# Szék ez?



## wanipa

Hi!

Can I also use "Ez szék?" in writing and speaking instead of "Szék ez?"

Thanks!


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## Zsanna

Hello wanipa, 

I would say that both in writing and speaking the "Ez szék?" sounds better than the other way round. 

The "Szék ez?" order exists, too, but would be used in more specific cases. E.g. I ask somebody to make a chair for me. He presents me with such a pitiful object that in my surprise or disbelief or wanting to reprimand him or meaning "Is this the best you can do?", etc. I'd use this form. Not a situation that occurs often...


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## wanipa




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## wanipa

Thanks Zsanna!

I think the text book is quite an old one, hence the case.

By the way, does it make any difference between
"Ez szék?" and "Ez a szék?"

Many thanks in advance!


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## Zsanna

I see. I would think that it is probably an old approach of teaching Hungarian because although you can imagine at the first question that the speaker just wants to check if he found the right word for the right object (so OK, there is no surprise element concerning the object, rather concerning the word: "Am I using the right word for this object?") but the following "Szék az?" is really depicting the person as a bit of a nutter - he has just found out what szék corresponds to! If he thinks that a table is a chair, he should come from Mars...
So no, it is not realistic.


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## Zsanna

Oh, I've just noticed your comment. So we can agree that it is just the old style of teaching when they supposed that not knowing a language = being a bit stupid.
The question with the definite article is very similar to the English equivalent (a bit weird except if we are talking about a particular chair that was mentioned earlier):
Ez szék? = Is this a chair?
Ez a szék? = Is this the chair? (...e.g. you mentioned earlier/we were talking about earlier...)

Although, just to puzzle you a bit further, in this latter case, you could also ask: Ez az a szék? (It is a more explicit form to refer back to our earlier discussion about a particular chair.)


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## Zsanna

By the way, you are most welcome.


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## Sveki

Zsanna said:


> Oh, I've just noticed your comment. So we can agree that it is just the old style of teaching when they supposed that not knowing a language = being a bit stupid.
> The question with the definite article is very similar to the English equivalent (a bit weird except if we are talking about a particular chair that was mentioned earlier):
> Ez szék? = Is this a chair?
> Ez a szék? = Is this the chair? (...e.g. you mentioned earlier/we were talking about earlier...)
> 
> Although, just to puzzle you a bit further, in this latter case, you could also ask: Ez az a szék? (It is a more explicit form to refer back to our earlier discussion about a particular chair.)


What's difference between these two:

Ez szek?= Is this a chair?

Ez egy szek?= Is this a chair?


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## tomtombp

Sveki said:


> What's difference between these two:
> 
> Ez szek?= Is this a chair?
> 
> Ez egy szek?= Is this a chair?



Nothing at all. I think we tend to add "egy" these days.


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