"Átfutunk az épületen, kiugrunk az ablakon és átúszunk a folyón."

Translation: We run through the building, jump out the window and swim across the river.

[Elmoreserve]

I'd rather expect such behaviour from a kindergarten teacher

[whizza]

I think the use of "through" before "the window" is redundant (although not incorrect) and that "jump out of the window" and "jump out the window" are more natural sounding to my ear (or at least more commonly used where I'm from!)

[Judit294350]

I would say "run across the building" - although through also works.

[RyagonIV]

"Across", to my understanding, is reserved for more flat, unenclosed spaces. Particularly where I don't have a roof over me. "Across the house" sounds to me like I'm on the roof. (Which would also be a good translation for the Hungarian sentence, were it not for the general lack of windows there to jump out of.)

[woozlification]

RyagonIV As regards buildings, I agree, but you can say, "I ran across the room", "I ran across the carpet/floor/paving stones", etc. I think it's not about being enclosed or not; it's the idea of movement across a plane- no, I don't mean a plain or an aeroplane :)- a surface of something. Through suggests you are within it- it has a more 3D idea about it, and has more of the idea of obstacles in the way. "I walked slowly through the room between the old boxes and dusty furniture."

[RyagonIV]

Woozli, moving "across the room" sounds odd to me, unless maybe it's a large open hall. But it might be a dialectical thing.

[Judit294350]

Native English speaker - I'd use "across" more often than "through" because the space is clear ("through" suggests breakage and distruction)

[woozlification]

UK native speaker here- I'd probably say "through the building" but "across the room/floor", etc. "Through the window" suggests broken glass, whilst "out of the window" makes you assume it's open.

[RossHartsh]

Native english speaker here if you count USA, I agree with idea that 'across' sounds like I am on top of the building

[JoWchg]

Could anyone tell me why Superessive (-n-suffix) is used everywhere in this phrase? You use Superessive for "through" as well then?

[RyagonIV]

Basically, whenever there's a medium through which you're going or which you're using on your way, you use the -n suffix. Especially when using át-:

• átmegyek az utcán - I go across the street
• elmegyek az utcán - I go along the street
• felmegyek a lépcsőn - I go up the stairs
• lejön a kéményen - he comes down the chimney

[Judit294350]

What about if you were a submarine under the water? •átmegyek a tengerben - or átmegyek a tengeren

[RyagonIV]

As far as I'm aware it would be "átmegy a tengeren", or better "a vízen", no matter if it were surfacing or .. is it called "diving"?

You can make a difference by using more appropriate verbs.

• átúszik a tengeren - swims across the sea
• átmerül a tengeren - dives through the sea

Or just say "a víz alatt".

[Judit294350]

Thank you. I think we'd just say "cross the sea by submarine" (diving is usually reserved for the act of going down into the water rather than across - ie dive down then travel across).

[Judit294350]

The problem is the way Hungarians and English see spaces.

Átfutunk az épületen - the "through" is the át in átfutunk (more literally across but we don't say that so much in English). Where do you run through? the building. Now I would have thought "in" the building - Átfutunk az épületben - but it is big enough to be seen as a unenclosed space - like a square - or a bus - and uses the superessive instead.

kiugrunk az ablakon - clue to this is when you look (in English) through a window, in Hungarian you use the superessive. Just memorize it :-( But the motion is in the KIugrunk - OUT jump.

átúszunk a folyón - the át is across. But when you are swimming you are on top of the water so the superessive is clear.

[Richard604037]

An excellent question and it builds on the earlier ones. The preverb "at" can obviously mean through or across or over and it all depends on the context. The first time it came up as through was strange for me but, like many English words, it has its variations and this is helping.

[woozlification]

This is the Duolingo Hungarian version of the triathlon. For the pentathlon, you also have to jump from tree to tree and fly over the cities.

[fortuna0728]

Valaki tudna segiteni a mondat végén az "across" helyett nem fogadta el a "through" (vagyis én mind három "átkeléshez" a "through" szót irtam) mikor melyik szót kell használni ha jól tudom mind kettő hasonló jelentésű.

[RyagonIV]

"Through" is okay in all three parts of the sentence. It's just not accepted with the river yet, but we'll get there. :)

[timothy.ra2]

What sort of English are we translating into? Many of these translations are a sort of English-Magyar hybrid.

[Judit294350]

"Hunglish" I believe.