"Is he a student or a teacher?"
Translation:Ő diák vagy tanár?
4 Comments
1848
I'm never quite clear on when (and where) to use "van". Why can't I say "Ő van egy diák vagy egy tanár"?
In some cases you can't use "van". Because it's already declared in the sentence. Few examples:
Ő egy okos ember - He's a clever man.
Ő a tanárom. - She's my teacher.
Ők nagyon ügyesek - They're very smart.
Önök a legjobb barátaim. - You're ( you formal plural ) my best friends.
Ön egy jó ember. - You're ( you formal singlar ) a good man.
But
Ti vagytok a legjobb barátaim. - You're ( you informal plural ) my best friends.
Te egy kedves ember vagy. - You're ( you informal singular) a kind person.
( Neki ) van egy kutyája - He has a dog.
( Nekik ) van egy kocsijuk. - They have a car.
When you describe the subject ("smart", "beautiful", "is a student", etc.), you do NOT use "van". When you are talking about its location or state, you do use "van".
