"Is he a student or a teacher?"

Translation: Ő diák vagy tanár?

[brjaga]

I'm never quite clear on when (and where) to use "van". Why can't I say "Ő van egy diák vagy egy tanár"?

[vvsey]

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".

[Hulk014]

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.

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Thx vvsey