something is.

This is important because learners often hear that Hungarian drops the verb to be in the present tense. That is only true in certain cases, mainly when linking a subject to a noun or adjective:

• A lány szép. = The girl is pretty.
• A fésű új. = The comb is new.

But with location, Hungarian usually keeps van:

• A fésű a tükör mellett van. = The comb is next to the mirror.

Because mellett is a postposition, and postpositions normally come after the whole noun phrase.

So the normal order is:

• a tükör mellett = next to the mirror

not:

• mellett a tükör

In other words, Hungarian says:

• the mirror next-to

This is the standard pattern with many common postpositions:

• az asztal alatt = under the table
• a ház mögött = behind the house
• a szék mellett = next to the chair

Yes. They come from the same root idea:

• fésű = comb (the noun)
• fésül = to comb (the verb)
• fésülködik = to comb oneself / do one’s hair

This is a useful pattern in Hungarian: a noun and a related verb often clearly belong together.

So if you know fésű, it becomes easier to remember:

• fésül
• fésülködik

Yes. You could say:

• A lány az ablak előtt fésülködik, a fésű a tükör mellett van.

That is still correct.

Adding pedig makes the relationship between the two clauses feel more explicit. It gives a sense of:

• and meanwhile
• as for the comb
• whereas the comb

So pedig is not required for basic grammar, but it helps the sentence flow more naturally and gives a slightly more polished connection between the two ideas.