"A mellett az asztalok mellett nem ülnek vendégek, amik felett nincsenek lámpák."

Translation: No guests are sitting beside the tables, above which there are no lamps.

[joemagyarul]

How do we know this sentence means "No guests are sitting beside the tables, above which there are no lamps." instead of "Guests are not sitting beside the tables, above which there are no lamps.", or is the difference too minor to even think about?

[bnyugat]

yes, that's my question... I also chose Guests aren't sitting... and got it wrong.

[Bastette54]

I would translate this as "no guests are sitting AT the tables..." because that is what people would usually say. You sit at a table, not beside it (even though you are literally beside it).

[Arcaeca]

Does lámpá also mean "chandelier"?

BTW, very good translation, although I thought it was "Guests are not sitting next to the tables..."

[vvsey]

For a more serious lighting fixture, hanging from the ceiling with several lights, you can use "csillár".
Careful, the Hungarian sentence is still wrong. It should have "Azok mellett... ..., amelyek .... ".
And the comma problem in the English sentences is widespread all over this course.

[guntunge]

This will get even more fun in the reverse excersizes, when word tiles are not available any more? And we might have to use wrong Hungarian learned by heart! Awesome.

Edit: just ticked all 5 report boxes, because there is not much right in this sentence...

[RyagonIV]

"A mellett az asztalok mellett"
Did no one so far notice that? Apparently not even the speaker noticed it. It's a sneaky one.

[bnyugat]

Should it be 'azok mellett az asztalok mellett'?

[RyagonIV]

It should, yes.
Oh, just noticed that vvsey mentioned it. Still, quite odd. :D

[psn]

Egyszerűen túl hosszúak ezek a mondatok. Ha időre megy, túl sok idő begépelni, és nem is jár értük a hosszuknak megfelelő plusz másodperc...

[Patricia460976]

Could it be "those tables?"

[RyagonIV]

Yes. :v

[clairelanc3]

Do you really say THERE ARE NO ONE? It does not seem logical.

[RyagonIV]

Where do you see that?

[clairelanc3]

Just writing "no birdS" seems strange.

[RyagonIV]

There aren't any birds mentioned in this particular sentence, but I see what you mean. Using "no" with a plural noun, right? It's grammatically okay, but maybe not super natural. English prefers to negate the verb instead of the noun.

"There are no birds." ~ "There aren't any birds."

[Takaaritamo]

A native says: "A mellett" is singular, while "Azok mellett" is plural, therefore: "Azok mellett az asztalok mellett would be correct, but even this sounds "Hunglish". We simply say: "Azoknál az asztaloknál"

[clairelanc3]

Who can explain the difference between "felett"and "fölött "?

[Takaaritamo]

They are both the same. Felett is literary while fölött is rather colloquial.