Hungarian grammar

LONDON
KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRÜBNER & CO. LTD
DRYDEN HOUSE, GERRARD STREET, W.
1909

Many people are under the wrong impression that Hungarian is a difficult language to learn. It is true that it is quite unrelated to any other European language, save the Finnish, being of oriental origin, and brought with them by the invading Hungarians into the country now known as Hungary, towards the end of the ninth century A.D.

Though the vocabulary, accordingly, may at first wear an air of strangeness, this strangeness does not mean difficulty, and we venture to say that Hungarian is easier for an English student than French or German. The most striking characteristics of the language are its use of suffixes, where in English pronouns and prepositions are employed, and the law of harmony prevailing between the vowel-sounds of a word and those of its suffixes.

When once these rules, and a few relating to the verb, are grasped, Hungarian will be found to present no great difficulty, and the impression that it is a hard language to learn must be regarded as due to the bad and complicated exposition usually met with in grammars designed to teach Hungarian.

A student who thoroughly masters this short and simple grammar will be well on the way to speaking and reading Hungarian, and to unlocking for himself the golden stores of Hungarian prose and poetry.

In the hope that this book may prove serviceable to any one visiting Hungary, we have added a vocabulary and a number of phrases in common use.

Vowels.

There are in Hungarian fourteen distinct vowel characters:— a, á; e, é; i, í; o, ó, ö, ő; u, ú, ü, ű.

Flats and Sharps never occur in the same word, and according as the vowels are of one or the other class the words are said to be sharp or flat, and only take suffixes of their respective class.

The Mediates may be found in the same word along with either flat or sharp vowels. Such words are called mixed, and take suffixes of either class.

Consonants.

These compound consonants must be looked upon as single letters, each representing a single and distinct sound or articulation, and cannot be divided in spelling or pronunciation.

If in a word the sound of a compound consonant is heard with greater stress, that is, where these letters are to be written doubly, they are thus abbreviated:—

But if these consonants meet only through the use of suffixes or the formation of compound words, they must be written out in full. Also, when a word is broken off at the end of a line, the missing letter is to be replaced.

The Hungarian language has no mute letters. Every character is to be pronounced distinctly and in full, always retaining the same sound, and each word has as many syllables as it contains vowels.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] This e is sometimes pronounced like e in men, especially in the case of words in which it occurs several times; e.g. engedelmes (pronounced angedalmash).

The definite article is used in many cases where it would not be used in English; for example, even after a demonstrative adjective, or where a pronoun precedes the noun.

The names of persons, towns, countries, months, and days do not take the article.

The indefinite article is much less frequently used in Hungarian than in English. It is not necessary to use egy before a noun if spoken of in general terms only.

egy must never be used before an adjective or noun used as a predicate. Thus—

Exercise I.

A piros virág. Az atya ir. A szép asszony. Ez a fiú. Ez a nagy ház. A jó emberek. Kutyát láttam. Csak egy kutyát láttam. Az az alma.

The swift horse. That brave man. I have eaten only one plum. I saw a beautiful garden. The mother is gentle. Roses are beautiful flowers.

FOOTNOTES:

[2] The names of months and days all begin with small letters. So do the names of towns and countries when used as adjectives.

These suffixes are joined to the root, which sometimes undergoes orthographical changes.

Place and direction are also indicated by means of postpositions, which, like the suffixes mentioned above, are equivalent to the prepositions of English grammar, but which, as their name indicates, follow the noun instead of preceding it.

Postpositions only differ from the suffixes which also indicate place and direction by being separate from the noun.

Number.

Rule.—The plural is formed by adding -k to nouns ending with a vowel, or -ak, -ok, -ek, or -ök to nouns ending with a consonant.

Nouns ending with a consonant preceded by á or é shorten these vowels in the plural, except those ending in -ság, -ség, -ás, or -és, and a few monosyllabic nouns.

If the final consonants of the last two syllables in polysyllabic nouns would admit of an easy pronunciation without the intervention of a vowel, the vowel of the last syllable is generally dropped in the plural. This contraction mostly takes place when the consonants m-r, k-r, k-l, or reversed, r-m, r-k, and l-k meet.

The following monosyllabic nouns ending with a vowel take v in the plural; some of them at the same time shorten their vowel:—

Note.—Nouns are always used in the singular when preceded by a numeral or any other word expressing quantity, and take the verb in the singular.

[9]

két ember (two men); sok fa (many trees).
három ember van a kertben, three men are in the garden.

Many nouns in Hungarian are used in the singular which are in English used in the plural; for example, the names of the various parts of the human body, and of articles of clothing, which occur in pairs—eyes, hands, gloves, boots, &c.

Szép szeme van, she has pretty eyes (literally, a pretty eye).
Fázik a kezem, my hands are cold (literally, my hand is cold).
Keztyűt, czipőt, vettem, I have bought gloves, shoes (literally, glove, shoe).

If one desires to say exactly the quantity bought, one may say, egy pár keztyűt, két pár keztyűt, &c., but if the quantity is not mentioned, it is sufficient to use the singular accusative, as in the above example. If the plural were used it would mean many pairs, and it would then be better to say how many.

It may be well here to point out how such a notion as “a pair of,” “a cup of,” “a pound of,” is expressed in Hungarian. The English “of” has no equivalent in Hungarian.

A pair of shoes	=	egy pár czipő (lit. a pair shoe).
A cup of coffee	=	egy csésze kávé (lit. a cup coffee).
A bottle of wine	=	egy üveg bor.
A kilogram of apples	=	egy kilogramm alma (lit. a kilogram apple).

In such cases, if the accusative case has to be used, it is only the second of the two nouns that takes the accusative ending -t (see below).

I have bought a bottle of wine

vettem egy üveg bor-t.

Collective nouns are used in the plural when several lots or quantities of the same genus are referred to, but in all other cases they are used in the singular. In Hungarian all generic names are collective nouns, as, for instance, the names of fruits, corn, vegetables, minerals, &c., and stand in the singular.

Exercise II.

A házak magasak és a kertek nagyok. A rigók madarak. A vetések zöldek. Az ökrök erősek. A tavak kékek. A hó fehér és hideg. A ló és a kutya házi állatok. A kertben sok szép virág van. Az emberek a kertben vannak.

Apples and pears are pleasant fruits. The dog and the cat are domestic animals. Many strong horses are in the stable. Three beautiful trees are in the garden. Dogs are faithful friends.

Cases of the Noun.

There are four cases:—Nominative, Genitive or Possessive, Dative and Accusative.

The Genitive.

(1) When the names of the possessor and the thing possessed are both mentioned the name of the possessor takes the suffix -nak for flat-sounding words and -nek for sharp-sounding words to indicate the possessive case.

At the same time the name of the thing possessed takes the personal suffix -a, -e or -ja, -je (see Chapter IV.).

The genitive with -nak, -nek, stands in an adjectival relation to the thing possessed. In Péternek kertje, Péternek is the attribute to kertje.

This construction, while grammatically correct, is somewhat cumbersome, and as a rule, when the possessive stands only as attribute to its object, it is not inflected, as the object is already inflected with the personal suffix, which expresses amply the relation between possessor and thing possessed.

Thus, Péter kert-je is more usual than Péter-nek kert-je; in fact, this construction is almost invariably employed.

VAN. VANNAK.

The Hungarian has no word corresponding to the English verb “to have,” but expresses possession by the [12]possessive case with the verb van, “is,” or other parts of the verb lenni, “to be.”

The form of the possessive with the verb van is called its subjective form, and is always to be translated into English by the nominative and the verb “to have.” With this construction, -nek or -nak must never be omitted if the name of the possessor is mentioned, while the thing possessed must always take the personal ending.

The other form, where it governs its object directly, that is, without van, is called its attributive form, and is to be rendered in English by the possessive case.

(2) When the name of the thing possessed is suppressed, the possessive case is indicated by the suffix -é or -éi; -é, if the thing possessed is a single object, -éi, when two or more objects are possessed.

This sentence in full would be: Az a ház az atyám háza, but háza is suppressed and the suffix -é is substituted for it.

This suffix -é or -éi is added to the plural if there are more than one possessor.

Exercise III.

A madarak dala szép. A fák lombja zöld. Péter háza és kertje nagy. A háznak sok ablaka van. Az ökrök járma erős. Jánosnak négy lova van. A rózsáknak édes illata van. Kinek a kertje ez? A szomszédé.

The scent of the flowers is pleasant. Whose are those fine horses? They belong to the king. The colour of the roses of that garden is lovely. That tall house belongs to Peter. The neighbour has a large garden.

The Dative.

The dative suffix is also -nak or -nek, which corresponds to the English “to” or “for.”

The Accusative.

The distinctive mark of the accusative, both in the singular and in the plural, is the ending -t.

(b) Substantives ending in j, l, if they are not monosyllables, ny, s (if preceded by a long vowel), dissyllables ending in sz and z, and monosyllables ending in r (except vár, a castle).

Rule 2. -t is preceded by a vowel in the case of words ending with a consonant.

In monosyllabic substantives containing a long or short a (excepting those covered by the preceding rule).

In monosyllables with a final l, or with another final consonant preceded by l or r.

In substantives having as their radical vowels ö, ő, ü, or ű, and not covered by the preceding rules.

Contraction.

The rule for contraction is the same in the case of the addition of the accusative ending as in that of the addition of the plural ending (see page 8).

Exercise IV.

Buzát adok a madaraknak. Képeket mutatok a gyermekeknek. Az ember vizet visz a lovaknak és az ökröknek. A hó takarót ad a földnek. A kert gyümölcsöt hoz a gazdának. A tónak a partja virágos és a vize tiszta. A kert füve zöld és fái magasak. Látok egy gazdaságot, két házat és három lovat. A munka díja nagy. A madarat a kertben látom.

The men have a beautiful garden. The king’s palace is an imposing building. I do not much admire the houses. Whose books are those? They belong to the student. I shall give this gun to the hunter. I like beautiful flowers.

In Hungarian, the function of the English possessive pronouns (my, thy, &c.) is performed by suffixes.

(A.) Where the Object possessed is Singular.

			Flat Words.	Sharp Words.
Sing.:	1st	person	-m	-m	my
	2nd	”	-d	-d	thy
	3rd	”	-ja	-je	his, hers, its
Plural:	1st	”	-nk	-nk	our
	2nd	”	-tok	-tek, tök	your
	3rd	”	-jok, juk	-jök, jük	their

When a word ends in a vowel these suffixes are added directly to the word, the vowels a and e being lengthened, as in the case of the formation of the plural.

In general, when a word ends with a consonant the j is omitted, but words ending in two different consonants usually retain the j.

(B.) Where the Objects possessed are more than one.

Words which contract before adding the plural endings, also contract when adding these personal suffixes.

Exercise V.

A házak ablakai fényesek és ajtói magasak. A gazdának hat lova, nyolcz ökre és tíz tehene van. Kié az eke és az ásó? A gazdáé. A hű és szorgalmas szolga bére nagy. Kertem gyümölcsei érettek. Az én kertem kisebb mint a barátomé. A körte íze kellemesebb mint az almáé. A mi atyánk idősebb mint a te atyád. A rózsa szine piros, a buzavirágé kék.

My father’s books are very interesting. The scent of the roses is pleasant. The colour of the rose is red. The farmer has many valuable horses. The flowers of my father’s garden are beautiful. Whose is that book? It belongs to my friend’s little boy.

FOOTNOTES:

[3] anya (mother), atya (father), and bátya (elder brother), drop the á in the third person singular and plural.

Where in English a preposition would be used, in Hungarian either a suffix, or a postposition (see next chapter) is employed.

(a) Suffixes indicating Place where.

(b) Suffixes answering the Question whither.

Other Suffixes.

All these suffixes can be used after plural or personal suffixes have already been added to a noun.

They can also themselves take the personal endings mentioned in the previous chapter.

Thus, instead of joining -ben (in) to the pronoun én (I), to express the notion “in me,” the personal suffix m (with the proper connecting vowel) is added to the prepositional [25]affix -ben: thus, “in me” becomes bennem, “in thee,” benned, &c.

These resemble the suffixes just enumerated, except in the circumstance that they are not joined to the noun, but stand after it as separate words.

Many have three forms, according as they answer the question When? Whither? Whence?

Other Postpositions.

The above postpositions do not necessitate any orthographical modification of the preceding substantive.

The following postpositions necessitate the addition to the substantives of the ending -n, -on, -en, or -ön.

The above postpositions (with the exception of gyanánt, [29]mulva, óta, közel, képest, fogva, nézve, együtt, át, belül, innen, keresztül, and túl) may, like the suffixes in the preceding chapter, take the personal endings.

alúl, belül, fölül, kívül, közel, and túl can take the suffix for direction -ról, ről (from), and they then mean from under, from within, &c.

Exercise VI.

A tehenek és lovak istállói tágasak és tiszták a gazdaságban. Magyarország hegyeiben sok ércz van. Atyánk uj könyvei a könyvtárban vannak. Hétfő helyett szerdán megyek el. A három közül ez a legszebb. A füst elszállt a tető fölől. A hirlap szerint a király megérkezett.

My father is in his garden, but will soon go into the house. The horses are in their stalls. The boys are coming out of school. The chimney fell down from the roof. Do not go to the shop without money. Flour is made into bread.

An adjective when declined is inflected in the same manner as a substantive. In forming the plural, however, the following exceptions occur.

Among adjectives are reckoned the participles of the [31]verb, which, when used as adjectives, are inflected like them.

Comparison of Adjectives.

The comparative is formed by adding -bb to adjectives ending in a vowel, or -abb, -ebb, or -obb, to those ending in a consonant.

After sibilants, which would admit the sound b to be heard without an intermediate vowel, often only -b is added to form the comparative, but it is preferable to use a connecting vowel, unless it is not desired to lengthen the word by a syllable, as, for instance, in poetry. It is correct, for example, to write magasb (higher), though magasabb is more usual.

When the comparative is used by itself as a substantive, it takes the affix -ik.

Cardinals.—These are declinable like other adjectives when the substantives which they qualify are not expressed.

They also form derivatives which answer the question: hányan (how many)? For instance: How many ran away? Hárman (= három-an, the o being dropped). The terminations of these derivatives are -an and -en, as, négy-en, öt-en.

egy = egyedűl (alone), and kettő = ketten, form their derivatives irregularly; három and ezer become contracted: hárman, ezren.

Száz (100), ezer (1000), and millió may be used as substantives and form plurals if the number of hundreds, &c., is indefinite; as, százak (hundreds), ezrek (thousands), milliók (millions). If, however, the number is stated, the singular must be used; as három száz (three hundred), tíz ezer (ten thousand).

Numerals

Ordinals.—These, like cardinals, are adjectives, and are declinable. They sometimes drop the ending -ik if another word is joined to them. This is not usually done, however, and occurs chiefly in words expressing age, as, másod-éves, in the second year; (“two years old” would be kétéves).

Ordinals form adverbs by dropping the ending -ik, and taking -szor or -szer instead. Első is irregular, but the rest are regular.

Fractionals are also adjectives and declinable, but they do not form adverbs. They may be used in the plural, as, negyedek (quarters); e.g. a negyedek nagyobbak mint a nyolcadok (quarters are larger than eighths). If however, these fractionals are preceded by another numeral, they must be used in the singular; as, három negyed (three-fourths).

These multiplicatives form adjectives by adding -es or -os. Kétszer-es, double; háromszor-os, triple, &c.

Other multiples, almost identical in meaning with kétszeres, háromszoros, &c., are:—

By adding -rétü to the cardinal numbers another kind of multiplicative is formed.

The Time.

The hours are expressed by the respective cardinal numbers, followed by the word óra (hour).

The half-hours and quarters are expressed by the suitable fraction, followed by the number of the next hour, which number may take the affix -ra, -re.

To ask the time, one says: Hány óra van? or, Hány az óra. (Hány = how much? how many?).

Exercise VII.

A liszt fehér, a czukor fehérebb és a hó a legfehérebb. A gazdag országok hatalmasak. A gondolat gyorsabb mint a villám. Atyám birtoka sokkal régibb mint a te atyádé. A kemény drágakövek a bányában vannak. A drágakövek nagyon kemények. Az utczában ötvenkét ház van. Negyedik⁠[5] Henrik német császár és Hetedik⁠[5] Gergely római pápa kortársak voltak. A gyümölcs egy harmada az enyém, két harmada bátyámé. Négy óra mult nyolcz percczel.

The richest men are not always the happiest. I see many lovely roses in your father’s garden. My friend’s house is much larger than this. There are seventeen houses in the street, and mine is the eleventh. I shall be at home at twenty-five minutes past six. The king’s palace is the largest building in Budapest.

FOOTNOTES:

[4] két, if followed by a substantive, and kettő, if standing by itself: két ember, two men; on the question, How many? kettő.

[5] When ordinals form part of a title, they precede the name.

1. Personal Pronouns.

The Possessive Pronoun.

This pronoun is not used attributively, like the English my, thy, &c., but predicatively, like mine, thine, &c.

The force of the English my, thy, &c., is usually given by the personal endings, as explained in Chapter IV.: as, for instance, a kalap-om, my hat; az atyá-d, thy father. But if stress is laid on the fact that an object is mine, thine, &c., then the simple pronoun én, te, &c., is placed before the substantive, which takes in addition the personal endings.

As there is no verb “to have” in Hungarian, the word van (vannak, &c.) is often used with nekem, neked, &c., to express possession (see page 11), the object possessed taking the personal endings.

2. Reflexive Pronouns.

These pronouns are inflected like substantives. They are sometimes used as equivalent to my own, thy own, &c., as, magam könyve, my own book; magad könyve, thy own book, &c. The object possessed, in such cases, always takes the third person singular personal ending, because [39]magam könyve, magad könyve, &c., strictly means my self’s book, thy self’s book, &c.

The reflexive pronouns may take the possessive suffix -é; as, a magam-é, mine.

Sometimes these pronouns are used to express solitude; as, magam vagyok, I am alone.

The Use of the Second Person.

In Hungarian, when speaking to one or more persons, the second person is only used among members of the same family or by intimate friends, or else in poetry.

In addressing strangers, instead of te, neked, &c., one must use ön or maga, maga being rather less formal than ön.

These are all in the third person, and take the verb in the third person, e.g. ön elmegy, you are going away.

Similarly the words nagyságod, sir or madam; nagysád, madam; méltóságod, nagyméltóságod, your excellency, while formally in the second person, always takes the verb in the third person, e.g. nagyméltóságod tudja, your excellency knows.

3. Relative Pronouns.

4. Interrogative Pronouns.

5. Demonstrative Pronouns.

emez, amaz, ezen, azon, ugyanezen and ugyanazon, are rarely used.

ezen, azon, stand before the substantive without the article, while ez and az are always followed by the article. Also, while ez and az are inflected like substantives, ezen and azon are incapable of inflection.

Before suffixes beginning with a consonant, ez and az change their final z into the first letter of such suffix; thus—

The suffixes -val, -vel, -vá, -vé, usually change their v into a letter like the final consonant of the word to which they are joined. When, however, they are combined with ez, az, either the v may change to z, or the z of the demonstrative to v. It is equally correct to write ezzel or evvel, azzal or avval.

6. Definite Pronouns.

7. Indefinite Pronouns.

Exercise VIII.

Ti már egészségesek vagytok, de ők még betegek. Csak neked mondom meg a titkot. Holnap délután várlak. Téged is kértelek, Ferenczet is. A tietek ez a kocsi? Nem a mienk, hanem barátunké. A réten sok tehén van, az enyéim mind fehérek, az övéik mind feketék. Árpád, aki Magyarországot elfoglalta, nagy hős volt. A könyvtár amelyben dolgozom, csendes. Géza és Béla ismerik egymást. Szerencsét kivánok önnek.

This book is not mine but yours. My garden is not so pretty as theirs. I have a pretty garden. Ilona and [42]her mother often write letters to each other. Everybody likes Ilona. Tell me what (ami) is true.

FOOTNOTES:

[6] Az, demonstrative, must be distinguished from az, the article. The demonstrative always stands before the article, and it is capable of inflection, while the article is not.

There are two Conjugations. They are called in Hungarian the ikes (pronounced ik-ash), having ik, and the iktelen, without ik, conjugations, because verbs belonging to the ikes conjugation have the termination ik in the third person singular present indicative, while those belonging to the iktelen conjugation have not.

The Hungarian verb has only one difficulty, and when the student has mastered that he will have very little trouble.

Every transitive verb has two forms, called the definite and the indefinite forms, according to whether the object is determinate, or more or less indefinite.

Irok is the indefinite form, because the object is not so clearly marked out.

The definite form is used when the object governed by [44]the transitive verb is a certain determinate object. For example:—

4. When the object of the sentence is a demonstrative pronoun, the third personal pronoun, or the reflexive pronoun, magam, &c.

But if, by a demonstrative, or by the article alone, we point to some particular man or men, we must use the definite form.

The indefinite is used when the object is an infinitive verb (such verb itself having no further object), or a relative pronoun.

IKTELEN VERBS.

All regular iktelen verbs whose vowels are flats (see page 2) are conjugated like vágni.

Imperfect Indicative.—This tense is never used now in prose, though it was so used formerly. It is occasionally to be met with in poetry.

Past Indicative.—This is equivalent to both the perfect and the preterite in English. Thus, vágtam means both “I have cut,” and “I cut.”

Future Indicative.—Instead of fogok (I will), with the infinitive, it is customary to use the present indicative with some adverb indicating futurity. Thus instead of holnap fogom vágni a tüzelő fát, it would be better to say holnap vágom a tüzelő fát, to-morrow I (shall) cut the firewood. Hamar elmegyek, I (shall) go soon.

There is no form of future perfect now in use. Its place is taken by either the present or the past tense, together with some adverb indicating futurity.

Subjunctive Mood.—A past tense of the subjunctive was formerly in use, formed from the past indicative followed by legyen, e.g. hogy vágtam legyen. This is never used now, its place being taken by the present subjunctive.

Infinitive.—The use of the infinitive with personal suffixes will be explained in the paragraph relating to the verb kelleni (page 59).

-ván, -vén, is used more frequently than -va, -ve, but only in cases similar to the above examples, where one clause is dependent on another.

Verbs with Sharp Vowels.

The rules of euphony which regulate nouns and their suffixes (see page 2), apply also to verbs and their endings.

Hence, while vágni, a “flat” word, gives vágok, vágom, &c., “sharp” words like verni (to beat), törni (to break), give verek, verem, &c., török, töröm, &c.

In this tense, as in the other tenses and moods, these verbs resemble vágni, except that as the vowel of the stem is a “sharp,” the vowel of the ending must also be a sharp.

IKES VERBS

Many ikes verbs are transitive, and such verbs, like those of the iktelen conjugation, have both the definite and indefinite forms.

The definite form of the ikes verbs is exactly the same as that of the iktelen verbs.

It will be noticed that it is only in the singular number that the indefinite form of the ikes verbs differs from that of the iktelen verbs; the first person always ending in m (thus resembling the definite form), and the second person in l, while the third person present indicative ends in ik.

Notes on the Verb in General.

The Passive Voice. — There is in Hungarian no passive voice, although certain grammarians attempted to introduce one. The only parts of the verb which have a passive significance are the past and future participles. Where, in English, we should say, “I am loved,” in Hungarian it is necessary to say “szeretnek engem” (they love me), or “valaki szeret engem” (one loves me).

Construction of First Person.—If the first person acts on the second person, the distinguishing termination of the verb will be, in all moods and tenses, -lak (for flat words), or -lek (for sharp words). Whereas “I see the dog” would be lát-om a kutyát, “I see thee” is lát-lak; “I saw thee,” látta-lak; “I love thee,” szeret-lek.

Verbs ending with s, sz, or z, double their final letter instead of taking a j in the imperative and subjunctive moods; also in the present indicative, definite form.

Verbs ending in t, preceded by i or a liquid consonant, take, in the imperative and subjunctive moods, an s instead of a j; as gyüjteni, to collect:—

Verbs ending in t preceded by a vowel other than i, and all causal verbs, change their final t into s in the imperative and subjunctive present tense, e.g. látni, to see.

In verbs ending in t, preceded by sz, the final t is dropped in the imperative and subjunctive, and sz is doubled, e.g. veszt-eni, to lose.

The Infinitive Ending.—If a verb ends in a double consonant, or a single hard consonant, that would not admit an easy pronunciation of the usual infinitive ending [53]-ni, this ending is joined to the stem by means of the vowel a or e.

In the case of such verbs, all inflections beginning with a consonant are joined to the verb by means of a vowel; e.g. hall-o-tt, not hall-t. The ending t in such cases is always doubled.

Compound Verbs.—Hungarian abounds with compound verbs, as well as with compound words in general. They are made by prefixing to the verb adverbs, postpositions, or affixes for place and direction, which modify the action expressed by the verb accordingly; as, venni, to take; el-venni, to take away; föl-venni, to take up; le-venni, to take down.

Formation of New Verbal Roots.—The Hungarian language forms new verbal roots by means of the addition of one or more syllables.

IRREGULAR VERBS

IMPERSONAL VERBS

Some impersonal verbs require to be constructed with either a dative or an accusative.

This verb need not be used impersonally. Thus, a person may say kellek, I am needed, but its most frequent use is an impersonal one.

kell, it is necessary; (or, kellett, it was necessary, fog kelleni, kellene, &c.) is constructed either with the simple infinitive, or with the infinitive with personal endings. Thus, one may say—

If the speaker is merely thinking of the necessity of some action, without referring it to any particular person, the infinitive with kell is alone used.

If the action is referred to some person, it is better to use the infinitive with personal endings, than such a construction as nekem kell irni.

Szabad (it is permitted), and lehet (it is possible), take a similar construction.

DEFECTIVE VERBS

Nincs must be translated by “have” or “has” when used with a noun or pronoun in the genitive case.

(2) Sincs, sincsen; plural: sincsenek, are contractions of sem (neither), and nincs, nincsen, or nincsenek.

(3) Jer (come thou along), jerünk (let us go), jertek (come you along), are the only forms of this verb.

Exercise IX.

Mindennap két órát sétálok. Másold le a költeményt a könyvből. Ha tudnám, hogy találkozom vele, várnék. A két művész zongorázni és hegedülni fog. Kérlek, ülj le. Álljatok fel, gyermekeim. Köszönjünk a vendégeknek. Anyám virágot hozat és koszorút köttet belőle. Tavaly két lovunk volt, a nyáron négy lesz.

I have written a long letter to my father. I told him what (amit) you said to me. He will be very angry, but I hope soon to conciliate him. Come into the garden. Sit here and drink a cup of tea. I would read to you if you would like it. Do not go out of the house. I am going for a walk until four o’clock.

FOOTNOTES:

[7] The regular ending is -t; e.g. várni (to wait for), which makes vár-t; but a connecting vowel often has to be used, and the -t is then doubled; e.g. ad-ni (to give) makes ad-ott.

[8] Note that the third person, present indicative, singular and plural, of sharp-sounding verbs takes -i, -ik, instead of -ja, -ják. In other tenses, however, sharp verbs resemble flat verbs.

1. Adverbs of Manner. These are mostly derived from adjectives, with the aid of the suffix -n, -an, -on, -en, -úl or -ül.

In connection with these adverbs must be mentioned the interrogative suffix -e, which is joined to words to mark a question; as, szép-e, esik-e.

This construction is only used, however, in dependent sentences (except in the case of ugy-e? Isn’t it so?).

The suffix -ig is used for both time and place, and has the force of until or as far as.

Comparison of Adverbs.

All adverbs derived from adjectives form their comparative and superlative by adding the adverbial ending to the comparative and superlative of the adjective from which they are derived: as—

Of primitive adverbs, some take both a comparative and a superlative, while some are lacking in either one or the other.

Inkább has no positive, but is used only in the comparative and superlative, in both cases expressing preference.

Exercise X.

Ha magyarul beszélsz, tisztán mondj ki minden hangot. Imre király nemesen győzte le öccsét, mikor ez álnokul támadta meg. “Jobb ma egy veréb, mint holnap egy túzok.” Nagyon sajnálom, hogy önök nem jöhetnek el. A dinnye belül piros, kivül zöld. A hangverseny tizenegy óráig tartott. Elkisérlek a sarokig. Szeretném tudni, eljösz-e? Ne lármázzatok! A katonák között a huszárok lovagolnak legszebben. Szent László mindig legelöl küzdött a csatában.

I like reading very much. You have come very late. I saw him yesterday, and hope to speak with him again to-morrow. Are you going far? As far as the bridge. When did you buy that horse? Tell me if he is a good one. You walk much more quickly than your elder brother. I would rather eat a pear.

(A.) Co-ordinating.

(B.) Subordinating.

FOOTNOTES:

[9] és is frequently abbreviated to s.

Exercise XI.

Az egri ütközetben nem a törökök győztek, hanem a magyarok. Nemcsak láttam a királyt, hanem beszélni is hallottam. Mátyás király soha sem haragudott az őszinte szóért, sőt még szerette is. A magyarok sem a latin sem a germán népekkel nem rokonok. Azért jöttem, hogy láthassalak. Habár késő ősz van, a napok derültek. A gazda örül mert kertjének fái sok gyümölcsöt hoztak. Jaj de hideg van! “Oh, ha látná, mily nyomorban élek” (Petőfi). Ejnye de szép lovak!

He is neither handsome nor clever. Not only were they not angry, but they were grateful. If they were rich they would buy a house, but since they are poor they must be content as they are. Pay at once, otherwise there will be trouble. Though you tell me this, yet there is still some uncertainty.

The Hungarian language has no grammatical gender. Names of males are masculine, and those of females are feminine.

To the name or title of a man the suffix -né is added to denote the wife of that person: as, Deákné, the wife of Deák; szinészné, the wife of an actor. If the lady were herself an actress, she might be called szinész (actor or actress); but usually the word nő (woman) is joined to it, and to similar words, to denote that the person spoken of is a woman; as, szinésznő, actress.

If a Christian name is mentioned as well as the surname, the ending -né is added, not to the surname, but to the Christian name.

It would not be correct form to address Mrs. Déri as Dériné simply, though one might speak of her so in the third person. In addressing an envelope to her some such word as nagyságos, or urnő (madam), must be used.

It is better, if possible, to add the Christian name of the husband in addressing a married woman.

In speaking to a lady the name is never mentioned. Instead of saying Mrs. or Miss So-and-so, some such word as asszonyom or nagysád (madam) must be used.

Asszonyom can only be used in addressing married women; nagysád can be used for either married or single.

In addressing a gentleman, it is customary to use his title or office, if he has one, e.g. titkár, secretary; tanár, professor; tanácsos, councillor; kapitány, captain, &c.

On an envelope: Nagyságos Győry Loránd miniszteri osztály tanácsos urnak (urnak is composed of ur, sir, and the suffix -nak, to).

The sex of animals is expressed by placing hím (male), or nőstény (female), before the respective name; as—

Those of the first class are called derivatives, and those of the second class compounds.

A derivative may take a further formative, in which case the derivative is called the primitive of the new word. In the following example each preceding word is the primitive or stem of the following derivative:—

This example shows how rich the Hungarian language is in its capacity for forming words and expressing the finer shades of meaning.

(e) Diminutives of substantives are formed by adding -ka, -ke, ocska, ecske, &c.

(d) Diminutives are formed by adding -s to adjectives ending with a vowel, or -es, -ás, -os to those ending with a consonant.

FOOTNOTES:

[10] ni is merely the infinitive ending.

As nouns and verbs have significant endings there is much greater freedom in the construction of sentences in Hungarian than in English. Thus we may say, Margit szereti Etelkát, or Etelkát szereti Margit, without altering or obscuring the sense of the words, which mean, Margit loves Etelka. The accusative ending -t clearly shows who is loved.

Again, Ilonát szeretik, or szeretik Ilonát, equally states that “they love Ilona,” for the plural ending of the verb shows that Ilonát is not its subject, while the accusative -t in Ilonát proves that Ilona is the object of the people’s affection.

Emphasis is expressed by the order in which words occur. Thus the above instance might be written, Szereti Etelkát Margit, if it is desired to lay stress on the fact of loving.

The general rule is that the word on which emphasis is laid immediately precedes the predicate, whether that predicate is a verb, or (as it may be in Hungarian) a substantive or an adjective.

If, in a sentence constructed in the present tense, the predicate is an adjective or a substantive, it follows the subject without any copula.

If, however, any such statement has reference to a past or future time, then the appropriate tense of the verb “to be” must be placed after the predicate.

The verb van (is), with its various parts, when used as a copula between subject and predicate, always stands immediately after the predicate. Thus, if in the above sentence the order of subject and predicate were changed, the sentence would run: szálló volt az épület.

The monetary unit is the korona = 10d., which is divided into 100 fillér.

Sundry Phrases.

Travelling.

At a Hotel.

At Meals.

At the Post-office.

Shopping.

Sightseeing.

Paying a Call.

Books and Stationery.

Specimen Letter engaging a Room.

1. Folyó
2. The current
1. hó
2. month
1. 15. én
2. on the 15th
1. Budapestre
2. to Budapest
1. érkezem
2. I arrive
1. a
2. by the
1. délután
2. afternoon
1. 4 órai
2. 4 o’clock
1. vonattal
2. train
1. a
2. at the
1. nyugati
2. west
1. pályudvaron.
2. railway station.
1. Kérem,
2. Please
1. gondoskodjék
2. take thought
1. számomra
2. on my behalf
1. bérkocsiról,
2. regarding a cab,
1. és
2. and
1. tartson fenn
2. reserve
1. egy
2. a
1. jó
2. good
1. de
2. but
1. nem
2. not
1. nagyon
2. very
1. költséges
2. expensive
1. hálószobát.
2. bedroom.
1. Két
2. Two
1. hétig
2. weeks
1. (néhány
2. (a few
1. napig)
2. days)
1. szándékozom
2. I intend
1. Budapesten
2. in Budapest
1. maradni,
2. to remain,
1. és
2. and
1. étkezésre
2. for meals
1. mindig
2. always
1. a
2. in the
1. szállóban
2. hotel
1. leszek.
2. will be.

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CHAP.		PAGE
I.	The Alphabet	1
II.	The Article	4
III.	The Noun	7
IV.	Personal Suffixes	18
V.	Suffixes for Place, Direction, &c.	22
VI.	Postpositions	26
VII.	The Adjective	30
VIII.	The Pronoun	37
IX.	The Verb	43
X.	The Adverb	62
XI.	Conjunctions	66
XII.	Interjections	68
XIII.	Gender	70
XIV.	Etymology	72
XV.	Syntax	75
XVI.	Days, Months, and Seasons	77
XVII.	Money, Weights, and Measures	78
XVIII.	Phrases	79
Hungarian-English Vocabulary		88
English-Hungarian Vocabulary		91

kalap (hat),	pl.	kalapok.
kert (garden),	”	kertek.

piros (red),	pl.	pirosak.
hideg (cold),	”	hidegek.

c	(or cz)	is pronounced like	ts	in	its,		e.g.	citrom,	a lemon
g	(hard)	” ” ”	g	”	go		”	galamb,	a dove
j	(soft)	” ” ”	y	”	you		”	jó,	good
s		” ” ”	sh	”	shoe		”	sas,	an eagle
h is always aspirated							”	három,	three
r is harder than in English, and is always vibrated, whether preceded or followed by a vowel						}	”	róka,	a fox
						}	”	ár,	price

fiaim	has	three	syllables,	and is pronounced	fi-a-im.
leányaié	”	five	”	” ”	le-ány-a-i-é.

a	as	o	in	rod,		e.g.	fal,	a wall
á	”	a	”	far		”	vár,	a castle
e⁠[1]	”	a	”	man		”	kerek,	round
é	”	a	”	pale		”	pénz,	money
i	”	i	”	piqué		”	piros,	red
í	”	ee	”	bee		”	ív,	an arch
o	”	o	”	fort		”	bor,	wine
ó	”	o	”	roll		”	ló,	a horse
ö	”	French eu	”	neuf		”	föld,	earth
ő	”	u	”	fur	}	”	bőr,	skin
ő	”	or French œu	”	sœur	}	”	bőr,	skin
u	”	u	”	bull		”	futni,	to run
ú	”	oo	”	pool		”	rút,	ugly
ü	”	French u	”	une		”	fül,	ear
ű	”	” ue	”	morue		”	tűz,	fire

cs	as	ch	in	church,		e.g.	csirke,	a chicken
ds	”	j	”	joke		”	findsa,	a cup
gy	”	d	”	dew		”	gyöngy,	a pearl
ly	”	y	”	you		”	ilyen,	such
ny	”	n	”	new		”	nyúl,	a hare
sz	”	s	”	so		”	szabó,	a tailor
ty	”	t	”	tune		”	tyúk,	a hen
zs	”	z	”	azure	}	”	zsir,	lard
	or French j in je				}	”	zsir,	lard

jobban	szeretem	a selymet	mint	a vásznat.
(better	do I like	silk	than	linen.)

Károly,	Charles
Magyarország,	Hungary
Európa,	Europe
Berlin,	Berlin
január,⁠[2]	January
hétfő,⁠[2]	Monday

a Duna,	the Danube
a Balaton,	Lake Balaton
a Kárpátok,	the Carpathians
a Gellérthegy,	Gellért hill

magyarországi,	Hungarian
angol,	English
berlini,	belonging to Berlin
német,	German

az ember,	az emberek,	az embernek,	az embereknek.
(the man)	(the men)	(to the man)	(to the men).

virág,	flower
atya,	father
ir,	writes
szép,	beautiful
nagy,	great
ház,	house
gyors,	swift
bátor,	brave
csak,	only
kutya,	dog
láttam,	I saw (or have seen)
anya,	mother
rózsa,	rose
magas,	high
szelid,	gentle
szilva,	plum

rigó	(thrush),	plural	rigók
ház	(house),	”	házak
kert	(garden),	”	kertek

	madár	(bird),	plural	madarak
	kerék	(wheel)	”	kerekek
But,	ritkaság	(rarity)	”	ritkaságok
	szépség	(beauty)	”	szépségek
	vágás	(a stroke)	”	vágások
	vetés	(a crop)	”	vetések

ez az alma;	az én fiam.
(this apple;)	(my son.)

egy angol,	an Englishman
egy német,	a German

fa	(tree),	pl.	fák
eke	(plough),	pl.	ekék

lélek	(soul),	plural	lelkek
ökör	(bull)	”	ökrök
járom	(yoke)	”	jármok

kő	(stone),	plural		kövek
lé	(juice)	”		levek
ló	(horse)	”		lovak
fű	(grass)	”		füvek
cső	(tube)	”		csövek
tó	(lake)	”		tavak
tő	(stem)	”		tövek
hó	(snow)	”		havak
mű	(work of art)	”		művek
szó	(word)	”	{	szavak	(consecutive words)
szó	(word)	”	{	szók	(disconnected words)

But,	a magyar	buzá-k		jobbak	mint	az oroszok.
	Hungarian	wheats	(are)	better	than	Russian.

zöld,	green
erős,	strong
kék,	blue
fehér,	white
házi,	domestic
állat,	animal
-ben, -ban,	in
körte,	pear
van,	is
vannak,	are
kellemes,	pleasant
gyümölcs,	fruit
macska,	cat
istálló,	stable
hű,	faithful
barát,	friend

Kinek a háza az?	Az atyám-é.
Whose house is that?	My father’s.
Kinek a házai azok?	Az atyám-éi.
Whose houses are those?	My father’s.[13]
Az a ház az atyám-é.
That house is my father’s.

Kinek a szobája ez?	A gyermek-ek-é.
Whose is this room?	The children’s.
Kinek a szobái ezek?	A gyermek-ek-éi.
Whose are these rooms?	The children’s.

dal,	song
lomb,	foliage
ablak,	window
négy,	four
édes,	sweet
illat,	scent
szomszéd,	neighbour
szép,	fine, beautiful
szín,	colour
gyönyörű,	lovely

férfi	(man),	acc.	férfit
rózsa	(rose)	”	rózsát
kefe	(brush)	”	kefét
erdő	(wood)	”	erdőt

zörej	(noise),	acc.	zörejt
asztal	(table)	”	asztalt
leány	(girl)	”	leányt
kár	(damage)	”	kárt
hús	(meat)	”	húst
vadász	(huntsman)	”	vadászt
vitéz	(warrior)	”	vitézt

száj	(mouth),	acc.	szájat
váz	(skeleton)	”	vázat
vaj	(butter)	”	vajat

narancs	(orange),	acc.	narancsot
kalap	(hat)	”	kalapot

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Hungarian grammar

TRÜBNER’S SIMPLIFIED GRAMMARS OF THE PRINCIPAL ASIATIC AND EUROPEAN LANGUAGES

PREFACE

CONTENTS

HUNGARIAN GRAMMAR

CHAPTER I THE ALPHABET

Vowels.

Consonants.

FOOTNOTES:

CHAPTER II THE ARTICLE

Exercise I.

FOOTNOTES:

CHAPTER III THE NOUN

Number.

Exercise II.

Cases of the Noun.

The Genitive.

VAN. VANNAK.

Exercise III.

The Dative.

The Accusative.

Contraction.

Exercise IV.

CHAPTER IV PERSONAL SUFFIXES

(A.) Where the Object possessed is Singular.

(B.) Where the Objects possessed are more than one.

Exercise V.

FOOTNOTES:

CHAPTER V SUFFIXES FOR PLACE, DIRECTION, ETC.

(a) Suffixes indicating Place where.

(b) Suffixes answering the Question whither.

(c) Suffixes answering the Question whence.

Other Suffixes.

CHAPTER VI POSTPOSITIONS

Other Postpositions.

Exercise VI.

CHAPTER VII THE ADJECTIVE

Comparison of Adjectives.

Numerals

The Time.

Exercise VII.

FOOTNOTES:

CHAPTER VIII THE PRONOUN

1. Personal Pronouns.

The Possessive Pronoun.

2. Reflexive Pronouns.

The Use of the Second Person.

3. Relative Pronouns.

4. Interrogative Pronouns.

5. Demonstrative Pronouns.

6. Definite Pronouns.

7. Indefinite Pronouns.

Exercise VIII.

FOOTNOTES:

CHAPTER IX THE VERB

IKTELEN VERBS.

Verbs with Sharp Vowels.

IKES VERBS

Notes on the Verb in General.

IRREGULAR VERBS

IMPERSONAL VERBS

DEFECTIVE VERBS

Exercise IX.

FOOTNOTES:

CHAPTER X THE ADVERB

Comparison of Adverbs.

Exercise X.

CHAPTER XI CONJUNCTIONS

(A.) Co-ordinating.

(B.) Subordinating.

FOOTNOTES:

CHAPTER XII INTERJECTIONS

Exercise XI.

CHAPTER XIII GENDER

CHAPTER XIV ETYMOLOGY

FOOTNOTES:

CHAPTER XV SYNTAX

CHAPTER XVI DAYS, MONTHS, AND SEASONS

CHAPTER XVII MONEY, WEIGHTS, AND MEASURES

CHAPTER XVIII PHRASES

TRÜBNER’S SIMPLIFIED GRAMMARS OF
THE PRINCIPAL ASIATIC AND
EUROPEAN LANGUAGES

CHAPTER I
THE ALPHABET

CHAPTER II
THE ARTICLE

CHAPTER III
THE NOUN

CHAPTER IV
PERSONAL SUFFIXES

CHAPTER V
SUFFIXES FOR PLACE, DIRECTION, ETC.

CHAPTER VI
POSTPOSITIONS

CHAPTER VII
THE ADJECTIVE

CHAPTER VIII
THE PRONOUN

CHAPTER IX
THE VERB

CHAPTER X
THE ADVERB

CHAPTER XI
CONJUNCTIONS

CHAPTER XII
INTERJECTIONS

CHAPTER XIII
GENDER

CHAPTER XIV
ETYMOLOGY

CHAPTER XV
SYNTAX

CHAPTER XVI
DAYS, MONTHS, AND SEASONS

CHAPTER XVII
MONEY, WEIGHTS, AND MEASURES

CHAPTER XVIII
PHRASES

gyermek	(child),	acc.	gyermeket
vitézség	(bravery)	”	vitézséget

fül	(ear),	acc.	fület
föld	(earth)	”	földet
völgy	(valley)	”	völgyet

ezüst	(silver),	acc.	ezüstöt
füst	(smoke)	”	füstöt
köd	(fog)	”	ködöt

lélek	(soul),	plural,	lelkek,	acc.	lelket
dolog	(task)	”	dolgok,	”	dolgot

Nom.	a házak
Gen.	a házak-é
Dat.	a házak-nak
Acc.	a házak-at

kép,	picture
mutatok,	I show
víz,	water
visz,	carries
ad,	gives
munka,	work
látok, látom,	I see
palota,	palace
tekintélyes,	imposing
épület,	building[17]
takaró,	a covering
hoz,	brings
gazda,	farmer
gazdaság,	farm
part,	shore
virágos,	flowery
nem,	no, not
nagyon,	much
bámulom,	I admire
tanuló,	student
fogom adni,	I shall give
puska,	gun
tiszta,	clean, pure

atyá-m,	my father	atyá-nk,	our father
atyá-d,	thy father	atyá-tok,	your father
aty(á)-ja,	his or her father⁠[3]	aty(á)-juk,	their father⁠[3]

eké-m,	my plough	eké-nk,	our plough
eké-d,	thy plough	eké-tek,	your plough
eké-je,	his or her plough	eké-jük,	their plough

láb	(foot)	lába	lábuk
bér	(wages)	bére	bérük
szív	(heart)	szive	szivük
toll	(feather)	tolla	tolluk
orr	(nose)	orra	orruk

föld	(ground)	földje	foldjük
kert	(garden)	kertje	kertjük
domb	(hill)	dombja	dombjuk
rojt	(fringe)	rojtja	rojtjuk