Nem tudom, mennyibe kerül ez a tea, ezért megkérdezem a pénztárost.

Because Hungarian often expresses cost with the phrase mennyibe kerül?, literally something like into how much does it come?

• mennyi = how much
• -be = into
• kerül = comes/goes, and in this expression, costs

So:

• Mennyi ez a tea? can be understood, but it is less standard in this context.
• Mennyibe kerül ez a tea? is the normal way to say How much does this tea cost?

This is a fixed, very common Hungarian pattern.

Kerül has several meanings in Hungarian depending on context. Its basic meanings include things like to get into, to come to be, or to end up somewhere.

In pricing expressions, it means to cost:

• Ez a tea 500 forintba kerül. = This tea costs 500 forints.

So in mennyibe kerül, the verb is being used in its cost meaning.

Hungarian normally uses a demonstrative together with the definite article before a noun:

• ez a tea = this tea
• az a bolt = that shop

So ez and a work together here.

This is a very common Hungarian structure:

• ez a könyv = this book
• az a lány = that girl

To an English speaker, the extra a may feel unnecessary, but in Hungarian it is the normal pattern.

Because tud uses different verb endings depending on whether it has a definite object.

• tudok = I know / I can, with no definite object
• tudom = I know it / I know that...

In this sentence, Nem tudom, mennyibe kerül ez a tea means I don’t know how much this tea costs. The whole subordinate clause functions like the thing being known, so Hungarian uses the definite conjugation: tudom.

Compare:

• Nem tudok magyarul. = I don’t know Hungarian / I can’t speak Hungarian.
• Nem tudom a választ. = I don’t know the answer.
• Nem tudom, hol van. = I don’t know where it is.

Because mennyibe already introduces an indirect question.

Hungarian uses question words like:

• hol = where
• mikor = when
• miért = why
• mennyibe = how much

So after Nem tudom, you can directly say:

• Nem tudom, hol van. = I don’t know where it is.
• Nem tudom, mikor jön. = I don’t know when he/she is coming.
• Nem tudom, mennyibe kerül. = I don’t know how much it costs.

You would use hogy with a different kind of clause, not with an embedded question word like mennyibe.

Ezért means therefore, for this reason, or that’s why.

It is built from:

• ez = this
• -ért = for

So literally it is something like for this or because of this, but in natural English here it means therefore / so.

In the sentence:

• Nem tudom, mennyibe kerül ez a tea, ezért megkérdezem a pénztárost.
• I don’t know how much this tea costs, so I’ll ask the cashier.

The prefix meg- often makes the action more complete, goal-directed, or result-focused.

• kérdezem = I am asking / I ask
• megkérdezem = I ask / I will ask, with the sense of actually carrying it out and getting it done

In this sentence, megkérdezem a pénztárost means I’ll ask the cashier. It sounds natural because the speaker is talking about a concrete, completed action they are going to take.

Without meg-, the sentence would sound less natural here.

Because -t is the accusative ending, marking the direct object.

Here, the person being asked is the object of the verb:

• megkérdezem a pénztárost = I ask the cashier

So:

• a pénztáros = the cashier
• a pénztárost = the cashier, as a direct object

This is different from English, where we usually do not mark the object with a special ending.

Because Hungarian uses kérdez valakit = ask someone.

So the person is a direct object:

• Megkérdezem a pénztárost. = I’ll ask the cashier.

If you want to say ask someone something, Hungarian can do that too:

• Megkérdezem a pénztárost az árról. = I’ll ask the cashier about the price.
• Megkérdezem a pénztárost, mennyibe kerül. = I’ll ask the cashier how much it costs.

So this sentence follows normal Hungarian verb usage.

Because Hungarian usually does not need subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows the subject.

• tudom = I know
• megkérdezem = I ask / I will ask

The -om / -em verb endings already tell you the subject is I.

Hungarian only uses the separate pronoun én when it wants emphasis or contrast:

• Én nem tudom. = I don’t know.
  (maybe someone else does)

So in your sentence, the subject I is understood from the verb forms.

Not completely. Hungarian word order is flexible, but the version in your sentence is very natural and neutral.

• Nem tudom, mennyibe kerül ez a tea, ezért megkérdezem a pénztárost.

This presents the information in a clear flow:

1. I don’t know
2. how much this tea costs
3. therefore
4. I’ll ask the cashier

You could change word order for emphasis, but that would slightly change what is highlighted.

For example:

• Ezért a pénztárost kérdezem meg.
  = That’s why it’s the cashier I’ll ask.

That version puts more focus on the cashier.

It is formally present tense, but in context it often refers to a near future action.

So here:

• ezért megkérdezem a pénztárost

naturally means:

• so I’ll ask the cashier

Hungarian often uses the present tense for planned or immediate future actions, especially when the context makes the future meaning obvious.

Pénztáros specifically means cashier.

It comes from:

• pénz = money
• táros is part of the word form here, creating the noun

So a pénztárost is specifically the person at the register/check-out.

Other staff words are different, for example:

• eladó = sales assistant / shop assistant / seller
• boltos = shopkeeper, shop person
• pincér = waiter

So this sentence is specifically saying the speaker will ask the cashier, not just any employee.