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

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

• tudni: to know
• ezért: so
• nem: not

Questions & Answers about Nem tudom, mennyibe kerül ez a tea, ezért megkérdezem a pénztárost.

Why is it mennyibe kerül and not just mennyi?

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.

What does kerül literally mean here?

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.

Why is it ez a tea and not just ez tea?