Ez a szendvics ma kevesebbe kerül, mert akció van.

Because Hungarian normally uses a demonstrative + article + noun pattern.

So:

• ez = this
• a = the (before a consonant)
• szendvics = sandwich

So ez a szendvics is the normal way to say this sandwich.

This is different from English, where we do not say this the sandwich. In Hungarian, that extra article is standard.

Because the article depends on the next word:

• a before a consonant
• az before a vowel

Since szendvics begins with sz, which is a consonant sound, the article is a:

• ez a szendvics = this sandwich

Compare:

• ez az alma = this apple

So the difference is caused by the first sound of the noun that follows.

This is a very common Hungarian way to talk about price.

Hungarian often says that something costs into X:

• 1000 forintba kerül = it costs 1000 forints

So kerül often appears with an amount in -ba/-be when it means cost.

From that pattern:

• többe kerül = costs more
• kevesebbe kerül = costs less

So kevesebbe kerül is not word-for-word the same structure as English, but it is completely natural Hungarian.

Because -ba/-be is the ending Hungarian uses in this kind of price expression with kerül.

Examples:

• Ez 2000 forintba kerül.
• Ez többe kerül.
• Ez kevesebbe kerül.

The form is -be here because of vowel harmony: kevesebb has front vowels, so it takes the front-vowel version -be, not -ba.

Because Hungarian spelling simplifies triple consonants at word boundaries.

Underlyingly, it is:

• kevesebb
  • -be

But Hungarian does not write all three b's in a row here. So the written form is:

• kevesebbe

This is similar to other Hungarian forms where identical consonants meet and the spelling gets simplified.

They are close, but not exactly identical.

• kevesebbe kerül = costs less
• olcsóbb = cheaper

In many situations, they can translate similarly. But the nuance is slightly different:

• kevesebbe kerül focuses on the price/cost
• olcsóbb describes the item as cheaper

So:

• Ez a szendvics ma kevesebbe kerül.
  = This sandwich costs less today.

• Ez a szendvics ma olcsóbb.
  = This sandwich is cheaper today.

Both are natural, but the first one is more directly about what you pay.

Kerül is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb kerül.

Here it means costs.

So:

• Ez a szendvics ... kerül = This sandwich ... costs

The subject is already stated as Ez a szendvics, so Hungarian does not need a separate word for it.

Also, kerül has other meanings in other contexts, such as to get into, to end up, or to come to, but with money expressions it commonly means to cost.

Yes, the word order could be different, but the emphasis would change.

Hungarian word order is quite flexible and often reflects topic and focus, not just grammar.

In:

• Ez a szendvics ma kevesebbe kerül

ma = today sets the time frame, and kevesebbe is placed right before the verb, which often gives it extra focus.

Possible alternatives:

• Ma ez a szendvics kevesebbe kerül.
• Ez a szendvics kevesebbe kerül ma.

These are all possible, but they do not sound exactly the same in emphasis. The original sentence sounds natural and balanced.

No. Just like English costs less, Hungarian can leave the comparison understood from context.

So kevesebbe kerül may mean:

• less than usual
• less than before
• less than some other item

If you want to say the comparison explicitly, you can add it:

• kevesebbe kerül, mint tegnap = it costs less than yesterday
• kevesebbe kerül, mint a másik = it costs less than the other one

But in the original sentence, the comparison is simply implied.

Literally, it is something like:

• because sale/promotion is

More naturally: because there is a sale / because it’s on promotion

Hungarian often uses a bare noun + van in this kind of expression:

• akció van = there is a sale / a promotion is on
• baj van = there is trouble
• szünet van = there is a break

So the lack of an article is normal here. Saying mert van egy akció would sound more like because there is a specific promotion that you are introducing, which is a different nuance.

Yes, but the structure and nuance change a little.

• akció van = there is a sale / a promotion is going on
• akciós = on sale / discounted

So you could say:

• Ez a szendvics ma akciós. = This sandwich is on sale today.

That focuses directly on the sandwich as a discounted item.

The original sentence:

• ... mert akció van

explains the lower price by saying that a promotion is happening. So it sounds a bit more like because there’s a sale on.

Because mert introduces a subordinate clause meaning because.

So the sentence has two parts:

• Ez a szendvics ma kevesebbe kerül
• mert akció van

Hungarian normally separates those with a comma:

• ..., mert ...

That punctuation is standard.