"Milyenek azok az új bankok?"

Translation: What are those new banks like?

[ErikAnderson3]

In colloquial English, this is also rendered as "How are those new banks?"

[PAN_COGITO]

Why is the definite article used here? Is 'Milyenek azok uj bankok' also correct? I can't imagine an equivalent in english where we use "those" with an article.

[jsiehler]

In English we don't, but in Hungarian we always do. The words for this / that / these / those are always joined to their noun with a definite article.

a bank - the bank
az a bank - that bank
ez a bank - this bank
azok az új bankok - those new banks
ezek a csunya szovjet bankok - these ugly soviet banks

and so on.

[PAN_COGITO]

thanks, good to know