15 Comments
1318
A very interesting question! I would try it with: Ki láthat(ja) Jánost? Please laugh
You don't need the -hat ending. Just látja is sufficient, and it should be definite. Proper names that specify a particular person count as a definite object. And you're right, you do put the accusative -t on the name. So:
Ki látja Jánost?
- 1318
Oh, what's about the word 'can'? No difference between 'who sees' and 'who CAN see' in Hungarian?
Generally not with see and hear (lát and hall). Látom... means "I see..." or "I can see.." Another verb like this is talál - it means "find" or "can find". Nem találom az ajtót sounds better translated to English as "I can't find the door" rather than "I don't find the door".
I remember when you were asking question after question - now you are answering them :)
Congratulations!
- 1318
Thank you, I am glad, that your efforts are bringing fruits, after my countless questions. I'll be glad to give something back.
- 1318
I need help to understand this translation. It is really confusing for me:
Kiket lát János? is a question about, what Janos sees.
Who can János see? A question about , if somebody else can see János.
In textbook-perfect grammar, it should be "Whom can János see?", but many people these days just use "Who" instead of "whom."
It is still clear to us because of the word order. If we wanted to ask a question about if somebody else can see János, we would put János at the end: "Who can see János?"
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It would be easier for non Americans, to learn with the international tought grammar.
It is perfectly good and everyday English, very clear because of the word order. I understand your issue with similar sentences ("Who does this girl love?"), but this is just how English works.
very very minor gripe here but I'm unable to write "kiket lát jános." the problem, presumably, is either the lack of capitalization or the lack of question mark, and again, it's the pettiest most minor gripe ever, but I think most ppl don't bother w/ caps/punctuation bc I know where to put it when I need it, so randomly getting things wrong is somewhat annoying when in most other sentences neither of these are required, or at least inconsistently so
