Questions & Answers about Néhány dal nagyon hangos.
Why is dal singular? Shouldn’t it be dalok for songs?
In Hungarian, after numbers and quantity words like két (two), sok (many), néhány (some/a few), the noun usually stays singular.
So:
- néhány dal = some songs
- literally closer to some song
This is completely normal in Hungarian. English uses a plural noun here, but Hungarian does not.
Where is the verb are?
Hungarian often leaves out the verb to be in the present tense, third person when the sentence is of the type X is Y or X is adjective.
So:
- Néhány dal nagyon hangos. = Some songs are very loud.
There is no separate word for are here, but the sentence is still complete.
This omission happens in sentences like:
- A fiú magas. = The boy is tall.
- A lány okos. = The girl is smart.
But in other tenses, the verb appears:
- A dalok hangosak voltak. = The songs were loud.
Why is hangos singular, not plural hangosak?
Because néhány dal behaves like a quantified expression, and in Hungarian those often take singular agreement.
So Hungarian says:
- Néhány dal hangos.
not:
- Néhány dal hangosak.
Compare that with a normal plural subject:
- A dalok hangosak. = The songs are loud.
So this is an important contrast:
- néhány dal → adjective stays singular
- dalok → adjective is plural
What exactly does néhány mean?
Néhány usually means some, a few, or several, depending on context.
It refers to an indefinite small number, but not necessarily exactly two or three. It is a very common and neutral word.
For example:
- néhány könyv = some books
- néhány ember = a few people
A learner may also hear pár, which can also mean a few in everyday speech. Néhány is often a bit more neutral or standard.
What does nagyon mean, and why is it before hangos?
Nagyon means very.
It usually comes directly before the adjective or adverb it modifies:
- nagyon hangos = very loud
- nagyon jó = very good
- nagyon gyorsan = very quickly
So in this sentence:
- Néhány dal nagyon hangos.
the phrase nagyon hangos means very loud.
Why is hangos after dal instead of before it?
Because here hangos is not directly describing the noun inside the noun phrase. It is the predicate adjective of the sentence.
This sentence means:
- Some songs are very loud.
So the structure is:
- Néhány dal = subject
- nagyon hangos = what is being said about the subject
If you want loud songs as a noun phrase, the adjective goes before the noun:
- hangos dalok = loud songs
- néhány hangos dal = some loud songs
So compare:
- Néhány dal nagyon hangos. = Some songs are very loud.
- Néhány hangos dal... = Some loud songs...
Why is there no article like a, az, or egy?
Because néhány already functions as a determiner, so you normally do not add another article before it.
So you say:
- néhány dal
not:
- a néhány dal in this general sense
- egy néhány dal
In most ordinary cases, néhány by itself is enough.
Can the word order be changed?
Yes. Hungarian word order is more flexible than English word order, and changing it often changes the focus or emphasis.
The neutral version is:
- Néhány dal nagyon hangos.
If you move things around, the sentence may sound more marked or emphasize a different part:
- Nagyon hangos néhány dal.
This can sound like Some songs are very loud with stronger focus on very loud.
For learners, the original order is a good neutral pattern to use.
How would I say The songs are very loud instead?
You would say:
- A dalok nagyon hangosak.
This is useful because it shows the difference between:
- néhány dal nagyon hangos = quantified expression, singular agreement
- a dalok nagyon hangosak = regular plural subject, plural adjective
So this sentence is a very good example of how Hungarian treats quantity phrases differently from ordinary plural nouns.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning HungarianMaster Hungarian — from Néhány dal nagyon hangos to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions