Hungarian Language - Vocabulary Examples

Vocabulary Examples

Note: The stress is always placed on the first syllable of each word. The remaining syllables all receive an equal, lesser stress. All syllables are pronounced clearly and evenly, even at the end of a sentence, unlike in English.

• Hungarian (person, language): magyar
• Hello!:
  • Formal, when addressing a stranger: "Good day!": Jó napot (kívánok)! .
  • Informal, when addressing someone you know very well: Szia!
• Good-bye!: Viszontlátásra! (formal) (see above), Viszlát! (semi-informal), Szia! (informal: same stylistic remark as for "Hello!" )
• Excuse me: Elnézést!
• Please:
  • Kérem (szépen) (This literally means "I'm asking (it/you) nicely", as in German Danke schön, "I thank (you) nicely". See next for a more common form of the polite request.)
  • Legyen szíves! (literally: "Be (so) kind!")
• I would like ____, please: Szeretnék ____ (this example illustrates the use of the conditional tense, as a common form of a polite request; it literally means "I would like".)
• Sorry!: Bocsánat!
• Thank you: Köszönöm
• that/this: az, ez
• How much?: Mennyi?
• How much does it cost?: Mennyibe kerül?
• Yes: Igen
• No: Nem
• I do not understand: Nem értem
• I do not know: Nem tudom
• Where's the toilet?:
  • Hol van a vécé? (vécé/veːtseː is the Hungarian pronunciation of the English abbreviation of "Water Closet")
  • Hol van a mosdó? – more polite (and word-for-word) version
• generic toast: Egészségünkre! (literally: "To our health!")
• juice: gyümölcslé
• water: víz
• wine: bor
• beer: sör
• tea: tea
• milk: tej
• Do you speak English?: Beszél(sz) angolul? Note that the fact of asking is only shown by the proper intonation: continually rising until the penultimate syllable, then falling for the last one.
• I love you: Szeretlek
• Help!: Segítség!
• It is needed: kell
• I need to go: Mennem kell