Az állomáson megnézem a menetrendet, mielőtt felmegyek a peronra.

Because Hungarian usually marks location with a case ending instead of using a separate preposition like at or in.

• állomás = station
• állomáson = at the station / on the station premises

The ending -on here is a location ending. So az állomáson means at the station.

Also, the article is az rather than a because állomás begins with a vowel sound.

The ending -on/-en/-ön is one of Hungarian’s location cases, often called the superessive. It can mean something like on or sometimes at, depending on the noun.

With places like állomás (station), Hungarian idiomatically uses this ending:

• az állomáson = at the station

This is something learners often just need to get used to, because it does not always match English literally. Hungarian chooses location endings based on its own patterns, not on English prepositions.

The prefix meg- often gives the verb a sense of completion or successful result.

• nézem = I am watching / I look at
• megnézem = I look at it / I check it / I have a look at it

In this sentence, the meaning is not that the speaker is continuously watching the timetable, but that they check it. So megnézem is the natural choice.

A good way to feel the difference is:

• nézem a menetrendet = I’m looking at the timetable
• megnézem a menetrendet = I check the timetable

Because the verb is in the definite conjugation.

Hungarian has two main sets of verb endings:

• indefinite conjugation: used when there is no definite object, or the object is indefinite
• definite conjugation: used when the verb has a definite direct object

Here the object is a menetrendet = the timetable, which is definite, so Hungarian uses the definite form:

• megnézek = I check/look at something
• megnézem = I check/look at it / the specific thing

So megnézem a menetrendet is exactly what you would expect.

Because menetrend is the direct object of the verb, so it takes the accusative ending -t.

• menetrend = timetable
• menetrendet = timetable as the object

Hungarian marks direct objects very often with -t. So:

• Látom a házat. = I see the house.
• Megnézem a menetrendet. = I check the timetable.

The final form becomes menetrendet, not just menetrendt, because Hungarian often inserts a linking vowel to make pronunciation easier.

Because the sentence refers to a specific timetable, not just any timetable.

• a menetrend = the timetable
• egy menetrend = a timetable

At a station, the speaker presumably means the relevant timetable there, so Hungarian naturally uses the definite article a.

This also matches the definite verb form megnézem. The sentence is internally consistent:

• a menetrendet = the timetable
• megnézem = I check it / the specific one

Mielőtt means before when introducing a clause.

So:

• mielőtt felmegyek a peronra = before I go up to the platform

It connects two actions and shows which one happens first.

Structure:

• main clause: Az állomáson megnézem a menetrendet
• subordinate clause: mielőtt felmegyek a peronra

So the overall sense is: first I check the timetable, then I go up to the platform.

Yes. Felmegyek literally means I go up.

It is made of:

• fel- = up
• megyek = I go

In Hungarian, this is a very natural verb for going onto a platform, especially if the platform is thought of as something you go up to, or if there are stairs/overpass involved. Even when English might simply say go to the platform, Hungarian often uses felmegyek a peronra.

So yes, it has a literal up element, but it is also a normal idiomatic way to describe this movement.

Because the sentence describes movement toward the platform, not being located on the platform.

• peronra = onto/to the platform
• peronon = on the platform

The ending -ra/-re expresses motion onto something or toward a surface/place. The ending -on/-en/-ön expresses location on something.

Compare:

• Felmegyek a peronra. = I go up to the platform.
• A peronon várok. = I’m waiting on the platform.

Hungarian often uses the present tense to talk about the future when the context makes the time clear.

Here the sequence of actions makes everything understandable:

• megnézem = I check
• felmegyek = I go up

In English, we might say I’ll check the timetable before I go up to the platform, but Hungarian very naturally uses present forms for this kind of planned or near-future action.

So this is completely normal Hungarian, not a mistake or unusual phrasing.

Yes, Hungarian word order is flexible, and different orders change the emphasis.

This version starts with Az állomáson, which puts the location in a prominent position:

• At the station, I check the timetable...

Other orders are possible, for example:

• Megnézem a menetrendet az állomáson, mielőtt felmegyek a peronra.
• Mielőtt felmegyek a peronra, az állomáson megnézem a menetrendet.

These all express roughly the same basic meaning, but the focus or emphasis shifts slightly. Hungarian word order is strongly connected to information structure, not just strict subject-verb-object rules.

Because Hungarian verb endings already show the subject.

• megnézem = I check it
• felmegyek = I go up

So the pronoun én is usually unnecessary unless you want to emphasize it.

For example:

• Én megnézem a menetrendet. = I check the timetable.
  This would sound more emphatic, like contrasting yourself with someone else.

In a neutral sentence, Hungarian normally leaves the pronoun out.

Yes. Peron is the standard Hungarian word for a railway platform.

So:

• a peronra = to the platform
• a peronon = on the platform

A learner may notice that it looks like a loanword, and it is one of many everyday Hungarian words that came from other languages historically. But in modern Hungarian, it is a completely normal word.

Yes, depending on how natural you want the English to sound.

Hungarian uses felmegyek a peronra, which literally includes the idea of going up. But in smoother English, many people would simply say:

• I check the timetable at the station before going to the platform.

So the Hungarian contains the directional idea up/onto, but the best English translation does not always need to copy that literally.