This is the 75th most frequent Hungarian word.
szemben
"Szemben" means "opposite" or "facing" in English.
Here, 'szemben' denotes a spatial opposition, reflecting the positional relationship between the house and the park.
A házzal szemben van egy park.
There is a park opposite the house.
In this sentence, 'szemben' indicates a physical face-to-face positioning between two individuals.
Szemben álltam vele, amikor elmondta a hírt.
I was standing across from him when he told the news.
'Szemben' is used here metaphorically, standing for 'contrary to' in terms of expectations or ideas.