Does this mean "ez" is not included in the answer sentence or am I misinterpreting the explanation?

[u/AerieRevolutionary67]

[u/milkdrinkingdude]

What strange book is that?

Yes, the answers listed there are correct.

The question however, could be “ez szék?”, or several other ways to ask this.

I wouldn’t say “szék ez?”, that sounds wierdly poetic.

Also, why is there a long dash after the colon?

examples:——

what is that about? hm

[u/EirikrUtlendi → u/milkdrinkingdude]

FWIW, "Szék ez?" sounds to me a bit like some existential or philosophical query: "Is this a chair I see before me? Lo, that I may sit and ponder..." 😄

[u/Apprehensive_Car_722 → u/milkdrinkingdude]

Based on that screen shot, I believe that is part 2 of the grammar section of lesson 1 on page 38 of a book called "Learn Hungarian" by Bánhidi Zoltán, Jókay Zoltán and Szabó Dénes. I believe the first print dates back to 1965. That is why some of the examples and the language in general feels poetic or archaic. It is not a bad book as long as you are aware that some things are a bit different nowadays.

[u/R0nm0R → u/milkdrinkingdude]

Ikr the question is something I would say when I try to speak funny, for the extra pizzazz I would say "Szék-e ez kend?"

[u/bored_werewolf]

you're somewhat correct, that's why "ez" is in brackets - it's OK if it's there but not necessary

[u/KingValidus]

The example question is a bit strange.

You don't really say Szék ez? unless you are a poet or you are deliberately trying to act as a poet.

The dialogues are more appropriate like these:

- Ez egy szék? - Igen, (az). -- Is this a chair? - Yes, (it) [is].

- Mi ez? - (Egy) szék. -- What's this? [It's] (a) chair.

[u/Atypicosaurus]

The parentheses mean that a part is optional, omitable.

Grammatically speaking, if you take the sentence "it is a chair" the part "it" is the subject of the sentence and the rest is the statement. You point at something (it) and state about this thing that it's called a chair.

In Hungarian, in many cases you can optionally omit the subject which is "ez". "Ez" has the same role as "it" in English: it points at the thing you are talking about, creating grammatical subject. In Hungarian sentences you sometimes don't have verb (exactly in cases like this) so in our logic, "it is a chair" sounds like "it chair", chair being the statement. And on top of that you can omit "it" (ez).

[u/Environmental_Bass42]

You are right about the interpretation. Although the question is a bit unnatural. A more natural conversation would go something like: "Szék ez, vagy asztal? Szék." ("Is this a chair or a table? Chair." In English you'd say "it is a chair", or at least "a chair", but in Hungarian you don't need to say either of these). Similarly when someone asks: "Jó ez?" you would just say "jó" ("Is this good? Good." You don't say "it is", or "it is good".)

[u/Intrepid4444444 → u/Environmental_Bass42]

For me (native) semantically the “az” is more similar to the English “yes” in this context. “Is that a chair?” “Yes (it is).”
“Az egy szék?” “Az(, igen)”.
The difference between English and Hungarian is simply what’s omitted is swapped.
Maybe I’m overcomplicating it ?

[u/Ok-Text123]

Hungarians like to simplify. If you are pointing at a chair and ask if it is a chair, we just say chair. But also if you ask for an adjective, we simply answer with the adjective if we agree.

Some examples. "Finom az étel? Finom." - Is the food delicious? Delicious. "Ez a hely üres? Üres." - Is this seat free? Free. "Ez egy szék? Szék." - Is this a chair? Chair.

I also want to point out that it is not that common that we form questions like in the example. "Szék ez?" Is not that common. We more often use "Ez egy szék" which you can directly translate to "That a chair?". We don't say the "is" part in the sentence.

Also also, because it is easy to confuse, "ez" means "this" and "az" means "that". So in questions we more oftenly use "ez" when we question something and use "az" when we answer that. Imagine it like the person who asks already has the thing next to them. So they ask like "is this an x". And when we answer we point further away, so "yes, that is an x". I wanted to point it out, because the last example is simply "az", so the conversation is literally "Is this a chair? That."

[u/tarbasd]

Everybody says "Szék ez?" sounds poetic, but I can also imagine some other natural situation when it would be said. E.g. if in a carpentry school, a teacher angrily criticizes a chair that a student made.

[u/SeiForteSai]

I'm not sure about the question. I can't imagine a situation when I would ask "szék ez?", for me it sounds a bit odd although fully understandable. I most likely would ask "Ez egy szék?".

Otherwise, that's correct. There are several possible options to answer, some might involve "ez" too:

• Az.
• Ez az.
• Az bizony.
• Ez bizony az.
• Az hát!
• Igen.
• Igen, az.
• Igen, ez az.
• Igen, ez szék.

And a lot other ways of affirmative...

And the logic? Roughly speaking, when I'm referring to your "ez", then I say "az". When I referring to the chair directly, I use "ez".