Word order with van/vannak ‘Word order can be a bit complicated In Hungarian, but If you pay close attention to which word is immediately before the verb and learn which word to put there, you won't have any problems. When forming neutral sentences with the verb van/vannak, keep two rules in mind: 1 When affirming there is/there are something(s), place what there isthere are immediately before the verb: Rossz tankényvek vannak. There are bad textbooks. 2 Otherwise, when affirming when, where or how something(s) is/ are, place the adverb immediately before the verb: A didkok otthon vannak. The students are at home. Word order with focus, negation and questions The neutral word order described above can be disrupted by what is called a focus word {or words). Focus words include negation (nem, nincs, nincsenek), questions (ki?, mi?, hol?), answers to questions, and any stressed or emphasised word. If a sentence contains a focus word, that word must be placed immediately before the verb ~ ‘kicking out’ what would normally be there to a position immediately after the verb, In the following sentences, compare the word order of the néutral sentence with the sentence containing a focus element. Neutral: A gyerekek hatul vannak. The children are at the back. Focus: Ki van eldt? Who is at the front?The question word ki has taken the position immediately before the verb, displacing the adverb to a position after the verb, The words mines and ninesenek are verbs and negation in one; thus, any word being displaced due to negation will be placed in a position after nines or nincsenek: Neutral: A sz4mitégép fent van. The computer is upstairs. Focus; A sz4mitégép nincs fent. The computer is not upstairs. Ifa sentence asks the question ‘is there?/are there?’, it almost always egins with the verb (as in English); here it is helpful to think of the verb itself as the question word, If the answer to this question is ‘yes’, you may reply Van/Vannak or Igen, if the answer is no, you must reply Nincs/Nincsenek, Van itt német djsag? Is there a Geman newspaper here? Van./Nincs. Yes./No. Negation and questions Note that nem, nines and ninesenek ara often used to form (polite) questions, as in Nincs itt diség? or Nincsenek otthon a gyerekek? {f the answer is no, you must reply Nem, Nincs or Nincsenek. However, if the answer is yes, begin your sentence with De (lit. ‘but’) instead of Igen: De, van itt Gjsdg; De, otthon vannak.Word order and the verb ‘to be’ Compare the word order of the following sentences with respect to their neutrality vs. the presence of a focus element (negation, ques- tions, answers, emphasis). Recall that focus elements must be placed in the position immediately before the verb, removing any word(s) that would otherwise be there {in a neutral sentence) to a post-verbal position. Neutral: Negation: Neutral: Question: Neutral: Question: Answer; Neutral: Emphasis: (En) tanér vagyok. | ar a teacher. (En) nem vagyok tanér. | am not a teacher. (Te) Tamas vagy. You are Tamas. (Te) ki vagy? Who are you? Az orvosok itt vannak. The doctors are here. Hol vannak az orvosok? Where are the doctors? Az orvosok itt vannak. The doctors are here. (Ti) amerikaiak vagytok. You are Americans. Ti vagytok amerikaiak, nem 6k. You are Americans, not them.