This is an article for those who are interested in learning Hungarian, but still have questions they want answered before taking the plunge. Can you guess the first question potential learners tend to ask? Yep: “Is Hungarian hard to learn?”

Many people have the impression that Hungarian is difficult and that learning it is out of their grasp.

Below, we’ll answer some of the most commonly asked questions from absolute beginners. We wish to encourage them—and you—to overcome the obstacles and learn Hungarian. Here at HungarianPod101, we strive to help every learner achieve success, especially those who have reached a plateau during their language-learning journey. We guarantee that we’ll be there for you every step of the way. 

In this article, we’ll shed some light on what things make Hungarian hard to learn, how to overcome them, and which aspects of the language are actually super-simple! And, if you’re already in the mood to learn Hungarian by the time you reach the end—which you probably will be, because it’s a unique and awesome language—we’ll give you some advice for starting out. Finally, we’ll list all the benefits of HungarianPod101 and our services, and why we’re the best choice for Hungarian language-learning.

Are you ready to embark on a new, exciting, and challenging journey? Read on—you won’t regret it!

Table of Contents

1. Is it Hard to Learn Hungarian?
2. What are the Hardest and Easiest Parts of Learning Hungarian?
3. I Want to Learn Hungarian. Where Should I Start?
4. Advice for a New Hungarian-Learner
5. Why is HungarianPod101 Great for Learning Hungarian?
6. Conclusion: HungarianPod101.com Brings Out the Best in You

1. Is it Hard to Learn Hungarian?

Before you start learning Hungarian, you must be aware of the challenges you’re going to face. In this section, we’ll shed light on the question every native Hungarian gets asked by a foreigner at least once in their life: “Is Hungarian a hard language to learn?” Well, there are obviously a few hard parts, just like in any language, but really, Hungarian isn’t that difficult to master once you get the basics down.

That said, every learner is different and everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to language-learning. As such, it takes each and every person a different amount of time to master Hungarian. But one thing is guaranteed: If you’re dedicated enough to learn, and if you’re genuinely interested in the language and culture, the process will be easy as pie. You’ll find that the language is quite logically structured. 

Another factor to take into consideration is the level at which you wish to speak the language. If you’re aiming for a basic speech level to make your way around Hungary and converse with natives, then your journey will be child’s play compared to someone seeking an advanced level.

However, whatever your goal is, you can count on HungarianPod101 to be your constant companion.

To give you an example of the difference between a basic speech level and an advanced one, we’ve listed two sentences below. One is very simple, and the other is more complex. 

• “The weather is nice.”
  Szép az idő.

• “The weather is so nice, it makes me want to be outside all day.” 
  Olyan szép idő van, hogy legszívesebben egész nap kint lennék.

As you can see, the latter sentence contains more information than the former, and you can already see changes in conjugation!

2. What are the Hardest and Easiest Parts of Learning Hungarian?

To effectively map out your study strategy, you have to know what the hardest and easiest aspects of the language are. We’ll start by looking at the more difficult aspects.

1- Why is Hungarian Hard to Learn?

1. Cases

Hungarian has thirty-five different cases. Many of these cases apply solely to prepositions, which are then attached to the words themselves.

For example:

• “I brought you a cake.”
  Hoztam neked egy tortát.

The sentence above is in the accusative case. Here, “I brought” is hoztam, “you” (actually meaning “to you”) is neked, and “a cake” is egy tortát. The -t at the end of tortát indicates the accusative case.

2. Vowels

Hungarian has fourteen vowels. However, the only difference between most of them is their accents: a-á, e-é, o-ó-ö-ő, etc. Nevertheless, these ‘slight’ differences carry great value both in writing and in speech. If you misspell or mispronounce a vowel, the word could be nonsensical or mean something completely different than the word you intended to use. You can easily overcome this hardship by practicing the pronunciation of each vowel.

• “Eating” (Evés)
• “Yearly” (Éves)

• “Five” (Öt)
• “(I want) him/her” (Őt [akarom])

3. Pronunciation

The hardest part of learning Hungarian for beginners is probably the pronunciation. Words that appear to be identical can mean completely different things. This happens when an accent—which is indicated by one or two little dots or lines above a vowel—causes a slight change in sound.

There are also digraphs to worry about. You’ll need to memorize these and learn which words are written with them. But remember: There’s nothing that can’t be mastered with a little practice.

In addition, there are a few sounds that learners tend to struggle with. Here are some things you’ll have to remember:

• The letter combination ‘sz’ represents the English [s] sound.
• ‘S’ alone represents the English [ʃ] sound. 
• The ‘cs’ sound in Hungarian is [tʃ] in English, just like in “champion.”
• The Hungarian ‘zs’ sounds like [ʒ], or the ‘s’ in “pleasure.”

There are other digraphs (and thus, diphthongs) and one trigraph that English does not have. These include gy, ly, ny, ty, dz, and dzs, although many of these have similar sounds that occasionally appear in English. 

Here’s a sentence with digraphs that, in speech, form diphthongs:

• “Hungarian is a very beautiful language.”
  A magyar egy nagyon szép nyelv.

In this example, there are three different digraphs.

Other sound differences include:

• The ‘c’ sound in Hungarian is [ts] in English, just like at the end of “cats.”
• The letter ‘j’ is pronounced as the ‘y’ in “voyage.”
• The letter ‘r’ is rolled like in Spanish.

Once you get the hang of Hungarian pronunciation, it will actually become an “easy” part of the language, as Hungarian is rather phonetic. This means that if you familiarize yourself with the diphthongs, digraphs, and other sounds and letters that English doesn’t have, you’ll be able to easily write down a word you hear and vice-versa. In Hungarian, every letter has its own sound (except for ‘j’ and ‘ly’ which have the exact same sound: [j]) and every sound belongs to a letter (except for the above-mentioned [j] sound). This makes the pronunciation and spelling simpler than in languages like French or English.

2- Why is it Easy?

Now, let’s see what exactly makes learning Hungarian super-easy! 

1. Vocabulary

Hungarian might be from a different language family than English, but as it’s located in Europe, it took on many loanwords from its neighbors. So there are some words you’ll definitely recognize when you see or hear them.

Keeping in mind that the spelling has changed to match the rules of Hungarian phonetics, you’ll certainly recognize these words: 

• Alkohol
• Analízis
• Bank
• Busz
• Kategória
• Kombináció
• Dizájn
• Dráma
• Elefánt
• Magazin
• Misszió
• Neutrális
• Opera
• Park
• Probléma
• Sport
• Stratégia
• Stressz
• Taxi
• Toalett
• Turista

There are at least 500 of such “borrowed” words in Hungarian.

2. Verb tenses

Present tense:

• “I (am) read(ing).”
  Olvasok.

Hungarian does not differentiate between the simple present and the present continuous tenses.

Past tense:

• “I (was) read(ing).”
  Olvastam.

Neither does it differentiate between the simple past or past continuous.

Future tense:

• “I will (be) read(ing).”
  Olvasni fogok.

The way Hungarians usually form the future tense is with an infinitive verb and the conjugated form of fog.

This structure is gradually falling out of use as Hungarians tend to express the future tense with the help of the present tense. When doing so, the present tense verb is typically preceded by a time adverb. For instance, “later” or “tomorrow.”

Future tense:

• “I will read.”
  Majd / Később olvasok.

Majd and később both have a similar meaning to “later.”

• “I will read tomorrow.”
  Holnap olvasok.

3. Genders

Hungarian does not have grammatical gender. Because of this, you don’t have to worry about which form/gender of “the” to use, as you would in French or German, for example. In Hungarian, you can use your brain cells for more important things.

4. Plurals

Hungarian has a very straightforward way of forming plural nouns. It’s as easy as doing so in English, but the letter used in Hungarian is different. While English uses ‘s’ (e.g. “cats“), Hungarian uses ‘k’ (macskák).

If the stem word ends in a vowel, then the vowel gets an accent:

• “Cat”
  Macska

• “Cats”
  Macskák

If it’s a possessive noun, Hungarians use an ‘i’ before the possessive letter at the end (instead of a ‘k’). That’s about it.

• “My cat”
  Macskám

• “My cats”
  Macskáim

3. I Want to Learn Hungarian. Where Should I Start?

If you’ve managed to get over the “How hard is Hungarian to learn?” question, and if you’re eager to start learning it now despite the challenges it might pose, you’re in the right place. Here, we’ll give you some advice on where to start your language-learning journey. 

1 – Create a study schedule and set goals.

Setting goals gives you motivation and something to strive for. It’s even better if you put them down on paper, so if you ever feel unmotivated, you just have to look at them and remind yourself of why you’re learning Hungarian.

2 – Expand your vocabulary.

Use word lists to build up a solid vocabulary. Luckily, we have all the word lists you need, with a range of topics, from Food to Love! Choose whichever topic you want to study and go! Don’t forget that you can get pretty far in a conversation if you know just enough words. Start with nouns and work your way through verbs and adjectives.

3 – Make it fun.

Once you learn how to make your study time fun, you’ll look forward to studying a whole lot more. Great ways of making language-learning enjoyable include listening to Hungarian music and checking the lyrics of songs, or watching Hungarian series. There are many options online on RTL Most.

4 – Find a study partner.

Another way of making studying fun is to do it with a friend. Learning Hungarian with one of your friends does more than give you two bonding time—it also makes you twice as efficient because you push each other toward your goals. That said, your study partner doesn’t have to be someone you know already. You can find someone online who shares your Hungarian-learning interests and ambitions. If possible, though, studying with a native speaker is the best way to really pick up the language! 

Are there any language-learning strategies that have helped you in the past? Let us know in the comments!

4. Advice for a New Hungarian-Learner

Learning a new language can be a lot of fun, especially if that language is as awesome as Hungarian. Of course, knowing the language is a must if you plan to live in Hungary, but even if you just learn Hungarian as a hobby, you’ll have a cool “fun fact” to tell about yourself when meeting new people.

If you really want to learn Hungarian, the first thing you must do is never become discouraged or afraid. You should understand that Hungarian might take quite some time to master—depending on your goals, as we told you above—but it will be so rewarding once you’ve gotten there! 

1 – Listen to words and lines over and over again.

If you listen to Hungarian content often and really pay attention, you’ll easily start to notice the tones people use (i.e. when they raise or lower their voices) and the rhythm of their speech. Paying attention to these aspects and repeating the things you hear will help you sound more like a local.

2 – Perfect your pronunciation.

As we said above, Hungarian pronunciation is considered a difficult aspect of learning the language, but it’s not Mission Impossible. Just record your voice when trying to pronounce words and then listen to that word said out loud by a native speaker. Compare their pronunciation to yours, and if you’re not quite there yet, keep repeating the process. Your accent will soon vanish.

3 – Use applications.

We strongly suggest that you download applications onto your phone so you can study on the go, even if your notes and books aren’t with you. Fortunately, HungarianPod101 has an application that has everything in one place. That said, your phone can be of great use even if you only use its camera. Just take pictures of your notes, and you’ll never have to carry notebooks or heavy study books with you again! 

4 – Be open.

You’ll soon notice that Hungarian is like no other language. You must be open to the Hungarian language, as well as the culture, if you want to succeed. Try to speak to natives frequently (we recommend the online application Tandem). If you’re exposed to the language you’re learning on a daily basis, it will be much easier for words and expressions to stick in your mind. In addition, if you’re speaking with somebody interesting and having a fascinating conversation, you’re studying almost effortlessly.

Here are a few icebreakers for these conversations:

• “Do you play any sports?”
  Sportolsz valamit?

• “Yes, I play volleyball.”
  Igen, röplabdázom.

• “And what do you think of basketball?”
  És mit gondolsz a kosárlabdáról?

• “I love it. I always watch the NBL. And you?”
  Imádom. Mindig nézem az NBL-t. És te?

5. Why is HungarianPod101 Great for Learning Hungarian?

With HungarianPod101, you’ll learn Hungarian with fun, interesting, and relevant lessons. We have over 900 audio and video lessons designed for easy listening, and numerous dialogues on a wide range of topics. Just repeat what you hear and you’ll learn Hungarian quickly and in an interesting way that doesn’t feel like studying at all. Each lesson comes with transcripts of the dialogues and lesson notes explaining what you heard during the lesson. There’s also a vocabulary list with each audio lesson that covers the most important words and phrases.

Our tutors are just as knowledgeable and energetic as our lessons are. If you have any questions after listening to a lesson, you can ask our tutors in the comment section and they’ll get back to you as soon as possible with helpful information.

Many of our services are free and don’t require an account: 

• Vocabulary lists
• A Hungarian dictionary
• A list of the 100 most common words
• Some Hungarian key phrases
• A Word of the Day feature

However, if you want to get the full HungarianPod101 experience and maximize your language-learning success, we suggest that you sign up for an account. One of the many useful features that comes with an account is spaced-repetition flashcards—you can easily test your memory, and you don’t have to bother writing the words down yourself. These flashcards also contain example sentences and audio files of the word’s pronunciation!  

Once you sign up, you can use all the features of our website for seven days.  

If you would like to learn with your own personal teacher, all you have to do is subscribe to Premium PLUS, which comes with several other benefits as well:

• Assessment tests
• Custom word lists
• Interactive quizzes
• Pronunciation reviews
• HD videos

Join the hundreds of thousands of people already learning Hungarian through the power of our mobile apps, desktop software, and website (which has free Hungarian lessons released every week, by the way)!

6. Conclusion: HungarianPod101.com Brings Out the Best in You

We hope that we’ve encouraged you to embark on the new and exciting journey of learning Hungarian. Now you know that Hungarian is not a hard language to learn, and you also know how to overcome the more difficult aspects and where to begin learning.

We also listed the advantages of studying Hungarian with us specifically. Remember, if you sign up, not only do you get everything mentioned above, but also the perks of having a supportive group to help you along the way. We guarantee that if you decide to be part of our family, you’ll never have unanswered questions or lack support.

If you would like to get full access to all the good stuff we have to offer, join the HungarianPod101 family today.

By the way, is Hungarian the first new language you’re learning, or do you know more? What strategies have helped you learn languages, and what do you normally learn first? Let us know in the comments!

Today, you’ll learn about the ten most common Hungarian mistakes that learners of the language make and how to avoid them. From incorrect pronunciation to improper grammar usage, we’ll outline the most common Hungarian mistakes you should watch out for.

We won’t lie to you, these are pretty hard to overcome. Hungarian has many sounds not found in other languages, and its word order confuses many English-speaking learners. However, once you’re aware of these issues and have spent enough time practicing, you’ll be able to fine-tune your accent and communicate like a native! We’ll also show you an example of each mistake so that you’re fully prepared for your visit to Hungary.

And at the end of this article, we’ll reveal the biggest Hungarian mistake of them all!

Are you ready to learn about the most common Hungarian mistakes? Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

1. Pronunciation Mistakes
2. Vocabulary Word Mistakes
3. Word Order Mistakes
4. Spelling and Grammar Mistakes
5. Formal vs. Informal Speech
6. The Biggest Mistake in Hungarian
7. Conclusion: HungarianPod101.com Helps You Reach Your Full Potential

1. Pronunciation Mistakes

The most important aspect of effective communication in every major language is the pronunciation. In some languages, mispronouncing a word can change its meaning entirely; in others, incorrect pronunciation can simply make your speech difficult to understand. It might even get you into trouble, and that’s the last thing you want to do in a foreign country!

That’s why we’ve included common Hungarian pronunciation mistakes first on our list. 

1 – [A] vs. [Á]

Hungarian accent mistakes are very common, especially where these two sounds are concerned. We’ve already mentioned that Hungarian has many sounds that no other (or very few) languages have, and [á] falls into this category. Let’s see an example:

• Micsoda?
  “What’s that?” / “Pardon?” / “Sorry?”

Learners often pronounce this word as [mit͡ʃodá] instead of [mit͡ʃodɑ]. The mispronunciation of the sounds [a] and [á] is quite common as the sound [á] does not exist in English.

2 – Diphthongs

• Bárány
  “Lamb”

The hardest things for native English-speakers to pronounce in Hungarian are dipthongs. In particular, foreigners struggle to pronounce [ɲ]. For example, they often pronounce the word above as [bárán] instead of [báráɲ].

→ If something is still not clear to you regarding Hungarian pronunciation, check out our Ultimate Hungarian Pronunciation Guide.

2. Vocabulary Word Mistakes

Vocabulary mistakes are easy to make because Hungarian has many words that can mean different things depending on the context. For example, a given word may serve as a verb in one context but as a noun in another. The Hungarian language is tricky, but if you pay attention and familiarize yourself with the homonyms, then you should be fine.

→ Be sure to check out our themed Hungarian vocabulary lists to expand your word knowledge!

 Fal

In Hungarian, the word fal can have two different meanings: 

• “Wall” [noun]
• “He/she engorges” [third person singular verb]

 Levél

The word levél can also have two meanings: 

• “Letter” [noun]
• “Leaf” [noun]

As you can see, it’s a noun in both cases. Also, while the meanings are different, the two nouns are correlated!  

→ Are you interested in learning more Hungarian vocabulary? See our lists of Essential Hungarian Vocabulary About Buildings and Must-Know Autumn Vocabulary!

3. Word Order Mistakes

Hungarian word order is a bit tricky. Although Hungarian has no strict or specific rules about how to order words in a sentence, it’s still possible to make mistakes here.  

Hungarian typically uses the S-V-O word order, but again, this can vary. The Hungarian sentence structure is based on these three basic rules:

1. Priority of word. The important words, the ones you want to emphasize, should be at the beginning of the sentence. In speech, these words might be stressed as well.

2. Priority of negation. Negating words, if any, are always at the beginning of a Hungarian sentence.

3. Focus of the sentence. The focus of the sentence is usually the word before the verb.

Now that you know these rules, let’s see some of the common Hungarian mistakes regarding word order.

“You are beautiful.”

• Te vagy gyönyörű. X
• Te gyönyörű vagy. O

Keep in mind that Hungarian generally drops the pronoun in a sentence like this, but we’re using the full expression to better explain how the word order works. 

Now, don’t let the English auxiliary verb “to be” fool you. While it comes after the pronoun in English, doing this in Hungarian is a big mistake.

“They are here.”

This sentence only makes sense when you mean that it is them who are here. But if you want your emphasis to be on ‘here,’ you would need to use a different word order:

‘Here they are.’ – ‘Itt vannak.’

In this case, the emphasis is on ‘here,’ so ‘itt’ is at the beginning of the Hungarian sentence.

4. Spelling and Grammar Mistakes

Before we start, there’s some good news: Hungarian does not use genders for the third person singular! 

However, there are still some common Hungarian spelling and grammar mistakes that learners make every now and then. These include misspelling and conjugation problems. 

Spelling Mistakes

We’ll begin with a very common Hungarian spelling mistake:

“Stork”

• Gója X
• Gólya O

Even native speakers struggle with knowing when to use j vs. ly, as they sound identical to each other. It’s only by tradition that either of them is used in Hungarian words. 

However, there’s one rule that’s easy to remember:

All words starting with the sound [j] are written with the letter j, except in lyuk meaning “hole” and its derivatives.

Conjugation Mistakes

Now, onto conjugation errors! 

“I am too old.”

• Én lenni túl öreg. X 
• Én túl öreg vagyok. O

The conjugation of the Hungarian auxiliary verb “to be” is of great importance. This is because it’s spelled completely differently for each of the three tenses in Hungarian (past, present, future). 

Above was an example of a sentence with incorrect word order that also used the infinitive instead of the conjugated, proper form of the Hungarian verb “to be” (which is vagyok in present tense). Below are examples of how to write this sentence correctly in the past and future tenses.

• “I was too old.”
  Én túl öreg voltam.

The Hungarian verb “to be” in the past tense is voltam.

• “I will be too old.”
  Én túl öreg leszek.

The Hungarian verb “to be” in the future tense is leszek.

5. Formal vs. Informal Speech

This is more of a cultural mistake, rather than one concerning grammar or pronunciation. But, here it is: 

If you want locals to respect you, learn to respect them yourself. This applies mostly to elderly people or other adults you don’t know very well. Of course, you can use a less formal tone with people you don’t know as long as they’re around your age; this also applies to kids, friends, and family.

Our point is: Watch how you speak. Use a different tone and conjugation depending on how well you know the person you’re speaking with. However, even when you want to be polite, one of the common mistakes in spoken Hungarian is saying maga instead of ön.

Here’s an example of a simple sentence you could use with an elderly person:

• Ön sorban áll?
  “Are you waiting in line?”

If you pay attention, you can see that ön (and maga, for that matter) works as the third person singular when conjugating verbs. However, the conjugation changes when you address the same person in a different context (like if they’re your friend); in this case, you would use a different tone and conjugation. 

Bear with us… Here’s the impolite version of the polite version:

• Maga sorban áll?
  “Are you waiting in line?”

Now, let’s see the friendly/informal version:

• Te sorban állsz?
  “Are you waiting in line?”

In this case, you asked the same question from the same person, but used a different tone. And see how the conjugation changed?

6. The Biggest Mistake in Hungarian

It’s nice and all that we covered all of these Hungarian mistakes, and we hope we’ve given you the tools necessary to speak Hungarian with confidence. However, there’s still one mistake we haven’t talked about yet: 

The biggest mistake you could ever make is being afraid to make mistakes.

When you’re in Hungary and around locals, they appreciate nothing more than seeing that you’re making an effort to learn such a difficult language. Don’t be afraid to embarrass yourself with a mistake. Hungarians are going to be nice to you and correct you, especially if you ask them to. They won’t hold a grudge against you. We promise. 

Go out there and dare to speak!

7. Conclusion: HungarianPod101.com Helps You Reach Your Full Potential

Now that you know the ten most common Hungarian mistakes that language-learners make, you can buy your tickets online and travel to Hungary straight away. We’ve talked about typical Hungarian mistakes ranging from mispronunciation to incorrect word order and beyond, so we do believe you’re ready to hit the road! 

Although we said at the beginning that it won’t be easy, you’ve made it through to the end of this article. We hope that, if you don’t remember anything else, you’ll never forget the very last and most important mistake we mentioned. Never be afraid of speaking and/or making a mistake. Get out there, give it your all, and see that people will appreciate your effort.

If you would like to read more articles like this one, join the HungarianPod101 family. We’ll help you through any hardships you encounter on your language-learning journey.

What was the most surprising Hungarian mistake we covered? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Questions are the cornerstone of every introduction, and they provide a gateway to learning more about someone. 

In this article, you’ll learn about the ten most basic Hungarian questions and answers that you should know before visiting the country. Asking the following questions will be a great way to get to know someone you’ve just met. Because these are basic conversation questions in Hungarian, they’re perfect for small talk. 

But before we go too much further, there are a few things you should know about asking questions in Hungarian, which we’ll outline below.

Table of Contents

1. An Overview of Hungarian Questions
2. Our List of the Top Hungarian Questions
3. Reach Your Full Potential with HungarianPod101

1. An Overview of Hungarian Questions

First things first: What is “question” in Hungarian? Take a look:

• “Question” (Kérdés)

Now, how do Hungarians actually form questions? 

Well, it’s pretty simple. Hungarians don’t use a reversed word order or anything crazy like that. They simply indicate that a sentence is a question by raising their voice at the end of the sentence.

What about in writing? Are there question marks in Hungarian?

Yes! Like English, Hungarian uses question marks to indicate questions in writing. 

As you can see, asking questions in Hungarian is pretty straightforward. As you go through this article, you’ll also learn the WH- question words in Hungarian and pick up the best phrases for when you want to practice speaking in Hungary! 

We’ve done our best to structure the questions and answers logically so that you won’t get lost in all of the grammar and vocabulary. But remember that there’s no shame if it takes you some time to memorize the structures or the words. Practice makes perfect, and we’re here to assist you along the way. Just reach out to us if you’re uncertain about something.

Ready? Let’s get started!

2. Our List of the Top Hungarian Questions

1 – What’s your name?

One of the key questions to ask a Hungarian person, or any person for that matter, is what their name is. It’s a good ice-breaker, and you’ll know how to address that person for the rest of the conversation. In addition, knowing a person’s first name will give your conversation and relationship a more friendly feel, rather than the stiff politeness of first meetings. 

So, without further ado, let’s see how Hungarians ask for a person’s name:

“What’s your name?” – Mi a neved?

Let’s break it down:

• “what” (mi)
• “your name” (neved)

You may have noticed that “is” isn’t in the sentence. This is because, as we mentioned earlier, Hungarians don’t use a reversed word order when asking questions. 

Now a note about neved: this word’s stem is név, meaning “name.” But with the second person singular suffix, it changes to neved. The accent from the é is removed for easier pronunciation.

Now, how would someone answer?

“My name is Peter.” – (A nevem) Péter.

This is a complete sentence, and is considered more formal and polite to use. However, many Hungarians will simply answer with just one word: their name. In most situations, it’s a bit weird to say the full sentence.

You can ask this very same question in a different way, as well:

“How do they call you?” – Hogy hívnak?

This version isn’t really used in common speech, but we decided to include it anyway. Here’s a breakdown:

• “how” (hogy or hogyan)
• “they call you” (hívnak)

You may have noticed that “they call you” is condensed into one word: hívnak. This is because the auxiliary word “do” isn’t used in the Hungarian question, and suffixes and conjugation allow for this one word to express the entire phrase. 

Here’s another common way to answer these questions:

“They call me Peter.” – Péternek hívnak.

This one is more common than the sentence A nevem…

2 – Where are you from?

The following question is one that you’re very likely to hear during your Hungarian conversations as a foreigner in Hungary. You probably won’t have a good opportunity to ask this question yourself, but we’ll show you a modified version that you can ask Hungarian locals. 

“Where are you from?” – Honnan származol?

• “from where” (honnan)

Here, származol is a verb for “originating.”

When someone asks this question, they’re usually referring to one’s home country or continent. However, there’s a more subtle way to ask this question, which can be applied to cities as well. This modified version isn’t as odd to ask locals. 

 “Where are you from?” – Hová valósi vagy?

Here, “where” is hová. 

Someone who’s asked this question may answer with their country, but more commonly, they’ll answer with the name of a city or village.

Now, here are two possible answers:

“I’m from Italy.” – Olaszországból (származom).

Usually, the answer to this question will just be the name of the country you’re from, though you can use the full phrase if you want to. Not so hard, after all, right? 

“I’m from Budapest.” – Budapestre.

This is an example of an answer you might receive to the second version of the question. Beware that, because of this, “Budapest” gets a suffix.

3 – Do you speak Hungarian?

The next “must” question in Hungarian is how to ask if someone speaks a specific language. This is a good question to ask a Hungarian if you want to get to know them better. For this question, we’ll show you the general patterns you can use, and then we’ll introduce you to more specific examples. 

General Patterns

• “Do you speak ___?” 
  Beszélsz ___-ul/-ül?

In this case, every language (as a stem) gets a suffix, either -ul or -ül. 

Here are the basic answer patterns:

• “Yes, I do (speak ___).”
  Igen, beszélek (___-ul/-ül).

• “No, I don’t (speak __).”
  Nem, nem beszélek (___-ul/-ül).

Specific Examples

• “Do you speak Hungarian?”
  Beszélsz magyarul?

This is one of the top Hungarian questions you need to know because you’re very likely to be asked this when you’re in Hungary. Locals like to know if a foreigner who’s visiting has acquired any—even if just a few words—of their language. And if not, they’re more than happy to change that.

Here’s how you could answer: 

• “Yes, I speak Hungarian.”
  Igen, beszélek magyarul.

Let’s try another language.

• “Do you speak Greek?”
  Beszélsz görögül?

Now, this is a question that you can ask a Hungarian. Hungarians usually like to interact with foreigners and are willing to learn—or at least try to—a few words in your language.

• “No, I don’t speak Greek.”
  Nem, nem beszélek görögül.

Also, bear in mind that languages (as well as nationalities) are written with lower-case letters in Hungarian.

4 – How long have you been studying Hungarian?

A great way to continue the conversation is to ask how long they’ve been speaking or learning the language.

“For how long have you been studying Hungarian?” – Mióta tanulsz magyarul?

Mióta is one of the most important Hungarian question words, and it means “for how long.” The present perfect continuous tense is expressed in Hungarian using the present tense. Thus, “have you been studying” is tanulsz.

The Hungarian answer to this is pretty simple. You can answer with a full sentence, but giving only the amount of time is sufficient.”

(I have been studying Hungarian) for five years.” – Öt éve (tanulok magyarul).

5 – Have you been to Hungary?

Imagine you’re out at a party, getting to know people, and you come across someone who appears to be Hungarian. You decide to strike up a conversation with that person in their native language, and it gets them curious. 

You should definitely expect to hear questions in Hungarian like this one. We also recommend that you memorize it so you can ask others. 

Many people love traveling, so speaking about where you’ve been not only helps you connect with people, but it also makes you the life of the party—especially if you’ve been to exotic or interesting places.

Basic Pattern

• “Have you been to ___?”
  Jártál már ___-on/-en/-ön/-ban/-ben?

The country names in Hungarian take on suffixes depending on the group of vowels in the name. Also keep in mind that this Hungarian question can also refer to cities.

More Specific

• “Have you been to Hungary?”
  Jártál már Magyarországon?

As you may know, Hungarian only has three tenses (past, present, future), so Hungarians express the present perfect using the past tense. For this reason, “have you been to” is jártál már. Keep in mind that the countries or other destinations get suffixes.

What would your answer be to this Hungarian question?

• “Yes, I have been to Hungary.”
  Igen, jártam már Magyarországon.

• “No, I haven’t been to Hungary, but I would like to travel there.”
  Nem, még nem jártam Magyarországon, de szeretnék elutazni oda.

“I would like to” is szeretnék, “travel” is elutazni, and “there” is oda.

Thus, the Hungarian answer patterns are:

• “Yes, I have been to ___.”
  Igen, jártam már ___-on/-en/-ön/-ban/-ben.

• “No, I haven’t been to ___, but I would like to travel there.”
  Nem, még nem jártam ___-on/-en/-ön/-ban/-ben, de szeretnék elutazni oda.

Although you might get bombarded with this question a lot, you can ask the person you’re talking to about the places they’ve visited, too.

• “Have you been to Germany?”
  Jártál már Németországban?

• “Have you been to Budapest?”
  Jártál már Budapesten?

6 – How is ___?

This next question in Hungarian is going to be a lifesaver for you. If you want to know the word or phrase for something in Hungarian, you can simply ask a local this. In addition, this is a great question for asking about the status of something or someone. 

Here are two basic patterns you can use to ask how to say something.

• “How is ___?”
  Hogy van az, hogy ___?

• “How do they say ___?”
  Hogy mondják azt, hogy ___?

A specific example of this Hungarian question could be:

• “How is ‘baby’?”
  Hogy van az, hogy ‘baby’?

This might sound odd in English, but it’s simply a way of asking how to say the word “baby” in Hungarian.

If your interlocutor doesn’t understand the word you’re referring to, you can always play Activity and try to act it out for them.

Now, how can you ask about someone’s well-being? 

• “How is your grandma?”
  Hogy van a nagymamád?

“How is” is hogy van and “your grandma” is nagymamád.

• “How is your sibling?”
  Hogy van a testvéred?

Here, “your sibling” is testvéred.

7 – Do you like Hungarian food?

You’ll surely hear this one a lot. Hungarians take pride in their cuisine, so don’t be surprised if you get this question a lot during your stay.

Here are the most common patterns you can expect to hear:

• “Do you like ___ food?” – Szereted a(z) ___ ételeket?
• “Do you like Hungarian food?” – Szereted a magyar ételeket?
• “Do you like Hungarian food?” – Ízlenek a magyar ételek?
• “Do you like Hungarian cuisine?” – Szereted a magyar konyhát?

This question is rather easy, because nationalities don’t get any suffixes. All you have to do is replace “Hungarian” with the name of any nationality. 

Possible Answers

Here are two answers you can give when asked this question. The parts that make the answers specific are in parentheses:

• “Yes, I do (like Hungarian food).” – Igen, ízlenek (a magyar ételek).
• “No, I don’t (like Hungarian food).” – Nem, nem ízlenek (a magyar ételek).

Learn how to talk about your favorite Hungarian foods with this handy vocabulary list! 

More Examples

Here are a couple of examples using other nationalities.

• “Do you like Turkish food?” – Szereted a török ételeket?
• “Have you tried Swedish food?” – Kóstoltál már svéd ételeket?

8 – What are you doing?

This is a very common question in Hungarian, and we tend to ask this very frequently in our daily lives. Therefore, it’s really important for you to learn this one!

• “What are you doing?”
  Mit csinálsz?

Possible answers to this Hungarian question may be:

• “Nothing. Why, what does it look like?”
  Semmit. Miért, minek néz ki?

• “I’m just reading. And you?”
  Csak olvasok. És te?

This question also works if you want to ask someone out:

• “What are you doing on Friday night?”
  Mit csinálsz péntek este?

• “Nothing, I’m free.”
  Semmit, szabad vagyok.

→ By the way, you’ll want to know these Hungarian Phrases You’ll Need for a Date! 😉

9 – What’s wrong?

This question is essential in every language, and it’s useful for a variety of situations. For example, when you get into a fight with someone or when you see that someone looks sad or hurt. 

• “What’s wrong?”
  Mi a baj?

Instead of baj, which translates to “trouble,” you can use gond. It has the same meaning, though it can also mean “problem.”

Here are some possible answers:

• “Nothing. Everything is fine.”
  Semmi. Minden rendben (van).

• “I’m angry with you.”
  Haragszom rád.

• “I hit my elbow.”
  Beütöttem a könyökömet.

Here, “my elbow” is könyököm. It got the object suffix as well as a vowel (-et).

10 – How much is it?

Last but not least, one of the most important Hungarian questions for foreigners is asking for prices when shopping.

Basic Question Patterns

• “How much is it?”
  Mennyibe kerül?

• “What’s the price of the ___?”
  Mi az ára a(z) ___-nak/-nek?

Here, “price” is ár, making ára “its price.”

Specific Question Patterns

• “How much is the bread?”
  Mennyibe kerül a kenyér?

• “What’s the price of the slippers?”
  Mi az ára a papucsnak?

• “What’s the price of the shirt?”
  Mi az ára az ingnek?

Possible Answers

• “It costs only 100 Forints.”
  Csak 100 Forintba kerül.

• “It’s free.”
  Ingyen van.

3. Reach Your Full Potential with HungarianPod101

Now that you’ve learned about asking questions in Hungarian, you must be ready to hit the road straight for Hungary. Well, you should be. You’ve learned the ten most basic Hungarian questions and answers that you’ll need to know to get around the country easily.

You’ve also become familiar with their basic structures so that you can make up your own Hungarian questions and answers as you learn more vocabulary. 

If you have any questions about what we covered today, don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments. Or maybe you’ve visited Hungary already, and heard some funny questions and answers in Hungarian that you’d like to share with us and your fellow Hungarian-learners! 

And don’t forget: Language-learning may not be all fun and games, but don’t become discouraged. Practice makes perfect. And HungarianPod101 is here to help!

Create your free lifetime account today to make the most of your study time, and take full advantage of our fun and effective audio and video lessons! And of course, we regularly update our blog with useful articles on language- and culture-related topics, and we’re always adding new themed vocab lists.

Stay safe out there, and happy learning!

Sentence patterns are important in any language because they allow you to easily express yourself, even with a limited vocabulary. This applies to Hungarian, too. No matter how complicated the language may be, even Hungarian can be easy with the right sentence patterns.

In this article, we’re introducing ten basic Hungarian sentence patterns that are used in everyday Hungarian conversations. If you memorize these simple Hungarian sentence patterns, you’ll be able to generate hundreds of natural sentences and phrases to converse with ease and confidence. Over time, you’ll be able to form any sentence in Hungarian, no matter how complicated.

We’re going to show you Hungarian sentence structures for things like linking two nouns, using adjectives to describe nouns, expressing your needs and desires, asking for permission, and more.

If, by the end of our list, you still have questions about how to make Hungarian sentences, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. At HungarianPod101.com, we aim to help you at all times and ensure that you live up to your own language-learning expectations. However, never forget to practice what you’ve learned after reading any of our articles—practice makes perfect.

Ready to start? Let’s kick it off by revealing how to say “sentence pattern” in Hungarian: mondat minta.

Now let’s get to the good stuff.

Table of Contents

1. Linking Two Nouns: A is B
2. Using Adjectives to Describe Nouns: A is [Adjective]
3. Expressing “Want”: I Want (to)…
4. Expressing “Need”: I Need (to)… / I Have to …
5. Expressing “Like”: I Like (to)…
6. Politely Asking Someone to Do Something: Please…
7. Asking for Permission: May I…? / Can I…?
8. Asking for Information About Something: What is…?
9. Asking About Time: When is…?
10. Asking About Location or Position: Where is…?
11. Conclusion: HungarianPod101.com Helps You Reach Your Full Potential

1. Linking Two Nouns: A is B

The simplest sentence you’ll ever find in any language is the “something is something” structure, using two nouns and an auxiliary verb. However, “A is B” can be considered an imperfect sentence pattern in Hungarian. This is because, in assertive sentences that are in the present tense, there’s no visible auxiliary verb. 

You probably already knew that Hungarian tends to leave out words and refer to them with suffixes, so you shouldn’t struggle too much with this. You’ll understand even better after reading some of the examples below. 

1- John a bátyám.

English: “John is my brother.”

• “my brother” = bátyám

Here, the auxiliary “is” does not have a Hungarian equivalent. In Hungarian, it’s more like saying “John my brother.” 

2- A bátyám egy taxisofőr.

English: “My brother is a taxi driver.”

Like in the previous example, there’s no Hungarian auxiliary for “is.” “My brother” is bátyám still and “taxi” is written the same way in both languages. 

Now, about “driver.” Normally, this is vezető in Hungarian, but in this context, sofőr sounds more natural. If you know a little bit of French or use the English word “chauffeur” instead of “driver,” they are indeed the same word. Even their pronunciation is similar.

3- Ez a karóra ajándék volt a feleségemtől.

English: “This watch is a present from my wife.”

Now this one has something new. It’s in the past tense, which means that an auxiliary comes into the picture. In this case, it’s the word volt (“to be”) in the past tense. You might have noticed that the English tense here is present. However, in Hungarian, you have to use the past tense to make it clear that you didn’t just get this watch from your wife, but that this happened sometime in the past. 

Now let’s look at a language breakdown:

• “this” = ez
• “watch” = karóra
• “is” (past tense) = volt
• “present” = ajándék
• “my wife” = feleségem
• “from” = -től (suffix)

By the way, if you would like to learn even more relevant vocabulary, you can study our vocabulary lists about Gift Words for the Holiday Season and Hungarian Terms for Family Members! 

4- A tanárom nagyszerű előadó.

English: “My teacher is a great lecturer.”

• “my teacher” = tanárom
• “great” = nagyszerű
• “lecturer” = előadó

5- A fiam egy kis ördög.

English: “My son is a little devil.”

• “my son” = fiam
• “a” = egy
• “little” = kis
• “devil” = ördög

Pretty straightforward, huh? Now you already know one of the most basic sentence patterns in Hungarian. Only nine more to go…

2. Using Adjectives to Describe Nouns: A is [Adjective]

Another easy Hungarian sentence pattern is “something is [adjective].” For this, all you need is a basic understanding of how to form sentences in Hungarian (like the one above), and some vocabulary. We recommend our vocabulary list on the 50 Most Common Hungarian Adjectives to get started! 

Now, there’s not much difference between the English and Hungarian gradation of adjectives. “Very” is nagyon in Hungarian; you simply put this word before an adjective to give it more weight. Let’s see some examples of this basic Hungarian sentence structure.

1- Gyönyörű vagy.

English: “You are beautiful.”

• “you are” = vagy
• “beautiful” = gyönyörű

2- Nagyon gyönyörű vagy.

English: “You are very beautiful.”

This is the exact same sentence, but “very” is added to the phrase for emphasis. 

3- Ez finom.

English: “This is delicious.”

• “this” = ez
• “delicious” = finom

4- Ez nagyon finom.

English: “This is very delicious.”

Now let’s see how to form a question in Hungarian:

5- Vicces lány. / Vicces lány?

English: “She is a funny girl.” / “Is she a funny girl?”

6- Nagyon vicces lány. / Nagyon vicces lány?

English: “She is a very funny girl.” / “Is she a very funny girl?”

As you can see, there’s no inverted sentence pattern in Hungarian. Questions are only indicated by intonation and, in writing, a question mark.

Now, let’s see a more challenging Hungarian sentence using this pattern:

7- A szituáció, amibe tegnap este kevertem magam az exemmel, nagyon kínos volt.

English: “The situation I got myself in yesterday night with my ex was very awkward.”

• “situation” = szituáció
• “yesterday” = tegnap
• “night” = este 
• “with my ex” = exemmel (here, we indicated which suffix refers to what; the e after ex is a linking letter and sound)
• “very” = nagyon
• “awkward” = kínos 

8- A film, amit tegnap este néztünk, ijesztő volt.

English: “The movie we watched last night was scary.”

• “movie” = film
• “we watched” = néztünk (like above, we indicated which suffix refers to what)
• “yesterday night” = tegnap este
• “scary” = ijesztő
• “was” = volt (the past tense of “to be,” or lenni)

3. Expressing “Want”: I Want (to)…

Now we’re getting to the real deal: expressing emotions, and more specifically, desires—and strong ones, at that. This is because the pattern we’re about to introduce is not the polite “I would like to…” This is “I want.” 

It’s important to point out that this polite-impolite contrast also exists in Hungary. If you would like to be more polite, use “I would like (to)…” which is Szeretnék… 

We’ll show you some examples for this one at the end of the section, but first, let’s look at “I want (to)…”

1- Ezt akarom.

English: “I want this.”

• “I want” = akarom (the o is a linking letter and sound for easier pronunciation)
• “this” = ez (the t is attached as a suffix for objects)

2- Akarok kérdezni valamit.

English: “I want to ask a question.”

Hungarians do not “ask a question.” They just “ask,” because for them, asking for something (such as a favor), is a completely different word. Therefore, the word “question” isn’t even in the sentence. They just say “I want to ask something.” Even the “something” could be left off.

• “to ask” = kérdezni
• “something” = valamit (here, the t is, again, a suffix for objects; valami is the word for “something” as a subject)

3- Hozzád akarok menni.

English: “I want to marry you.”

4- Jó ember akarok lenni.

 English: “I want to be a good man.”

5- Veled akarok menni a bálba.

English: “I want to go to the ball with you.”

In this sentence, let’s say that the emphasis is on “you.” Therefore, I want to go to the ball with you and nobody else. This is important in regard to Hungarian word order.

• “I want” = akarok (o is a linking letter and sound)
• “to go” = menni
• “to the ball” = a bálba
• “with you” = veled

And now, a few examples of more polite Hungarian phrases:

6- Szeretnék rendelni egy salátát.

English: “I would like to order a salad.”

• “I would like to” = szeretnék
• “to order” = rendelni
• “a salad” = egy salátát

Want to learn how to order food in Hungarian? We have you covered! 

7- Szeretnék újra találkozni veled.

English: “I would like to meet you again.”

• “I would like to” = szeretnék
• “to meet” = találkozni
• “again” = újra
• “you” = veled (translates to “with you” in English; Hungarians do not meet people, they meet with people)

4. Expressing “Need”: I Need (to)… / I Have to …

Expressing your needs is even more crucial than expressing your desires. Let’s see some simple Hungarian sentences for letting someone know what you need. 

1- Szükségem van egy tollra.

English: “I need a pen.”

• “I need” = szükségem van (translates to “I have a need” in English)
• “a pen” = egy toll (-ra is added as a suffix that’s required in an “I need something” phrase)

2- Gyakorolnom kell. 

English: “I need to practice.”

“I need to do something” is translated in Hungarian as “it is a must.” Therefore, “I need to practice” is roughly translated as “It is a must that I practice.” Long story short, “need to” is simply kell in Hungarian, and the actual verb gets all the suffixes that refer to, for instance, the number of persons.

3- Találnom kell valakit, akiben bízhatok.

English: “I need to find someone I can trust.”

• “I need to find” = találnom kell
• “someone” = valakit (in the sentence, it has the suffix t because it’s an object; “someone” as a subject is valaki)

4- Most már mennem kell.

English: “I have to go now.”

5- Ki kell mennem a mosdóba.

English: “I have to use the restroom.”

In Hungarian, you do not have to “use” the restroom, you have to “go” there. Thus:

• “I have to go out” = ki kell mennem
• “to the restroom” = a mosdóba

5. Expressing “Like”: I Like (to)…

By the end of this section, you’ll know the typical Hungarian sentence pattern for expressing yourself and the things you like. 

1- Kedvellek.

English: “I like you.”

As simple as that. You can say this to anybody you like or fancy. It’s just one word (in Hungarian, at least). 

2- Szeretem a kenyeret.

English: “I like bread.”

3- Szeretek főzni.

English: “I like to cook.”

• “I like to do something” = szeretek …-ni

After szeretek (“I like to”), Hungarians use the infinitive form of a verb. In this case, főzni is the Hungarian infinitive of “to cook.”

4- Szeretek fényképezni.

English: “I like to take photos.”

Hungarian people do not “take photos,” they “photograph.” Yes, this is because they have a single word for expressing the act of “taking photos.” That is fényképezni, the infinitive form of the verb.

5- Szeretek könyveket olvasni a jövőről.

English: “I like to read books about the future.”

• “about the future“= a jövőről

6- Szeretem a naplementét tengerpartról nézni.

English: “I like to watch the sunset on the beach.”

6. Politely Asking Someone to Do Something: Please…

This is one of the most useful Hungarian sentence patterns we’ll cover in this article. If you know the right way to ask for someone to do something, it’s almost guaranteed that they’ll do it for you. In this section, we’ll show you how to ask this question politely! 

Before we start, let’s look at the word for “please” in Hungarian. When using this word with someone you know, it’s kérlek. If you’re asking a stranger or someone who’s older than you, it’s kérem. Also keep in mind that when addressing strangers or those who are older than you, verbs are to be conjugated in the third person singular form, as opposed to the second person singular.

1- Kérlek, ülj le!

English: “Please sit down.”

2- Kérlek, figyelj rám! / Kérem, figyeljen rám!

English: “Please listen to me.”

• “listen” = figyelj! (informal) / figyeljen! (formal)
• “to me” = rám

3- Kérlek, álljatok sorba! / Kérem, álljanak sorba!

English: “Please stand in line.”

• “stand” (instructing two or more people) = álljatok! (informal) / álljanak! (formal)
• “in line” = sorba

4- Kérlek, add ide a sót! / Kérem, adja ide a sót!

English: “Please pass the salt.”

In Hungarian, “pass” works as “give.” In this scenario, you want the salt to be passed to you, so the phrase can be translated as “give it to me” in Hungarian.

• “Pass (the salt)” or “Give (the salt) to me” = Add ide! [informal] / Adja ide (a sót)! [formal] 
• “the salt” = a sót (“salt” as a subject is só, but in this case, it bears the object suffix -t)

5- Kérlek, ne hazudj nekem! / Kérem, ne hazudjon nekem!

English: “Please don’t lie to me.”

• “Lie to me.” = Hazudj nekem! (informal) / Hazudjon nekem! (formal)
• “Don’t lie to me.” = Ne hazudj nekem! (informal) / Ne hazudjon nekem! (formal)

From these two examples, you can see that “don’t” is simply ne in Hungarian imperative sentences, so forming prohibitory sentences is easy as pie.

7. Asking for Permission: May I…? / Can I…?

Asking for permission politely is just as essential in any culture and language as asking for something. Let’s see some easy Hungarian sentences for doing this.

1- Bejöhetek?

English: “May I come in?”

2- Kérhetek tőled? / Öntől egy szívességet?

English: “May I ask you a favor?”

• “a favor” = egy szívesség (in the -et at the end, e is a linking letter and sound for easier pronunciation, and the t is the object suffix)

Also, Hungarians ask a favor from you: tőled (informal) or öntől (formal).

3- Szabad (vagy) egy szóra?

English: “Can I have a word with you?”

In informal contexts, we can say Szabad vagy egy szóra? In this case:

• “available” = szabad 
• “you are” = vagy 
• “for a word” = egy szóra

Therefore, the phrase “Can I have a word with you?” is essentially “Are you available for a word?” in Hungarian. 

When asking the above question in a formal context, you shouldn’t use the word vagy (“you are”), though. Instead, it’s just left out.

4- Kaphatok egy kis vizet?

English: “Can I get some water?”

5- Megkaphatom a telefonszámodat? / Megkaphatom a telefonszámát?

English: “Can I get your phone number?”

• “phone number” = telefonszám
• “your phone number” = telefonszámod (informal) / telefonszáma (formal)

In the example sentence, the letters -at are at the end of the word for “your phone number”; the a is a linking letter and sound, and the t is the suffix for objects. That’s the reason telefonszámod becomes telefonszámodat (informal) or telefonszámát (formal).

Asking for permission is indicated by the following suffixes in Hungarian: -hat/-het.

8. Asking for Information About Something: What is…?

Asking for information is another must when learning a language, especially when you’re new to a country or are a tourist there.

1- Mi ez?

English: “What is this?”

2- Mi a neved?

English: “What is your name?”

• “your name“ = neved 

“Name” as a stand-alone word is név in Hungarian, but in this case, the accent dropped for easier pronunciation. The e is a linking letter and sound.

3- Mi volt a meglepetés a születésnapodon?

English: “What was the surprise on your birthday?”

• “what was…?” = mi volt…?
• “the surprise” = a meglepetés
• “on your birthday” = születésnapodon

4- Mi a pálinka?

English: “What is pálinka?”

FYI, pálinka is a Hungarian fruit brandy.

5- Mi volt a kedvenc tárgyad középiskolában?

English: “What was your favorite subject in high school?”

• “What was…?” = Mi volt…?
• “your favorite subject” = kedvenc tárgyad
• “in high school” = középiskolában

9. Asking About Time: When is…?

Now we’ll go over some basic Hungarian sentences for asking about the time.

1- Mikor van a születésnapod?

English: “When is your birthday?”

2- Mikor van a megbeszélés?

English: “When is the meeting?”

3- Mikor van a ballagási ünnepség?

English: “When is the graduation ceremony?”

There’s another way to say “ceremony” in Hungarian: ceremónia. It’s very similar to the English spelling, so it may be easier for you to remember.

• “graduation ceremony” = ballagási ünnepség

4- Mikor érkezik a repülőnk?

English: “When is the arrival time for our flight?”

5- Mikor aludtál utoljára legalább nyolc órát?

English: “When was the last time you slept at least eight hours?”

10. Asking About Location or Position: Where is…?

Yet another crucial thing to know when visiting a country is how to ask for directions. Let’s see how it works in Hungarian.

1- Hol van a mosdó?

English: “Where is the restroom?”

• “where is” = hol van
• “restroom” = mosdó

2- Hol van a lift?

English: “Where is the elevator?”

• “elevator” = lift

3- Hol van a szülővárosod?

English: “Where is your hometown?”

• “your hometown” = szülővárosod

4- Hol van a legközelebbi metróállomás?

English: “Where is the closest metro station?”

• “closest” = legközelebbi
• “metro station” = metróállomás (in Hungarian, it’s one word)

5- Hol van a helyes srác, akit egy perce még láttam?

English: “Where is the handsome guy I saw just a minute ago?”

• “handsome” = helyes
• “guy” = srác
• “a minute ago” = egy perce

11. Conclusion: HungarianPod101.com Helps You Reach Your Full Potential

Now that we’ve familiarized you with the basic Hungarian sentence structures, what do you think? They really are easy, right? You may have even noticed that Hungarian sentence structures aren’t too different from those in English. 

In addition, you’ve likely learned enough about sentence patterns to hold a basic Hungarian conversation. Patterns tend to recur, so after learning these Hungarian sentence patterns, you shouldn’t have much difficulty making yourself understood or asking for directions in a new city.

However, as we emphasized at the beginning, you have to practice—and keep practicing—as you continue your studies. Doing so will improve your communication for more fluent conversations.

Join the HungarianPod101 family so that you’re never alone in your studies. If you encounter an obstacle, you can come straight to us instead of looking through hard-to-read diagrams or articles elsewhere. HungarianPod101.com is a great way to be part of an actual family, as a common goal brings us all together. Language-learning is a hell of a fun thing to do, especially when done together with others.

Before you go, do you remember how to say “sentence pattern” in Hungarian?

Let us know the answer in the comments, and also let us know what you thought of this article. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions you might still have!

Have you ever wondered what the most important thing is when trying to learn a new language? That’s right, verbs. And to be able to use them, you need to familiarize yourself with their conjugations. This applies to Hungarian even more so, because it’s a complicated language and Hungarian verb conjugation can be tricky. 

For example, the Hungarian lenni conjugation is quite challenging, as the spelling of the word completely changes from one verb tense to the other. But fear no more! Here at HungarianPod101.com, we’re going to walk you through it.

Our goal is for you to have the chance to learn about conjugation in Hungarian in the easiest and most comprehensible way. In this article, you’ll get to know the basic Hungarian verb conjugation rules, and see how they look for yourself. 

If you want to maximize the amount of information you retain from this lesson, it might be wise to check out a few Hungarian conjugation tables to see how it works more clearly. We also recommend that you do a little Hungarian conjugation practice to really learn how to apply these rules.

We hope you’re ready to learn about conjugation in Hungarian, because we’re thrilled you’ve chosen us as a companion for this challenging journey. If you’re brave and persistent enough, you’ll get the hang of Hungarian conjugation in no time. 

So, let’s get started!

Table of Contents

1. What is Conjugation?
2. Hungarian Determined and Undetermined Conjugations
3. Hungarian Infinitive Conjugation
4. Hungarian Verb Conjugation Concerning Tenses
5. Hungarian Verb Conjugation Moods
6. Conclusion: HungarianPod101.com Brings Out the Best in You

1. What is Conjugation?

To be able to start learning about how to conjugate Hungarian verbs, it’s very important to get this question out of the way.

So, what does “conjugation” mean? Why is it so crucial when speaking Hungarian? 

Well, first of all, verbs are the core of a sentence in every language. Second, in order for your sentences to make sense, and for you to say what you actually mean to say, it’s essential to use the right Hungarian verb tenses and conjugations.

By definition, conjugation is “the variation of the form of a verb in an inflected language by which the voice, mood, tense, number, and person are identified.”

Consequently, Hungarian verbs can be:

• First, Second, or Third  Person
• Singular or Plural
• Undetermined or Determined 
• Realis Mood, Conditional Mood, or Imperative Mood
• Present Tense, Past Tense, or Future Tense

In the case of Hungarian—an agglutinative language—conjugation is done by attaching suffixes to the end of the verbs. And these suffixes indicate, among other things, if the verb is in first, second, or third person. Thus, Hungarian does not use personal pronouns (like English) unless someone wants to emphasize the subject.

• “They cook.”
  Főznek.

The Hungarian verb suffixes also give away whether we’re talking about one person or multiple people (singular or plural).

• “She sleeps.” 
  Alszik.

• “We drive.”
  Vezetünk.

Below, you can see all the possible Hungarian verb endings regarding persons and their number.

I (én): -m, -k                                                            we (mi): -juk, -jük, -unk, -ünk

you (te): -d, -sz, -l                                                   you (ti): -játok, -itek, -tok, -tek, -tök

he/she/it (ő/az): -ja, -i, -ik                                       they (ők): -ják, -ik, -nak, -nek

2. Hungarian Determined and Undetermined Conjugations

Hungarian conjugations can be undetermined or determined. Or, in other words: definite and indefinite. 

This type of Hungarian conjugation is used to differentiate between objects. In sentences where the Hungarian indefinite conjugation is used, the object in question is unknown—or, if you will, indefinite. On the contrary, when the definite conjugation is used, the object that is being talked about is a known, particular thing or person.

For a beginner, this concept can be quite overwhelming, as it’s rather hard to decide which one to use at first.

1- “Read” (olvasni)

Definite: “I’m reading (the book).” — Olvasom a könyvet.

Indefinite: “I’m reading (something).” — Olvasok.

2- “See” (látni)

Definite: “They see the rose.” — Látják a rózsát.

Indefinite: “They see a rose (unknown rose).” — Látnak egy rózsát.

3- “Write” (írni)

Definite: “I’m writing the article (a specific article).” — Írom a cikket.

Indefinite: “I’m writing (an article/something).” — Írok (egy cikket).

4- “Love” (szeretni)

Definite: “I love the girl.” — Szeretem a lányt.

Indefinite: “I love a boy.” — Szeretek egy fiút.

5- “Ask” (kérni)

Definite: “I ask for the salt.” (As in: “Pass me the salt.”) — Kérem a sót.

Indefinite: “I ask for a ball.” (As in: “Buy me a ball.”) — Kérek egy labdát.

6- “Cook” (főzni)

Definite: “I’m cooking the pasta.” — Főzöm a tésztát.

Indefinite: “I’m cooking (something).” — Főzök (valamit).

7- “Paint” (festeni)

Definite: “I’m painting the walls.” — Festem a falakat.

Indefinite: “I’m painting a portrait.” — Festek egy portrét.

What you have to keep in mind is the following:

In Hungarian definite conjugation, verbs have definite suffixes attached to their stem; likewise, indefinite conjugation requires indefinite suffixes attached to the stems.

If you take a look at the examples above, you can see that the suffixes changed depending on whether the subjects knew the object or not.

• “They see the rose.” (Látják a rózsát.)
  In this case, the object is a specific rose, one that “they” know and are able to recognize.

• “They see a rose.” (Látnak egy rózsát.)
  In this case, the object is not a specific rose; it’s one that “they” do not know and are not able to identify.

Here, in the same Hungarian conjugation chart as above, you can see suffixes of both definite and indefinite conjugation of every person and number. As you can see, in the first person singular, there is no indefinite ending.

I (én): -m, -k                                                            we (mi): -juk, -jük, -unk, -ünk

you (te): -d, -sz, -l                                                   you (ti): -játok, -itek, -tok, -tek, -tök

he/she/it (ő/az): -ja, -i, -ik                                       they (ők): -ják, -ik, -nak, -nek

There are cases when it’s not easy to decide which Hungarian conjugation type to use. For example, if you can’t find any articles (neither definite nor indefinite ones) in a sentence.

Use Hungarian indefinite conjugations:

1. If there is no article.
“They are watching a movie.” (Filmet néznek.)

2. In the case of undetermined pronouns.
“Anything they give me is fine.” (Bármit adnak, megfelel.)

3. In the case of an unknown noun that is in plural form.
“I cut vegetables.” (Zöldségeket vágok.)

Use Hungarian definite conjugations:

1. In the case of demonstrative pronouns.
“I invited that guy.” (Meghívtam azt a srácot.)

2. In the case of actual names, or known people.
“We tricked Sam.” (Megtréfáltuk Samet.)

Hungarian verb conjugation endings (if you use a definite or an indefinite ending) are of high importance. This is because a person often appears uneducated if they don’t use the -m ending for -ik verbs in the first person singular present form.

Hungarian -ik verbs are the citation form of a verb, also known as the spoken form of a word when it stands alone (like in dictionaries). They’re called the -ik verbs because their last syllable is -ik.

• “I’m sleeping.”
  Alszom. (Alszok.)

“Pseudo -ik verbs” exist in Hungarian too, and in their case, the -m ending is impossible. Moreover, it’s ungrammatical.

8- “Flow” (Folyni)

• “The water flows.”
  Folyik a víz.

• “I flow.”
  Folyom.

Does your language have definite and indefinite conjugation as well?

3. Hungarian Infinitive Conjugation

The infinitive form is the basic verb form in Hungarian, just like in most languages. The reason for this is that this form of verbs has no suffix at all, and thus are the simplest.

In Hungarian verb conjugation, the infinitive form is in:

• Present tense
• Third person singular
• Indicative mood and uses 
• Indefinite conjugation

Take for example:

• “To speak” (beszélni)
• “To love” (szeretni)
• “To sing” (énekelni)
• “To wait” (várni)
• “To smile” (mosolyogni)

In some cases, a linking vowel is needed for the Hungarian infinitive verb to be pronounced correctly.

• “To help” (segíteni)
• “To move” (mozdítani)
• “To hear” (hallani)

There are some irregularities regarding infinitives, as well:

Hungarian Infinitive	Hungarian Citation Form	English Infinitive
enni	eszik	“to eat”
inni	iszik	“to drink“
menni	megy	“to go”
vinni	visz	“to bring” / “to carry”
jönni	jön	“to come”
hinni	hisz	“to believe”
tenni	tesz	“to put” / “to do”

Do you know when and how to use the Hungarian infinitive? If not, keep reading.

The infinitive form is mostly used when the action we want to express is the subject or object of the sentence, but the noun form of the same expression could easily be used too.

• “Winning is great.” — Győzni nagyszerű. (A győzelem nagyszerű.)
• “Eating is needed.” — Enni szükséges. (Az evés szükséges.)

4. Hungarian Verb Conjugation Concerning Tenses

In Hungarian, there are only three tenses: Past, Present, and Future. Each of them has their own way of conjugating.

First, let’s take a look at the Hungarian present tense conjugations, as there are two types of these.

Present:

“Simple present” does not have suffixes. It’s formed with the basic Hungarian conjugation, as follows:

• “To sit” (ülni)

This verb can only be conjugated with indefinite endings. You might want to scroll back up to review them in the Hungarian verb conjugation table.

I sit — (én) ülök                                                         we sit — (mi) ülünk

you sit — (te) ülsz                                                      you sit — (ti) ültök

he/she/it sits — (ő/az) ül                                            they sit — (ők) ülnek

Do you still remember? As mentioned earlier, Hungarian does not use personal pronouns (like English) unless someone wants to emphasize the subject. This is why the personal pronouns are in parentheses above.

The kind of “present” tense that works similarly to the English “present continuous,” (“verb + -ing” form), is formed by attaching –ó or –ő to the end of verbs. They work as adjectives and come before the noun they refer to.

Here are some examples:

1- “Reads” – olvas + –ó = olvasó » “reading”

• “The guy reading seems smart.” 
  Az olvasó srác okosnak tűnik.

2- “Sits” – ül + -ő = ülő » “sitting”

• “The girl sitting is pretty.” 
  Az ülő lány csinos.

Past:

The past tense, which is usually formed as “verb + -ed” in English, looks like “verb + -t/-tt” in Hungarian. Hungarian words with -t or -tt suffixes also work as adjectives.

• “The ship sunk.” 
  A hajó elsüllyedt.

• “The sunken ship is at the bottom of the ocean.” 
  Az elsüllyedt hajó az óceán fenekén van.

• “He drank a lot.” 
  Sokat ivott.

• “The drunken beverage was coke.“ 
  A megivott ital kóla volt.

Meg- in the second example sentence is a prefix often used before verbs. The stem of the verb is inni, which is in past tense—in this case, (-tt)—with a linking vowel (“o,” which also appears in the first example).

Future:

One way to indicate future tense in Hungarian is by means of a future participle. This is a specific form of a verb that plays a similar role in the sentence as an adjective or adverb. The future participle is formed as “to be …-ed” in English, and with the suffixes -andó and -endő in Hungarian. It expresses an obligation that has to be done at some point in the future.

• “The meat to be cooked is on the kitchen counter.” 
  A megfőzendő hús a konyhapulton van.

• “The distance to be swam is not that long.” 
  A leúszandó táv nem olyan nagy.

Again, le- here is a prefix to the verb úszni. Also, Hungarian uses the adjectives “big” and “small” for distance, rather than the English words “long” and “short.”

Note that the true future tense in Hungarian is not formed using the aforementioned future participles. Instead, it’s constructed using the appropriate conjugation form of the auxiliary verb fogni and the infinitive form of the verb. 

• “I will go to the market tomorrow.” 
  Holnap el fogok menni a piacra.

• “He will surely get accepted to the university.” 
  Biztosan fel fogják venni az egyetemre.

5. Hungarian Verb Conjugation Moods

Below you can find the moods Hungarian has as well as the tenses they’re used in:

• Indicative/Realis Mood: present, past, future
• Imperative/Subjunctive Mood: present
• Conditional Mood: present, past

Indicative:

This mood is mainly used to indicate that something is a statement or a fact, like in declarative sentences.

• “I sleep.” (Alszom.)
• “I ate an apple.” (Ettem egy almát.)
• “They will be.” (Lesznek.)

Imperative:

Usually, commands and requests are expressed using the imperative mood. And unlike in French, for example, Hungarian imperatives exist in all persons and numbers. In addition, unlike in English (which uses regular full-stops), there’s an exclamation mark at the end of each imperative sentence at all times.

The imperative mood is usually formed with a -j suffix. However, if the word ends with a sibilant (-s, -zs, -sz, -z), the -j will, in most cases, transform into the last sibilant of the word’s stem.

• “Leave me alone.” (Hagyj békén!)         “Dig.” (Áss! [Ás + -j])
• “Go away.” (Menj el!)                             “Pull me out.” (Húzz ki! [Húz + -j])
• “Don’t shout.” (Ne kiabálj!)                     “Let’s play.” (Játsszunk!)
• “Let’s start.” (Kezdjünk!)                        “Believe me (both of you).” (Higgyétek el!)

Conditional:

By using the present conditional mood, one expresses events that have little chance of happening in the present or the future.

Suffixes used: -na, -ne, -ná, -né (and their conjugated forms, depending on the person and the number).

• “If she kissed me, I would faint.” (Ha megcsókolna, elájulnék.)

Meg- and el- are Hungarian verb prefixes in this sentence.

The past conditional is used for those events that could have happened in the past, but did not. 

Auxiliary verb: volna (the conditional form of the verb “to be,” or lenni in Hungarian).

• “If they hadn’t met me, they would have never gotten here.” (Ha nem találkoztak volna velem, sosem jutottak volna idáig.)

Do you know the ad Hungarian conjugation in conditional form?

6. Conclusion: HungarianPod101.com Brings Out the Best in You

By now, you’ve not only learned the basics of how to conjugate Hungarian verbs, but also about the different tenses and moods in Hungarian. You’ve even gotten the hang of Hungarian definite and indefinite conjugation!

Now all that’s left to do is a little Hungarian verb conjugation practice. Read more of our articles, and you’ll be the master of Hungarian verb conjugation in a fortnight.

The reason for this is that with the help of this guide, you’ve managed to acquire the basics. So now you have a firm foundation on which you can build the whole process of Hungarian language-learning. It’s going to be a tough journey, but if you join us at HungarianPod101.com, you’ll never have to face hardships alone.

Don’t hesitate to sign up and be a part of this great community of language learners. With us, studying has never been so much fun.

What have you learned from this article? Do you know how many verb tenses there are in Hungarian? Let us know in the comments.

Do you want to improve your Hungarian or start from scratch? You came to the right place! Our tutors at HungarianPod101.com make sure that learners of all levels succeed in studying this challenging but beautiful language. The key to success is verb usage, as verbs serve as the core of any sentence. This makes mastering the basic Hungarian verbs—from the Hungarian verb “to be” and beyond—essential.

The aim of this article is to familiarize you with the most common Hungarian verbs that people in Hungary use often. You’ll also learn how to conjugate Hungarian verbs. 

We’re going to cover the basics in writing, but the pronunciation of a word is just as important as the spelling. Thus, we’ve collected the 25 most commonly used verbs of any language along with their pronunciations in Hungarian—you can listen to the words on that page as you go through this article for a smoother time mastering this topic. We hope you’re ready to start because it’s going to be a wild ride. Hungarian is known for being a challenging language—you might have heard of the Hungarian irregular verbs or -ik verbs. You’re going to learn about them too! Let’s begin.

Table of Contents

1. Hungarian Verb Types Based on Final Syllables
2. Action Verbs
3. Linking Verbs
4. Helping Verbs
5. Verb Usage
6. Conclusion: How HungarianPod101.com Helps You Master Your Hungarian

1. Hungarian Verb Types Based on Final Syllables

In some languages, such as French and Spanish, verbs can be grouped based on their ending syllables. The same is true for Hungarian verbs.

In citation form, which is the spoken form of a word when it stands alone, there’s a group of words called “Hungarian -ik verbs.” They’re called this because their last syllable is -ik in the third-person singular indefinite present form, which you can see in the example sentences. However, the actual word listings will be in the infinitive form.

1. Be angry – Haragudni

“She is angry.”

Haragszik.

2. Climb – Mászni

“He climbs.”

Mászik.

3. Play – Játszani

“He plays.”

Játszik.

4. Eat – Enni

“The dog eats.”

A kutya eszik.

5. Drink – Inni

“The hunter drinks.”

A vadász iszik.

6. Lay – Feküdni

“He is laying.”

Fekszik.

7. To starve – Éhezni

“My colleague is starving.”

A kollégám éhezik.

8. Crawl – Kúszni

“The baby crawls.”

A baba kúszik.

9. Swim – Úszni

“My daughter swims.”

A lányom úszik.

10. Sunbathe – Napozni

“The lady sunbathes.”

A hölgy napozik.

11. Smoke – Cigarettázni

“My mom smokes.”

Az anyukám cigarettázik.

12. Sail – Vitorlázni

“My cousin sails.”

Az unokatestvérem vitorlázik.

13. Surf – Szörfözni

“My classmate surfs.”

Az osztálytársam szörfözik.

14. Travel – Utazni

“She travels a lot.”

Sokat utazik.

15. Garden – Kertészkedni

“He often gardens.”

Gyakran kertészkedik.

16. Lie – Hazudni

“My little sister lies a lot.”

A húgom sokat hazudik.

17. Be bored – Unatkozni

“He is bored.”

Unatkozik.

Hungarian verb conjugation endings are crucial as, for example, a person might appear uneducated if they don’t use the -m ending for the first-person singular present form when dealing with -ik verbs:

• I’m sleeping.

Alszom. (Alszok.)

Amongst Hungarian verbs, there are so-called “pseudo -ik verbs” as well. When dealing with these verbs, the -m ending isn’t possible, and moreover, is ungrammatical.

18. Flow – Folyni

“The water flows.”

Folyik a víz.

19. Use mobile phones – Mobilozni

“He often uses mobile phones.”

Gyakran mobilozik.

20. Opens – Nyílni

“The door opens to the right.”

Az ajtó jobbra nyílik.

In this sentence, “the door” is az ajtó, “opens” is nyílik in the third-person singular indefinite present form, and “to the right” is jobbra.

Does your language have such groups based on word endings?

2. Action Verbs

Action verbs are some of the most basic Hungarian verbs that every beginner should learn. They’re the most commonly used Hungarian verbs when building a sentence. 

In the following section, you’ll see the Hungarian infinitive verbs listed. Their suffix is -ni or, in special cases, -ani/-eni. These special cases are when there’s two consonants at the end, OR a long vowel + t. In the example sentences, you’ll encounter the conjugated forms of these action verbs.

Is your memory good? Let’s see how many of these words you remember after reading this Hungarian verbs list.

Action/Physical Verbs

21. Run – Futni

“He runs to the bridge.”

A hídhoz fut.

22. Get – Kapni

“I get many books.”

Sok könyvet kapok.

23. Make – Készíteni

“You make great shoes.”

Nagyszerű cipőket készítetek.

In this case, “you” is in the second-person plural form, which is indicated in the conjugation of készítetek, which means “make.” “Great” is nagyszerű and “shoes” is cipőket.

24. Look – Nézni

“He is looking at a picture.”

Egy képet néz.

25. Tell – Mondani

“We tell jokes.”

Vicceket mondunk.

26. Work – Dolgozni

“They work hard in the kitchen.”

Keményen dolgoznak a konyhában.

“They work” is dolgoznak, “hard” is keményen, and “in the kitchen” is a konyhában. In Hungarian, the affixes -ban and -ben stand for the English word “in,” just like here, in the case of konyhában.

27. Ask – Kérdezni

“They ask a lot.”

Sokat kérdeznek.

28. Try – Próbálni

“He is trying to be good.”

Próbál jó lenni.

29. Move – Mozogni/Mozdulni

“They often move.”

Gyakran mozognak.

30. Pick – Kiválasztani

“She picks the team members.”

Ő választja ki a csapattagokat.

Here, “she” is ő, “picks” is választja ki, and “the team members” is a csapattagokat. In Hungarian, “team member” is one word (csapattag), where csapat stands for “team” and tag means “member.”

31. Stop – Megállítani

“The driver stops the bus.”

A vezető megállítja a buszt.

32. Build – Építeni

“They are building a house.”

Házat építenek.

33. Wash – Mosni

“She washes her clothes.”

Kimossa a ruháit.’

34. Paint – Festeni

“We are painting the walls.”

Festjük a falakat.

35. Stare – Bámulni

“They are staring at the dog.”

A kutyát bámulják.

36. Hurt – Bántani

“He hurts people’s feelings.”

Megbántja az emberek érzéseit.

37. Draw – Rajzolni

“She draws cars.”

Autókat rajzol.

38. Bake – Sütni

“They often bake together.”

Gyakran együtt sütnek.

“They” is not a word in this sentence. The affix indicates it in sütnek, which means “bake.” “Often” is gyakran and “together” is együtt.

39. Cook – Főzni

“We cook every day.”

Minden nap főzünk.

40. Be dizzy – Szédülni

“They are dizzy.”

Szédülnek.

41. Cut – Vágni

“She is cutting paper.”

Papírt vág.

42. Pray – Imádkozni

“He prays every night.”

Minden este imádkozik.

43. Talk – Beszélni

“You always talk.”

Mindig beszéltek.

44. Write – Írni

“We write her every month.”

Minden hónapban írunk neki.

45. Dig – Ásni

“My dad digs in the garden everyday.”

Az apukám minden nap ás a kertben.

In this sentence, “my dad” is az apukám, “digs” is ás, “in the garden” is a kertben, and “everyday” is minden nap.

46. Avoid – Kerülni

“He is avoiding her.”

Kerüli őt.

47. Slap – Megpofozni

“She slaps him.”

Megpofozza.

48. Change clothes – Öltözik

“She is changing clothes.”

Átöltözik.

49. Trust – Bízni

“He trusts them.”

Bízik bennük.

50. Cheat – Csalni

“She cheats in games.”

Csal a játékokban.

51. Fight – Harcolni

“They are fighting.”

Harcolnak.

52. Send – Küldeni

“He often sends letters.”

Gyakran küld leveleket.

“We always send a message.”

Mindig küldünk üzenetet.

53. Torture – Kínozni

“They are torturing him.”

Kínozzák őt.

Torturing in Hungarian can also refer to mental torture.

Mental Verbs

54. Know – Tudni/Ismerni

“We know.”

Tudjuk.

“He knows this girl.”

Ismeri ezt a lányt.

55. Think – Gondolni

“She thinks about him.”

Gondol rá.

56. Want – Akarni

“I want to fly.”

Repülni akarok.

“I want” is akarok in Hungarian, and “to fly” is repülni.

57. Admire – Csodálni

“I admire her perseverance.”

Csodálom a kitartását.

58. Expect – Számítani

“They are expecting two people.”

Két emberre számítanak.

59. Understand – Érteni

“We understand everything.”

Mindent értünk.

60. Like – Kedvelni

“You like her.”

Kedveled őt.

Here, “you” is in the singular form, which is indicated by the affix in kedveled, which means “like.”

61. Love – Szeretni

“I love you.”

Szeretlek.

62. Remember – Emlékezni

“I remember my childhood well.”

Jól emlékszem a gyerekkoromra.

“I remember” is emlékszem, “my childhood” is a gyerekkoromra, and “well” is jól.

63. Dream – Álmodni

“I dream about you a lot.”

Sokat álmodom rólad.

64. Envy – Irigyelni

“She envies her.”

Irigykedik rá.

65. Mourn – Búslakodni

“They are mourning.”

Búslakodnak.

66. Appreciate – Becsülni

“He appreciates a good talk.”

Becsül egy jó beszélgetést.

67. Fear – Félni

“He fears birds.”

Fél a madaraktól.

68. Care – Törődni

“They care about each other.”

Törődnek egymással.

“They care” is törődnek and “about each other” is egymással.

69. Forget – Elfelejteni

“I forget easily.”

Könnyen felejtek.

“She never forgets.”

Ő sosem felejt.

70. Forgive – Megbocsátani

“I always forgive you.”

Én mindig megbocsátok neked. 

71. Grieve – Gyászolni

“We are grieving.”

Gyászolunk.

72. Detest – Gyűlölni

“I detest Mondays.”

Gyűlölöm a hétfőket.

73. Hate – Utálni

“She hates mornings.”

Utálja a reggeleket.

3. Linking Verbs

Like English, the Hungarian language has linking verbs. Following is a list of common Hungarian verbs with the purpose of linking the subject with a word that provides information about the subject itself.

74. Look – Tűnik

“You look happy.”

Boldognak tűnsz.

75. Smell – Szag van

“It smells strange.”

Furcsa szag van.

“They smell bad.”

Rossz szaguk van.

Szag/Illat take up affixes based on the subject. Szag is used for bad smells, while illat is used to describe nice smells.

76. Taste –Íze van

“It tastes like fish.”

Hal íze van.

77. Sound – Hangzik

“It sounds good.”

Jól hangzik.

78. Appear – Látszik/Tűnik

“She appears angry.”

Mérgesnek tűnik.

79. Remain – Marad

“He remains calm.”

Nyugodt marad.

80. Turn – Fordul

“Things turn out alright.”

A dolgok jóra fordulnak.

81. Become – Válik

“It becomes weird.”

Furává válik.

4. Helping Verbs

Auxiliary verbs in Hungarian are mostly impersonal and are placed next to an infinitive verb as personal Hungarian verb suffixes.

Hungarian Modal Verbs

82. Can – -hat/-het

“She can go to the mall.”

Elmehet a plázába.

83. Must – Muszáj

“You must go.”

Muszáj menned.

84. Will – Fog

“He will fly.”

Repülni fog.

85. Should – Kellene

“We should go home.”

Haza kellene mennünk.

“We” is indicated in the affix of mennünk, which means “go.” “Should” is kellene and “home” means haza.

86. Would – -na/-ne/-ná/-né

“Peter would lie.”

Péter hazudna.

“I would choose if I could.”

Választanék, ha tudnék.

87. Might – Lehet, hogy

“She might come home.”

Lehet, hogy hazajön.

Hungarian Auxiliary Verbs

In Hungarian, there’s no equivalent of the auxiliaries “be” and “have,” as there are only three Hungarian verb tenses: past, present, and future. However, Hungarians use the auxiliary “do” as follows:

88. Do – Szokott

“She usually doesn’t speak a lot.”

Általában nem szokott sokat beszélni.

Here, “she” is only indicated and is not a standalone word. “Usually” is általában, “does not” can be translated as nem szokott, “speak” is beszélni, and “a lot” is sokat.

Does your language have the same auxiliary verbs as English?

5. Verb Usage

If you want to learn a little bit about Hungarian verb conjugation rules, you’re in the right section! 

One factor that plays a major role in Hungarian verb conjugation is “person.” All six “persons” have different endings depending on whether it’s a definite or indefinite conjugation. The Hungarian verb endings in the following section apply to present tense:

I (Én): -m, -k We (Mi): -juk, -jük, -unk, -ünk
You (Te): -d, -sz, -l You (Ti): -játok, -itek, -tok, -tek, -tök
He/She/It (Ő): -ja, -i They (Ők): -ják, -ik, -nak, -nek

Hungarian definite and indefinite conjugation is used to differentiate between objects. The following example, the word “read,” is conjugated in the present tense:

89. Read – Olvasni

Definite: 

• “I’m reading (a specific book).” 

Olvasom (a könyvet).

Indefinite: 

• “I’m reading (something).”

Olvasok.

Verb conjugation in Hungarian also depends on Hungarian verb tenses, which consist of past, present, and future. The present tense doesn’t have any particular suffixes. On the other hand, the past tense does.

The past tense has two kinds of suffixes depending on whether there’s a consonant before the “past tense suffix” (then the word ends with -t) or a vowel (ending is -tt). The suffixes of the “persons” stick to the word after.

First-person singular, past tense

• “I said it.”

Mondtam. 

Third-person plural, past tense

• “They ran.”

Futottak. 

The future tense can be formed two ways: 

1) -ni + fog (+ a time adverb) 

“She will study (later).” 

(Később) tanulni fog.

2) a verb in present tense + a time adverb

“I will read tomorrow.” 

Holnap olvasok.

If you would like to know more about Hungarian conjugation, you might want to consider searching for Hungarian verb conjugation tables online, especially if you’re interested in the conjugation of Hungarian irregular verbs, like the verb “to be.” Note that HungarianPod101 also has additional learning materials on this topic for both beginners and advanced learners.

In addition, from the examples above, the basic Hungarian sentence pattern is obvious. Hungarian has an S – V – O word order, just like English.

90. Kiss – Csókolni

“Peter kissed Mary.”

Péter megcsókolta Marit.

List of Hungarian Irregular Verbs:

91. To be – Lenni

“I am.”

Én vagyok.

“She will be.”

Ő lesz.

92. Come – Jönni

“I’m coming.”

Jövök.

“You were coming.”

Jöttél.

93. Believe – Hinni

“I believe in miracles.”

Hiszek a csodákban.

94. Carry – Vinni

“He is carrying a box.”

Egy dobozt visz.

95. Buy – Venni

“They buy a bouquet.”

Csokrot vesznek.

96. Put – Tenni

“I put my phone down.”

Leteszem a telefonomat.

97. Go – Menni

“She goes to the mall frequently.”

Gyakran megy a plázába.

98. Gorge – Falni

“We often gorge doughnuts.”

Gyakran falunk fánkot.

99. Sip – Kortyolni

“I’m sipping my coffee.”

Kortyolom a kávémat.

6. Conclusion: How HungarianPod101.com Helps You Master Your Hungarian

You now have 100 Hungarian verbs under your belt! 

Now that you’re familiar with the most common Hungarian verbs and even know how to conjugate them, you can see that there’s a pattern that can easily be learned. If you get the hang of the conjugation of Hungarian irregular verbs and are able to distinguish -ik verbs, you’re good to go.

With the help of this list, you’ve acquired the basics, so now it’s time to get to the next level. Join the HungarianPod101 family and let us help you perfect those language skills!

However, if you don’t feel confident enough in your Hungarian knowledge, or think you don’t know by heart how to conjugate Hungarian verbs just yet, joining our family is a great idea all the same. Our app can help you with everything!

Don’t hesitate to sign up for our courses. With us, language-learning has never been easier.

Do you know how to conjugate the Hungarian verb “to be?” Let us know in the comments!

Are you a total beginner or a confident rookie in the Hungarian language? Would you like to test your knowledge or improve your skills? We at the HungarianPod101.com family offer you all the materials you need to take your Hungarian to the next level! A good way to strengthen your foundation is to gain a clear picture of Hungarian pronouns and how they work. They can be very confusing due to the number of suffixes involved, so we’ve collected the basic Hungarian pronouns for you with explanations and examples: 

• Hungarian personal pronouns
• Hungarian demonstrative pronouns
• Hungarian interrogative pronouns
• Hungarian indefinite pronouns
• Hungarian relative pronouns

Phew, that’s a lot! 

Using pronouns in Hungarian is one of the most basic grammar essentials for new learners—pronouns in any language should come very early in one’s studies. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to adequately express yourself when communicating with others. This is especially true for mid-European languages like Hungarian, which heavily rely on the proper use of pronouns.

Even though we’ve already collected the most useful Hungarian pronouns on our website, we know that context is key when learning such a complex language. 

Enjoy your lesson!

Table of Contents

1. Hungarian Personal Pronouns
2. Hungarian Demonstrative Pronouns
3. Hungarian Interrogative Pronouns
4. Hungarian Indefinite Pronouns
5. Hungarian Relative Pronouns
6. Conclusion: How HungarianPod101.com Helps You Master Hungarian

1. Hungarian Personal Pronouns

The most important thing for Hungarians is knowing whom or what the conversation is about. For this reason, you’d better make sure you know which pronouns to use. So let’s begin with the Hungarian personal pronouns! As soon as you define the subject of a sentence, Hungarians will be more likely to understand you!

We have good—and not-so-good—news for you! Although there’s no such thing as gender differentiation in Hungarian pronouns or words (as is the case in every Slavic language), Hungarian pronouns aren’t as simple as their English equivalents. But at least you don’t need to worry about Hungarian gender pronouns!

1- Singular

This starts off easy – the singular Hungarian personal pronouns are the following:

én (“I”)                        Én szeretem a kutyákat. 

                                    I like dogs.”

te (“you”)                     Te szereted a kutyákat. 

                                     “You like dogs.”

ő (“he”) / (“she”)            Ő szereti a kutyákat. 

                                       “He/She likes dogs.”

2- Plural

You’re still with us, right? Let’s check out the plural Hungarian personal pronouns, which are similar to and in line with those in other languages.

mi (“we”)                      Mi szeretjük a kutyákat. 

                                      “We like dogs.”

ti (“you”)                     Ti szeretitek a kutyákat. 

                                     “You like dogs.”

ők (“they”)                     Ők szeretik a kutyákat. 

                                       “They like dogs.”

Do you like dogs? Or are you a cat person? Okay then, the next sections will be about cats, we promise!

You can also find your favorite animal’s name on our animal vocabulary list.

3- Accusative case

When the object of the action becomes the subject, we start using the object forms. Here, you might get a glimpse of the differences between English and Hungarian pronouns. 

engem (“me”)                     Engem karmolt meg a cica. 

                                           “The cat scratched me.”

téged (“you”)                     Téged karmolt meg a cica? 

                                          “Did the cat scratch you?”

őt (“him”) / (“her”)             Őt karmolta meg a cica. 

                                           “The cat scratched him/her.”

minket (“us”)                     Minket karmolt meg a cica. 

                                           “The cat scratched us.”

titeket (“you”)                     Titeket karmolt meg a cica? 

                                           “Did the cat scratch you?”

őket (“them”)                     Őket karmolta meg a cica? 

                                           “Did the cat scratch them?”

Megkarmol means “to scratch,” with a target. Without a target, it’s just karmol. As a true cat-lover, we’re sure that you’ll love having this verb in your memory bank! 😉

4- Formal forms

Hungarian is a very polite language. Anyone who is significantly older than you, or is in a much higher hierarchical position than you are, should be addressed as:

Singular

ön (“you”)                     Ön hogy érzi magát ma reggel? 

                                      “How do you feel this morning?”

maga (“you”)                     Maga szereti a szőlőt? 

                                           “Do you like grapes?”

Plural

önök (“you”)                     Önök hogy érzik magukat ma reggel? 

                                          “How do you feel this morning?”

maguk (“you”)                     Maguk elolvasták a könyvet? 

                                            “Have you read the book?”

It’s recommended to use ön and önök in formal situations, as maga and maguk are more old-fashioned and considered a little bit rude depending on the situation.

5- Possessive form

Hungarians can be very possessive, and they don’t like to share their food (Japanese people, watch out!). But they love it when you share food with them… 

They like to make it very clear what belongs to whom, so trust us when we say that these few words might save your life once! The Hungarian possessive pronouns are:

enyém (“mine”)                    Ez a kolbász az enyém. 

                                             “This sausage is mine.”

tiéd (“yours”)                        Ez a kolbász a tiéd. 

                                              “This sausage is yours.”

övé (“his”) / (“hers”)             Ez a kolbász az övé. 

                                              “This sausage is his/hers.”

miénk (“ours”)                        Ez a kolbász a miénk. 

                                               “This sausage is ours.”

tiétek (“yours”)                       Ez a kolbász a tiétek. 

                                               “This sausage is yours.”

övék (“theirs”)                       Ez a kolbász az övék. 

                                              “This sausage is theirs.”

Kolbász is probably going to be one of the first words you’re going to learn when you spend some time in Hungary. It’s their traditional sausage made during the ritualistic family gathering where they slaughter the pigs.

For more restaurant- and food-related phrases, you can check out our relevant vocabulary list! 

6- Reflexive pronouns

When the action is reflected back to the subject, Hungarian reflexive pronouns should be in your possession. These might be some of the most important Hungarian pronouns!

magam (“myself”)                                          Megvágtam magam. 

                “I’ve cut myself.”

magad (“yourself”)                                        Megvágtad magad?                     

                           “Have you cut yourself?”

maga (“himself”) / (“herself”) / (“itself”)        Megvágta magát! 

                                 “He’s cut himself/herself!”

magunk (“ourselves”)                                     Vigyázni fogunk magunkra. 

                                         “We will take care of ourselves.”

magatok(“yourselves”)                                    Vigyázni fogtok magatokra? 

                                               “Will you take care of yourselves?”

maguk (“themselves”)                                       Vigyázni fognak magukra. 

                                                  “They will take care of themselves.”

Megvág is the word for “to cut,” with a target (like in the case of the cat’s scratching earlier in this article). Similarly, in the case of not having a target, it’s simply vág.

Hungarians can be very protective, so you might hear the expression Vigyázz magadra! a lot. It means “Take care of yourself!” and is often said when people are worried about their loved ones. The word vigyáz means “to look after” or “be careful,” so Vigyázz magadra! means something like “look after yourself” and “take care of yourself” at the same time.

2. Hungarian Demonstrative Pronouns

When it comes to objects, it’s good to know how to refer to them based on whom the object is closer to. Let’s learn some Hungarian demonstrative pronouns to help you out with this!

ez (“this”)                                                      Ez meg mi? 

“What is this?”

az (“that”)                                                       Az micsoda? 

“What is this?”

ezek (“these”)                                                   Ezek lámpák? 

         “Are these lamps?”

azok (“those”)                                                   Azok körték? 

          “Are those pears?”

ilyen (“such”)                                                  Miért ilyen kevés tejet vettél? 

                                                          “Why did you buy such a small amount of milk?”

olyan (“that”)                                                   Olyan ruha volt rajta. 

                       “She wore a dress like that.”

ennyi (“so much”)                                            Ennyi vizet kell hozzáadni? 

                                          “Do you have to add so much water?”

annyi (“so many”)                                           Annyi virágot hoztak, hogy nem tudtuk hova tenni. 

                                                             “They brought so many flowers that we couldn’t figure out where to put them.”

For more home items, check out our vocabulary list!

3. Hungarian Interrogative Pronouns

In order to ask about people or objects, you’re going to require some Hungarian interrogative pronouns as well, so let’s see the most useful ones! If you’re a crime or thriller series fan, you’ll love these Hungarian pronouns!

mi (“what”) – singular                                    Mi ez?

“What is this?”

mik (“what”) – plural                                      Mik azok? 

“What is this?”

melyik (“which”) – singular                            Melyik ajtón ment ki? 

“What is this?”

melyek (“which”) – plural                               Melyek a használt edények? 

                  “Which plates are used?”

ki (“who”) – singular                                        Ki tette ezt? 

                  “Which plates are used?”

kik (“who”) – plural                                           Kik tehettek ilyesmit? 

                                         “Who could have done such a thing?”

kit (“whom”)                                                     Kit kérdeztél meg? 

                “Whom did you ask?”

kié (“whose”)                                                   Kié ez a bögre? 

              “Whose mug is this?”

hol (“where”)                                                   Hol a családom? 

                  “Where is my family?”

mikor (“when”)                                                 Mikor találkozunk? 

                  “When do we meet?”

miért (“why”)                                                     Miért nem vagy itt? 

                           “Why aren’t you here?”

4. Hungarian Indefinite Pronouns

Let’s talk numbers here! What should you say when there are more people or things involved? Or no one? Everyone? Don’t worry, we’re just getting started with the indefinite pronouns. Let’s begin! But be aware: The grammar of Hungarian pronouns just gets crazier from here.

mindenki (“everyone”) / (“everybody”)                               Mindenki szereti a cicákat. 

                                                         “Everyone likes cats.”

senki (“no one”) / (“nobody”)                                               Senki nem szereti a hörcsögöket.

                                                               “No one likes hamsters.”

bárki (“anyone”) / (“anybody”)                                              Bárki örökbe fogadhat egy kutyát. 

                                                                    “Anyone can adopt a dog.”

valaki (“someone”) / (“somebody”)                                        Valaki megetette a nyulamat. 

”                                                                            “Someone has fed my rabbit.”

minden (“everything”)                                                              Minden a te hibád! 

                                                                       “Everything is your fault!”

semmi (“nothing”)                                                                      Semmi nincs rendben! 

                                                                “Nothing is alright!”

bármi (“anything”)                                                                     Bármi jó lesz. 

                                                               “Anything will do.”

valami (“something”)                                                                  Valami baj van? 

                                                                         “Is something wrong?”

5. Hungarian Relative Pronouns

Hungarian interrogative pronouns change when they become relative. They extend with an a at the beginning. Let’s see some examples below of Hungarian relative pronouns:

ami (“what”)                                                   Ami nekem nem tetszik…

     “What I don’t like…”

amik (“what”) – plural                                     Utálom azokat az almákat, amik sárgák. 

                              “I hate the apples which are yellow.”

As you can see above, in English, we differentiate between the singular “what” and plural “which” forms. Hungarians make this difference by adding a -k after ami. They use ami in singular forms and amik in plural forms.

aki (“who”)                                        A lány, akit szerettem, elköltözött. 

“The girl I loved moved out.”

akik (“who”) – plural                       Viccesek, akik jó humorral rendelkeznek. 

                              “The ones who have a great sense of humor are funny.”

amelyik (“which”)                             Azt az almát kérem, amelyik piros. 

“I want the apple which is red.”

amelyek (“which”) – plural                Azokat a lovakat szeretem, amelyek feketék. 

   “I love the horses which are black.”

amilyen (“the kind of which”)                Olyan vagy, amilyen az apád volt. 

           “You are just like your father was.”

amekkora (“the size of which”)              Akkorát kérek, amekkora a Petinek van! 

          “I want the size of what Peti has.”

amennyi (“the cost [amount] of which”)                Annyim van, amennyi ez a kabát. 

                                                      “I have as much as the cost of this coat.”

ahányadik (“the sequence of which”)           Annyi éves vagyok, ahányadik a piros hajó a sorban. 

                                                            “I am as old as the red boat’s rank in the line.”

6. Conclusion: How HungarianPod101.com Helps You Master Hungarian

It’s essential to master Hungarian language pronouns to master this beautiful language. After going through our list and doing a bit of practice, we highly recommend that you check out our resources about introducing yourself in Hungarian and saying hello in Hungarian.

If you’re already interested in learning Hungarian pronouns, we take your interest seriously. We always welcome dedicated people, so if you’re interested in continuing your journey in one of the world’s most difficult languages, don’t hesitate to join the HungarianPod101 family! We have all the essential learning materials you need to get confident using the Hungarian language.

We hope that you enjoyed our Hungarian pronouns article. Please let us know in the comments which one seems to be the craziest of all! We’ll be glad to answer any questions you still have.

Happy Hungarian learning!

If you’ve read our previous articles, you probably know everything about the very core of Hungarian: basic nouns, adverbs, and verbs. Moreover, you’re probably familiar with the spelling and pronunciation of words. If you somehow missed the articles covering these topics, head over to HungarianPod101.com as soon as possible.

Today, we’re going to introduce you to another crucial topic: Hungarian word order. It’s pretty clear why you need to learn about sentence structure in Hungarian (or any language, really). In some languages—Hungarian among them—the meaning of your sentence changes based on the order of the words. That’s why you need to know the Hungarian language word order and be very careful when forming sentences. 

In this article, you’ll get to know the most common word order in Hungarian, if there is such a thing at all, and you’ll also become familiarized with exceptions so that you’ll be prepared for anything. You’ll know where to put each word or phrase, even if there are five prepositional phrases in a single sentence!

Remember, if you don’t understand something at first, there’s no shame in reading the section—or even the whole article—again. If you still don’t seem to be caught up with the material and have a question about Hungarian word order, you’re not a lost case! Just reach out to us at HungarianPod101.com. Ready? Let’s jump into it. Or should I say: Ugorjunk is bele!

Table of Contents

1. Overview of Word Order in Hungarian
2. Basic Word Order with Subject, Verb, and Object
3. Word Order with Modifiers
4. How to Change Sentences into Yes-or-No Questions
5. Translation Exercises
6. Conclusion: HungarianPod101.com Helps You Reach Your Full Potential

1. Overview of Word Order in Hungarian

In Hungarian, basic word order in sentences usually follows the S-V-O pattern. However, there’s no set word order. The Hungarian sentence structure is based on the following three rules:

1 – Priority of the Word

The important words, the ones you want to emphasize, are at the beginning of a sentence. In speech, these words might be stressed as well.

For example:

A madarak a kalitkában ülnek. — The birds are sitting in the cage (and nowhere else).

A kalitkában madarak ülnek. — There are birds sitting in the cage (in general).

A madarak ülnek a kalitkában.— The birds are sitting (and not doing anything else, like standing) in the cage.

2 – Priority of Negation

Negating words are always at the beginning of a Hungarian sentence.

For example:

Nem fogom elmondani neked. (“I am not going to tell it to you.”)

Ne dobd el! (“Do not throw it away.”)

3 – Focus of the Sentence

The focus of the sentence is usually the word before the verb.

Let’s take a look at a few of the sentences from earlier in this context.

A madarak a kalitkában ülnek. — The birds are sitting in the cage and nowhere else.

Ne dobd el! — The focus here is the negating word, which is the most important word in this sentence.

—

Since there are no set rules for Hungarian word order, the Hungarian sentence structure is quite flexible.

There aren’t many distinguishable features between Hungarian and English in terms of sentence structure. As we said before, English uses the S-V-O order, too, and sometimes it puts the emphasized word at the beginning of a sentence as well.

For example:

“I told her the story.” AND “To her I told the story.” 

The latter means that the person told the story to “her” specifically. Here, the person the story was told to is more important than the fact that the story was told at all.

Elmeséltem neki a történetet. — Elmeséltem is “I told,” neki is “her” (or “him”), and a történetet is “the story.”

AND

Neki elmeséltem a történetet. — You can see that in this case, neki which is “her” (or “him”) is at the beginning of the sentence.

We’re going to delve into this more in the following section.

2. Basic Word Order with Subject, Verb, and Object

In the section above, we mentioned that in Hungarian grammar, word order generally follows the S-V-O pattern.

Now, we’re going to go even deeper. First, we’ll discuss what each part of the S-V-O pattern means, and then put what we learned in this section into practice. Sounds good? Let’s jump into it then.

1 – What are the Subject, Object, and Verb?

A- Subject

The subject is one of the major parts of speech used to build a sentence. Subjects are especially of high importance in negative, interrogative, and declarative sentences. A subject is the “doer,” also known as the agent of the action that’s described in a given sentence. Thus, they’re usually noun phrases (such as a noun or a pronoun).

Examples:

• “the father” = az apa
• “she” = ő
• “the Hungarian language” = a magyar nyelv

In Hungarian, the subject is often left out of the sentence and is implied by the verb’s suffix:

• “She wears skirts.”  

(Ő) szoknyákat hord.

As you can see, “she” is ő, and both are subjects. But in the Hungarian sentence, ő can be left out.

• “You speak a lot.” [more people] 

(Ti) sokat beszéltek.

• “We love cars.” 

(Mi) szeretjük az autókat.

B- Object

The object is the part of a sentence that’s being acted upon by the subject. In other words, an object is a noun or a noun phrase, just like a subject, that’s affected by the action of a verb.

• “She wears skirts.”

Szoknyákat hord.

Skirts are being worn by her.

• “We love cars.”

Szeretjük az autókat.

Cars are being loved by us.

• “They eat bacon.”

Szalonnát esznek.

The bacon is being eaten by them.

C- Verb

The verb is the core of any sentence. It expresses an act, occurrence, or mode of being that’s inflected for tense, voice, mood, aspect, and agreement with the subject. It generally has a full-descriptive meaning.

• “She wears skirts.”

Szoknyákat hord.

Skirts are being worn by her.

• “We love cars.”

Szeretjük az autókat.

Cars are being loved by us.

• “They eat bacon.”

Szalonnát esznek.

The bacon is being eaten by them.

2 – The Basic Word Order 

S-V-O = Subject-Verb-Object

But this Hungarian word order can change depending on the focus of the sentence (i.e. what we want to emphasize).

Examples:

• “Mom helps me.” 

Anya segít nekem. (S-V-O)

• “Mom me helps.” 

Anya nekem segít. (S-O-V)

The latter one could mean that Mom helps me, but she doesn’t help others.

Example Sentences

• “I like her.”

Kedvelem őt.

Exceptions example: 

When the object is emphasized, it can appear at the beginning of a sentence.

• “Her I like.” OR “I like her.” (And nobody else.)

Őt kedvelem. 

We hope that with the explanations and example sentences, you can better understand the Hungarian word order rules.

Now, try translating: “I understand Hungarian word order now.”

3 – Word Order with Prepositional Phrases

• “When you came here.”

 Amikor idejöttél.

“When” is amikor, “here” is ide (it functions as a verbal prefix in this Hungarian sentence), and “you came” is jöttél. You’ll notice that “you” is not included in the sentence because, as mentioned above, the pronoun is indicated by the suffixes in jöttél.

• “When did you come here?” 

Mikor jöttél ide?

In this case, “when” is mikor. The a got dropped from the front because the sentence is a question this time. You may also have noticed that the verbal prefix becomes a “suffix” in Hungarian questions; it separates from the word and is placed after it.

It’s also worth noting that in Hungarian, there’s no specific word order for questions. Questions are simply indicated by question marks, or in speech, by intonation. Your intonation rises at the end of a sentence if it’s a question.

• “It is where you put it.”

Ott van, ahova tetted.

• “Where did you travel last summer?”

Hova utaztál tavaly nyáron?

“Where” is hova (in a declarative sentence, it would be hol), “did you travel” is utaztál, and “last summer” is tavaly nyáron.

• “And that is how you should do it.” 

És ez az, ahogyan csinálnod kellene.

• “You offended him in what way?” 

Hogyan sértetted meg?

The prepositions mentioned above (where, when, how, etc.) usually go after the subject and before the verb. However, they normally get placed at the front if they’re part of a question.

What’s the order when there’s more than one prepositional phrase (e.g. Time + Place + Manner)? Let’s see some examples to help you understand.

• “I study Hungarian every day at home with HungarianPod101.”

Minden nap tanulok otthon magyarul a HungarianPod101-nal.

The order of the phrases depends on where the emphasis is.

• “I study Hungarian every day at home with HungarianPod101.”

A HungarianPod101-nal minden nap tanulok otthon magyarul.

• “I study Hungarian every day at home with HungarianPod101.” 

Otthon minden nap tanulok magyarul a HungarianPod101-nal.

• “I study Hungarian every day at home with HungarianPod101.” 

Minden nap magyarul tanulok otthon a HungarianPod101-nal.

Bottom line: Multiple phrases work like simple words when it comes to Hungarian word order. What we mean by this is that the more important the prepositional phrase, the closer it will be to the beginning of the sentence. It all comes down to importance.

3. Word Order with Modifiers

First of all, it’s best if we clarify what a modifier is. A modifier is a word or a phrase that’s used with another word or phrase to limit or add to its meaning.

For example (modifiers are in bold):

• priority mail = elsőbbségi levél
• safety barrier = biztonsági korlát
• doctor on duty = ügyeletes orvos

Modifiers are often adjectives, adverbs, and relative clauses (the coffee that I ordered).

1 – Adjectives

A- Absolute Adjectives

Attributive: The adjective comes before the noun/pronoun.

• “The green apples are in the box.” (A zöld almák a dobozban vannak.)
• “The disturbing images are off the screen.” (A felkavaró képek lekerültek a képernyőről.)
• “The Hungarian dancers are very talented.” (A magyar táncosok nagyon tehetségesek.)

Predicative: The adjective comes after the noun/pronoun.

• “Ravens are black.” (A hollók feketék.)
• “Her sibling is smart and kind.” (A testvére okos és kedves.)
• “This pie is very tasty.” (Ez a pite nagyon ízletes.)

B- Comparative Adjectives (comparing at least two nouns/pronouns)

• “Peter is younger than Julie.” (Péter fiatalabb mint Júlia.)
• “My ruler is shorter than yours.” (Az én vonalzóm rövidebb mint a tiéd.)
• “Rabbits are cuter than dogs.” (A nyulak aranyosabbak mint a kutyák.)

2 – Adverbs 

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. 

• “She dances gracefully.” (Kecsesen táncol.)
• “He swims quickly.” (Gyorsan úszik.)
• “The dwarves went home singing.” (A törpék énekelve mentek haza.)
• “The teacher replied, smiling.” (A tanár mosolyogva válaszolt.)

3 – Relative Clauses 

As indicated by its name, even in Hungarian, these are clauses and not simple words or short phrases.

• “I drank the coffee that I ordered.” (Megittam a kávét, amit rendeltem.)
• “I read the book (that) you lent me.” (Elolvastam a könyvet, amit kölcsönadtál.)

But what if there are more modifiers? Well, let’s see some examples, because we’re all about putting knowledge into practice.

• “I happily drank the coffee that I ordered.” (Boldogan ittam meg a kávét, amit rendeltem.)

Here, you can see that “happily” (boldogan) modifies “drank.” For this reason, in Hungarian, boldogan comes before ittam because ittam is what it modifies. Likewise, “that I ordered” can only come after kávét because “coffee” is being modified.

• “Peter’s shoes are newer than Julie’s black scarf.” (Péter cipője újabb mint Júlia fekete sálja.)

Can you follow the same line of thought here? Try to explain why the order looks like this in Hungarian.

4. How to Change Sentences into Yes-or-No Questions

Do you want to know how to change a sentence into a question, perhaps by changing the word order and/or adding particles in Hungarian? We’ve got your back! It’s very easy, because, as mentioned in the earlier sections, questions are mostly indicated by either a question mark (in writing) or intonation (in speech).

• “You study every day.” (Minden nap tanulsz.)
• “Do you study every day?” (Minden nap tanulsz?)

In speech, you would raise your intonation at tanulsz.

• “You drank a lot.” (Sokat ittál.)
• “Did you drink a lot?” (Sokat ittál?)

• “You told her you love her.” (Megmondtad neki, hogy szereted.)
• “Did you tell her you love her?” (Megmondtad neki, hogy szereted?)
• “Did you tell her you love her?” (Neki mondtad meg, hogy szereted?)

• “She was here a second ago.” (Egy perce még itt volt.)
• “Was she here a second ago?” (Egy perce még itt volt?)
• “Was she here a second ago?” (Itt volt még egy perce?)

Does word order change in your language, too, based on emphasis?

5. Translation Exercises

In this section, we would like to show you how to build up long sentences in Hungarian, step-by-step. 

Try translating the following English sentences into Hungarian:

Step 1. A simple S-V-O sentence in English

“You drank tea.”

Step 2. Adding prepositional phrases

“You drank tea five minutes ago.”

“Five minutes ago” is öt perccel ezelőtt or öt perce.

Step 3. Adding modifiers to the sentence

“You drank cold tea five minutes ago.”

Step 4. Transforming the sentence into a yes-or-no question

“Did you drink cold tea five minutes ago?”

Answers:

• “You drank tea.” (Teát ittál.)
• “You drank tea five minutes ago.” (Öt perce ittál teát.)
• “You drank cold tea five minutes ago.” (Öt perce ittál hideg teát.)
• “Did you drink cold tea five minutes ago?” (Hideg teát ittál öt perce?)

Don’t forget that the word order is flexible, depending on what you want to emphasize.

6. Conclusion: HungarianPod101.com Helps You Reach Your Full Potential

Now that you’re through with this article… What do you think of the Hungarian sentence patterns? Are they easy? Was the article understandable? 

Don’t forget that practice makes perfect. In the last section, we showed you an example of a possible exercise you could do to test your knowledge, but there are many more you could try out. Just join the HungarianPod101 family, and we’ll be there to help you with everything!

So, let’s see what you’ve learned today about the structure and word order of a Hungarian sentence. First, we explained what the most common word order in Hungarian is: S-V-O, just like in English. Easy peasy.

Then, we checked out examples of multiple kinds of prepositional phrases and where they go in a sentence. Also, we examined where they usually are if there are multiple phrases in the sentence.

Next, we revealed to you what modifiers are and where their usual place is in a typical Hungarian sentence. Later, you learned how easy it is to make a question in Hungarian with just intonation and a single question mark. Don’t forget, Hungarian does not use the same method as English (i.e. it does not use auxiliary verbs to form questions).

Last but not least, we brought you some translation examples to put what you’ve learned into practice because application is the best way to remember something. 

We hope you enjoyed this little lesson with us. If you would like to read more articles, go to our blog. But if you would like to learn more actively, subscribe and become a part of our family. You’ll get access to videos, podcasts, flashcards, and much more.

P.S. Do not forget to practice!

Looking for new ways to develop your Hungarian language knowledge? We at the HungarianPod101.com family believe that one of the best ways is to master the art of telling the time in Hungarian.

Knowing how to tell the time is essential if you want to succeed in speaking a foreign language, and telling the time in Hungarian is no exception. Whether you’re on the street, with a friend, in a business meeting, or at the airport, it’s vital for you to know how to tell the time in Hungarian.
That’s exactly why we’ve decided to put together a sweet guide which teaches you everything you’ll need on this topic. Read our article and learn everyday expressions, such as “a.m.” and “p.m.” in Hungarian, “o’clock” in Hungarian, and how to ask “What time is it?”

Table of Contents

1. Asking for the Time in Hungarian
2. Hours in Hungarian
3. Minutes in Hungarian
4. Partial Hours in Hungarian
5. General Time Reference of the Day in Hungarian
6. Time Adverbs in Hungarian
7. Bonus: Time Proverbs and Sayings in Hungarian
8. Conclusion: How HungarianPod101.com Helps You Master Hungarian

1. Asking for the Time in Hungarian

The standard Hungarian time zone is called CET (Central European Time). However, the country uses two different time zones during the year: CET in the winter, and CEST (Central European Summer Time) during the summer. The second time zone is the so-called “daylight saving time,” which in Hungarian is referred to as nyári időszámítás.

Hungarian time expressions are easy to master. After reading this article, you’ll soon find how easy it is to ask “What time is it?” in Hungarian. Let’s start with the most common time-related expressions:

• “What time is it?” (Mennyi az idő?)
• “Can I ask you what time it is?” (Megkérdezhetem, hogy mennyi az idő?)

Generally, there are a lot of expressions to ask for the time in Hungarian. The following example is also very common:

• “Could you tell the time, please?” (Meg tudná mondani az időt kérem?)

To specifically ask what time an upcoming event takes place, consider using the following sentence pattern:

• “What time is the meeting?” (Mikor kezdődik a meeting?)
• “What time is the party?” (Mikor kezdődik a buli?)

In these sentences, mikor kezdődik stands for “what time is” (literally meaning, “what time ___ starts”), whereas a meeting and a buli translate to “the meeting” and “the party” respectively. Basically, to ask for a starting time in Hungary, just begin the sentence with mikor kezdődik and put the name of the event at the end of the sentence.

Fancy learning more? Check out our list of the top fifteen questions you’ll need for Hungarian conversations.

2. Hours in Hungarian

Telling the time in Hungarian is much easier than in other languages, as Hungarians don’t use a.m. or p.m. Hungarians use the so-called twenty-four-hour military time, in which the day runs from midnight to midnight and is divided into twenty-four hours. In this case, instead of saying “three p.m.,” users of the twenty-four-hour clock say “15:00.” But don’t worry, Hungarians make it even easier than this!

In everyday conversations, Hungarian people don’t really care about these clock-related rules. They generally tend to say “It’s three o’clock” instead of using 03:00 or 15:00. The general suggestion is that in everyday conversations, everyone’s aware of which part of the day it is, so they can just make the whole time-topic a lot easier because of this.

So let’s see how to tell time in Hungarian using only the hours.

“Hour” – óra

‘I’m coming in just an hour.’ – Egy órán belül jövök.

In this sentence, ‘jövök’ means ‘I’m coming’, whereas ‘egy órán belül’ stands for ‘in just an hour’.

Now, let’s see a few examples of telling the time in Hungarian.

“O’clock” (óra)

“It’s three o’clock.”

Három óra van.

“One o’clock” (1 óra)

“It’s one o’clock.”

Egy óra van.

“Two o’clock” (2 óra)

“It starts at two o’clock.”

Kettő órakor kezdődik.

“Three o’clock” (3 óra)

“She comes at three o’clock.”

Három órára jön.

“Four o’clock” (4 óra)

“I woke up at 4 o’clock.”

Négykor ébredtem fel.

In the Hungarian language, you can either say négy órakor ébredtem fel, or make it shorter by saying négykor ébredtem fel.

“Five o’clock” (5 óra)

“The class starts at five o’clock.”

Öt órakor kezdődik a tanóra.

“Six o’clock” (6 óra)

“I’m having dinner at six o’clock.”

Hat órakor vacsorázom.

“Seven o’clock” (7 óra)

“He called me at seven o’clock.”

Hét órakor hívott fel.

“Eight o’clock” (8 óra)

“I’m tired at eight o’clock.”

8 órakor fáradt vagyok.

“Nine o’clock” (9 óra)

“Nine o’clock is too late.”

Kilenc óra túl késő.

“Ten o’clock” (10 óra)

“Don’t talk to me after ten o’clock.”

Ne beszélj hozzám 10 óra után.

In this sentence, ne beszélj hozzám means “don’t talk to me,” whereas 10 óra után stands for “after ten o’clock.”

“Eleven o’clock” (11 óra)

“I’ll come at eleven o’clock.”

11 órára fogok jönni.

“Twelve o’clock” (12 óra / dél / éjfél)

“I’m already sleeping at twelve o’clock.”

12 órakor már alszom.

For more Hungarian numbers, visit our vocabulary list.

3. Minutes in Hungarian

How do you say “minute” in Hungarian? Or “second?” Continue reading to find out!

“Minute” (perc)

“It only takes a minute.” 

Csak egy percbe telik.

In this sentence, csak egy percbe means “only (in) a minute,” whereas telik stands for “takes.”

“3:18” (3 óra 18 perc)

“It starts at 3:18.” 

3 óra 18 perckor kezdődik.

“Second” (másodperc)

“You have five seconds.”

5 másodperced van.

4. Partial Hours in Hungarian

To master the topic of numbers and time, it’s essential to know how to say partial hours in Hungarian. For example, how do you say “half past eight?” 

Fancy mastering how to tell time in the Hungarian language? If your answer is yes, you really don’t want to miss this section.

“Half” (fél)

“It’s half past seven.” 

Fél 8 van.

This is a bit tricky, as in Hungarian, “half” (fél) refers to the hour ahead and not the current hour. You can check out this page if you ever get confused.

“Quarter past” (negyed)

“It’s a quarter past three.” 

Negyed 4 van.

Again, you might be wondering: “What?” Don’t worry, we’ve got your back! 

Please remember that when talking about partial hours, Hungarians always refer to the next hour. 

So if they want to say “3:15,” they say negyed 4, which translates to “quarter past three.” Half past seven is fél 8, as 8 is the next hour; “a quarter to nine” is háromnegyed 9, just as in the following example.

“Quarter to” (háromnegyed)

“The show starts at a quarter to nine.” 

Az előadás háromnegyed 9-kor kezdődik.

Too complicated? It’s okay. If you think this system is just too complicated to learn, you can always say “3:15” or “3:30” instead of using these Hungarian words for partial hours.

5. General Time Reference of the Day in Hungarian

As you saw in the previous examples, telling the time in Hungarian is pretty easy. The Hungarian time format is tied to the twenty-four-hour clock. So if you want to note which part of the day you’re talking about, just use “in the morning” or “in the afternoon.”

“A.M.” (délelőtt)

“It’s nine a.m.” 

Délelőtt 9 óra van.

“P.M.” (délután)

“Let’s meet at five p.m.!” 

Találkozzunk délután 5-kor!

“Early morning” (kora reggel)

“I wake up early in the morning.” 

Kora reggel kelek fel.

“Sunrise” (napfelkelte)

“Let’s watch the sunrise!” 

Nézzük meg a napfelkeltét!

In this sentence, nézzük meg means “let’s watch,” and a napfelkeltét translates to “the sunrise.”

“Noon” (dél)

“I’m coming at noon.” 

Délre jövök.

“Early afternoon” (kora délelőtt)

“Let’s meet in the early afternoon!” 

Találkozzunk kora délelőtt!

“Evening” (este)

“Let’s meet at seven in the evening.” 

Találkozzunk este 7-kor.

“Sunset” (naplemente)

“I want to watch the sunset.” 

Meg szeretném nézni a naplementét.

“Night” (éjszaka)

“I suddenly woke up at night.” 

Éjszaka hirtelen felébredtem.

6. Time Adverbs in Hungarian

There are also some time-related adverbs you have to learn to fully master telling time in Hungarian.

“Right now” (most)

“It starts right now.” 

Most kezdődik.

“Currently” (jelenleg)

“I’m single currently.” 

Jelenleg egyedülálló vagyok.

In this sentence, egyedülálló vagyok means “I’m single.” To learn more about marital status and family in Hungarian, check out this resource.

“Meanwhile” (közben)

“I had meanwhile found another pen.” 

Közben találtam egy másik tollat.

“Before” (előtt)

“Let’s meet before nine.” 

Találkozzunk 9 óra előtt.

“After” (után)

“Let’s do the homework after school.” 

Végezzük el a házi feladatot az iskola után.

“Soon” (hamarosan)

“See you soon!” 

Hamarosan találkozunk!

“Almost” (majdnem)

“I almost got hit by the car.” 

Majdnem elütött az autó.

In this sentence, majdnem means “almost,” whereas elütött translates to “got hit.”

“Anytime” (bármikor)

“I can help you anytime.” 

Bármikor tudok segíteni.

“As soon as possible” (amint csak lehet)

“I’m coming as soon as possible.” 

Jövök, amint csak lehet.

Interestingly, there’s no short form of “as soon as possible” in the Hungarian language, and thus no Hungarian counterpart of ASAP.

7. Bonus: Time Proverbs and Sayings in Hungarian

Now that we’ve gone through all the essential phrases and expressions, there’s only one thing left: to learn some time proverbs and sayings in Hungarian. Hungarian time expressions aren’t too commonly used in everyday conversations; however, in some situations, they might come in handy. 

• “Time is money.” (Az idő pénz.)

• “Time flies.” (Repül az idő.)

• “Time heals all wounds.” (Az idő minden sebet meggyógyít.)

• “Daylight saving time” (nyári időszámítás)

• “Wintertime” (téli időszámítás)

Of course, there are a number of other Hungarian phrases, so if you’re interested in learning more, you should definitely check out this list. Fancy learning how to say hello in Hungarian? Check out our vocabulary list or read our blog post about how to confidently introduce yourself in Hungarian!

8. Conclusion: How HungarianPod101.com Helps You Master Hungarian

Now you can see that telling the time in Hungarian isn’t as complicated as you might have thought.

With the help of this guide, you’ve learned the most common Hungarian time expressions, how to talk about hours and minutes in Hungarian, and how to tell the time in Hungarian. 

Learning new words, expressions, and sentences in Hungarian is always fun. If you think you need help, don’t hesitate to join the HungarianPod101 family—we’ll support your language learning journey with useful resources.
So, how do you say “What time is it?” in Hungarian? Let us know in the comments!

Giving directions in Hungarian isn’t difficult. However, it is a must if you’d like to master the language. Basic directions in the Hungarian language aren’t too complicated, and we’ve created a short summary to make it even easier for you. 

Learning a new language requires us to prepare for many things, and knowing how to ask for directions is perhaps the most important of them all. Imagine yourself walking down the street and getting lost in your favorite country: how do you ask for help? 
Asking for directions in Hungarian on the street is a common thing, and the Hungarian culture is quite open and friendly. We at the HungarianPod101.com family believe you should start your learning journey by learning about directions. Read this article and learn how to ask and give directions in Hungarian!

Table of Contents

1. On the Map
2. On the Road
3. Landmarks
4. In a Building
5. Must-know Phrases for Asking for Directions
6. Must-know Phrases for Giving Directions
7. Putting it all Together: Talking About Directions
8. Conclusion: How HungarianPod101.com Helps You Master Hungarian

1. On the Map

Understanding the map is a complicated task in itself, even more so when you don’t even know the words on it. Directions in Hungarian aren’t difficult to master. Interested to know the cardinal directions in Hungarian? If yes, then continue reading!

“North” – észak

Basic Sentence: 

“Esztergom is in the North.” 

Esztergom északon van.

Advanced Sentence: 

“Esztergom is in the northern part of Hungary.” 

Esztergom Magyarország északi részén található.

In the first sentence, “is” translates to van and “in the north” is északon. In the advanced sentence, “in the northern part of Hungary” translates to Magyarország északi részén and “is” means található (literally: can be found).

Esztergom is a small, beautiful city in Hungary, with such monuments as the famous Bazilika Church, the Christian Museum, as well as wonderful places in nature like the Danube River and the Saint Thomas Hill.

“South” – dél

Basic Sentence:

“It’s in the South.”

Délen van.

Advanced Sentence:

“My grandma lives in the southern part of Hungary.”

A nagymamám Magyarország déli részén él.

“West” – nyugat

Basic Sentence:

“That’s the western part of Budapest.”

Az Budapest nyugati része.

Advanced Sentence:

“I’m living in the western part of Budapest.”

Budapest nyugati részén élek.

By looking at the examples above, you can see that by adding -i (adjectival suffix) to a direction in Hungarian, you can use that word as an adjective in the sentence: észak+i,  dél+i, nyugat+i, etc.

“East” – kelet

Basic Sentence:

“The East is that way.”

Kelet arra van.

Advanced Sentence:

“The eastern part of Hungary has beautiful forests.”

Magyarország keleti részén gyönyörű erdők találhatóak.

“Northwest” – északnyugat

“It’s in the Northwest.”

Északnyugaton van.

“Northeast” – északkelet

“Salgótarján is in the Northeast.”

Salgótarján északkeleten van.

Salgótarján is a small city in Hungary, located in the Cserhát hills. It has a country-wide popular football club called Salgótarján BTC. To read more about it, check this website.

“Southeast” – délkelet

“I love watching TV.”

Szeretek tévét nézni.

“Southwest” – délnyugat

“The Southwest part of Hungary is beautiful.”

Magyarország délnyugati része szép.

If you’re struggling a bit with grammar here, don’t worry! We wrote an article to help you with basic Hungarian grammar.

2. On the Road

When you’re on the road, you need to know the most common Hungarian directions to succeed. In this section, we’re going to give you some useful vocabulary and some examples of how to ask and give directions in Hungarian. Asking for directions in Hungarian on the street is something you’ll definitely need to be good at when visiting the country. After reading this, saying common expressions like “turn left” in Hungarian won’t be an issue anymore. 

“Front” – előtt

Basic Sentence:

“I’m in front of the shop.”

A bolt előtt vagyok.

In this sentence, “I’m” is vagyok, “in front of” translates to előtt, and “the shop” means a bolt.

“Behind” – mögött

Basic Sentence:

“She’s behind the car.”

Az autó mögött van.

“Left” – bal

Basic Sentence:

“Turn left!”

Fordulj balra! / Nézz balra!

Did you know that “turn” in Hungarian translates to two different things? It can either mean fordulj as “turn” in English or nézz as “look” in English.

“Right” – jobb

“Turn right!”

Fordulj jobbra! / Nézz jobbra!

“Far” – messze

“I’m living far away.”

Messze lakom.

“Close” – közel

“It’s close to my workplace.”

Közel van a munkahelyemhez.

3. Landmarks

As you can see, giving directions in Hungarian is easy. However, to really master it, it’s important to know some important landmarks, too.

“Airport” – repülőtér

“The airport is closed.”

A repülőtér zárva van.

In this sentence, “the airport” translates to a repülőtér and “is closed” means zárva van. In an informal environment, you can also use reptér instead of repülőtér.

“Bus stop” – buszmegálló

“The bus stop is close to my house.”

A buszmegálló közel van a házamhoz.

In this sentence, közel van means “close.”

For phrases you might need at the bus or train station in Hungary, check out this vocabulary list.

“Train station” – vonatállomás

“The train station is huge.”

A vonatállomás hatalmas.

“Bank” – bank

“The bank is open.”

A bank nyitva van.

“City center” – városközpont

“I’m at the city center.”  

A városközpontban vagyok.

“Park” – park

“Let’s meet at the park!”

Találkozzunk a parkban!

In this sentence, találkozzunk means “let’s meet.”

“Hotel” – hotel

“This hotel is too expensive.”

Ez a hotel túlságosan drága.
In this sentence, ez a hotel means “this hotel,” “too” translates to túlságosan (or formally túl), and “expensive” means drága.

“Hospital” – kórház

“This hospital has been fully renovated.”

Ezt a kórházat teljeskörűen felújították.

In this sentence, ezt a kórházat means “this hospital,” “fully” translates to teljeskörűen (or teljesen informally), and “has been renovated” translates to felújították.

“Intersection” – kereszteződés

To draw someone’s attention to something dangerous on the road, use vigyázz in Hungarian. This translates to “watch out.”

“Watch out in the intersection!”

Vigyázz a kereszteződésben!

“Crosswalk” – zebra

“Watch out on the crosswalk!”

Vigyázz a zebrán!

“Traffic sign” – közúti jelzőtábla

“I don’t understand this traffic sign.”

Nem értem ezt a közútí jelzőtáblát.

In this sentence, “I don’t understand” means nem értem and “this traffic sign” means ezt a közúti jelzőtáblát.

4. In a Building

When in a building, you may need to know where the restroom, entrance, and exit are. Here are some words and example sentences you can use to ask.

“Restroom” – mosdó

“Where is the restroom?”

Hol van a mosdó?

“Entrance” – bejárat

“That’s the entrance.”

Az a bejárat.

“Exit” – kijárat

“I can’t find the exit.”

Nem találom a kijáratot.

If you think you could make use of knowing more core words, check out our list of 100 core words in Hungarian.

“Stairs” – lépcső

“Come up the stairs!”

Gyere fel a lépcsőn!

“Elevator” – lift

“I’m coming with the elevator.”

Lifttel jövök.

“Floor” – emelet

“The first floor.”

Az első emelet.

5. Must-know Phrases for Asking for Directions

There are some phrases you have to know by heart if you want to master asking basic directions in the Hungarian language. These include polite phrases to start the question and courtesy phrases to thank people for their help. Let’s see some examples!

1- “Excuse me…” – Elnézést…

“Excuse me, where is the entrance?”

Elnézést, hol van a bejárat?

In this sentence, “where is” translates to hol van and a bejárat means “the entrance.”

2- “May I ask…”  – Megkérdezhetem…

“May I ask where the exit is?”

 Megkérdezhetem, hogy hol van a kijárat?

3- “Where is the…?” – Hol van a/ az…?

“Where is the restroom?”

Hol van a mosdó?

4- “I can’t find the…” – Nem találom a/ az…

“I can’t find the parking lot.”

Nem találom a parkolót.

5- “Thank you.” – Köszönöm.

“Thank you for the flowers.”

Köszönöm a virágokat.

6- “I don’t understand.” – Nem értem.

“I don’t understand you.”

Nem értelek.

For more key phrases in Hungarian, check out our vocabulary list.

6. Must-know Phrases for Giving Directions

What if you want to master giving directions? It’s easy! 

In one of our articles about Hungarian introductions, we already mentioned how important it is to differentiate between the formal and informal ways of talking to people. When meeting strangers on the street, you shouldn’t start talking to them in an informal way. Thus, when giving or asking for directions, always aim to use formal forms, just like we will in the examples below.

1- “Go straight” – Menjen egyenesen

“Go straight on this street.”

Menjen egyenesen ezen az utcán.

In this sentence, ezen az utcán means “on this street.”

2- “Go back” – Menjen visszafelé

“Go back on this street.”

Menjen visszafelé ezen az utcán.

3- “Turn left” – Forduljon balra

“Then, turn left at the corner.”

Majd forduljon balra a sarkon.

In this sentence, “then” means majd and “at the corner” translates to a sarkon.

4- “Turn right” – Forduljon jobbra

“Turn right at the bus stop.”

Forduljon jobbra a buszmegállónál.

5- “On … floor” – A … emeleten

“It’s on the second floor.”

A második emeleten van.

For more numbers in Hungarian, please check out our vocabulary list.

6- “Stop” – Álljon meg

“Stop at the red house.”

Álljon meg a piros háznál.

7. Putting it all Together: Talking About Directions

Now you know all the most important words and expressions related to directions. Let’s see a short conversation to put it all together.

A: “Sorry, where can I find the elevator?” (Elnézést, hol találom a liftet?)

B: “Go straight and you’ll find it next to the shop.” (Menjen egyenesen és a bolt mellett lesz.)

A: “Thank you. Is the exit also nearby?” (Köszönöm. A kijárat is a közelben van?)

B: “No. It’s at the other side of the building.” (Nem, az az épület másik oldalán van.)

8. Conclusion: How HungarianPod101.com Helps You Master Hungarian

As you can see by now, basic directions in the Hungarian language aren’t difficult to master at all. If you want to master this beautiful language, it’s essential to go through these expressions and learn them all. After that, you’ll know how to ask and give directions in Hungarian and will never get lost on the streets for long. 

Learning about directions in Hungarian is fun. If you think you need more help, join the HungarianPod101 family and we’ll support you the whole way!

After reading all this, how do you say “The airport is in front of the bus stop” in Hungarian? Let us know! 🙂