Hungarian Grammar

Hungarian Grammar

Choose a module and progress lesson by lesson.

Phonetics and Word Formation Basics (Introduction)

This module is the foundation: Hungarian is agglutinative, so new forms are built by adding suffixes, and those suffixes follow strict sound rules.

Lessons 4

1. Hungarian Alphabet and Reading Rules
   
2. 1. General Rules
   Hungarian grammar basics: gender, sentence structure, tenses, and cases.
3. Vowel Harmony: The Most Important Sound Rule
   
4. Consonant Assimilation and Word Formation Basics
   

Nouns, Pronouns, and Simple Sentences

Lessons 4

1. Hungarian Articles: a/az and egy
   
2. Personal and Demonstrative Pronouns (én, te, ez, az, etc.)
   
3. Forming Plural Nouns and Adjectives (-k, -ok/-ek/-ök/-ak)
   
4. The Verb van / vannak: To Be and To Be Located
   

Module 3: Verbs and the Present Tense

The main challenge of Hungarian verbs is that they use two conjugation patterns depending on the object.

Lessons 5

1. Indefinite Verb Conjugation in the Present Tense
   
2. Definite Verb Conjugation in the Present Tense
   
3. The Special Ending -lak/-lek: I See/Love You
   
4. Special Verb Types: -ik Verbs and Verbs Ending in -s, -sz, -z
   
5. Irregular Verbs and Multi-Stem Verbs (megy, jön, eszik, iszik, tesz, vesz, van)
   

Module 4: Spatial and Directional Cases (Where? To Where? From Where?)

Hungarian has a rich system of spatial cases that show location and direction with suffixes.

Lessons 6

1. The Accusative Case: -t for the Direct Object (Kit? Mit?)
   
2. Where? (Hol?) - Location in One Place
   
3. To Where? (Hova?) - Motion Toward a Place
   
4. From Where? (Honnan?) - Motion Away From a Place
   
5. Spatial Postpositions (Névutók)
   
6. Big Practice: All Directions Together
   

Module 5: Expressing Possession (My, Your)

Hungarian has no exact equivalent of English 'have.' Instead, it uses possessive endings attached to the possessed object, plus dative constructions when needed.

Lessons 4

1. Personal Possessive Endings for Nouns (One Possessed Item)
   
2. Possessive Endings for Multiple Possessed Items (the -i Marker)
   
3. The Construction 'I Have...' (Nekem van / Nekem vannak)
   
4. Possessive Constructions with Two Nouns, such as 'the Teacher's Book'
   

Module 6: Past and Future Verb Tenses

This module helps you talk about events that already happened and plans for the future.

Lessons 3

1. Past Tense of Verbs (-t / -tt): Definite and Indefinite Conjugations
   
2. Future Tense of Verbs (fog + Infinitive)
   
3. Expressing Habitual Action with szokott
   

Module 7: Adjectives, Numbers, and Adverbs

This module teaches you to compare things, use numbers, tell time, and form adverbs that describe actions.

Lessons 4

1. Degrees of Comparison for Adjectives
   
2. Comparative Constructions with mint and -nál/-nél
   
3. Numbers and Telling Time
   
4. Forming Adverbs from Adjectives
   

Module 8: Verb Moods (Imperative and Conditional)

This module helps you give commands, ask for help or permission, and express wishes, polite requests, and conditional actions such as 'if I knew, I would do it.'

Lessons 4

1. The Imperative Mood (-j): Formation and Assimilation
   
2. Using the Imperative Mood
   
3. Present Conditional Mood (-na/-ne)
   
4. Past Conditional Mood with volna
   

Module 9: Verbal Prefixes and Verb-Derived Forms

Verbal prefixes and forms derived from verbs, such as infinitives, participles, and adverbial participles, make Hungarian extremely flexible. They often let one Hungarian word express what English needs a whole phrase to say.

Lessons 5

1. Functions of Verbal Prefixes: Completed Action and Change of Direction
   
2. Rules for Prefix Separation and Word Order
   
3. The Infinitive (-ni) and Personal Infinitive Forms
   
4. Present, Past, and Future Participles
   
5. Adverbial Participles (-va/-ve) and State Constructions
   

Module 10: Complex Verb Forms and Syntax

This module helps you express permission and possibility, talk about actions you have someone else do, such as getting your hair cut, and build complex sentences more fluently.

Lessons 3

1. Potential Verbs (-hat/-het): Permission and Possibility
   
2. Causative Verbs (-at/-et, -tat/-tet)
   
3. Conjunctions and the Structure of Complex Sentences