Reggel a tükör előtt fésülködöm, mielőtt munkába megyek.

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Breakdown of Reggel a tükör előtt fésülködöm, mielőtt munkába megyek.

• mielőtt: before
• előtt: in front of
• menni: to go

Questions & Answers about Reggel a tükör előtt fésülködöm, mielőtt munkába megyek.

Why does reggel have no case ending? How can it mean in the morning by itself?

In Hungarian, many common time words can function as adverbs without any extra ending. Reggel simply means in the morning / in the morning time.

So here, Reggel is a natural standalone time expression. Depending on context, it can mean:

• in the morning
• this morning
• in the mornings

In this sentence, it most likely describes a routine: in the morning.

Why is it a tükör előtt and not a word meaning before the mirror placed in front, like in English?

Because Hungarian uses postpositions very often, not prepositions.

English says:

• in front of the mirror

Hungarian says:

• a tükör előtt
• literally: the mirror in-front-of

So előtt comes after the noun phrase it belongs to. That is completely normal in Hungarian.

What exactly does előtt mean here?