Граматична тема

Forming Adverbs from Adjectives

Adverbs answer Hogyan? (“How?”) and describe an action. In Hungarian, they are often formed from adjectives with two main suffix groups.

1. -n / -an / -en / -on / -ön: the most common adverb suffix
Most adjectives become adverbs by adding one of these suffixes.

• olcsó (cheap) -> olcsón (cheaply)
• okos (smart) -> okosan (smartly)
• szép (beautiful) -> szépen (beautifully)
• lassú (slow) -> lassan (slowly; irregular because the final ú disappears)

2. -ul / -ül: languages and states
This suffix is especially common when saying what language someone speaks. It is also used with some other words.

• magyar (Hungarian) -> magyarul (in Hungarian)
• angol (English) -> angolul (in English)
• rossz (bad) -> rosszul (badly)

Comparing adverbs
Adverbs form comparatives with the same logic as adjectives, but the adverb ending comes at the very end: stem + -bb + -an/-en.

• gyorsan (quickly) -> gyorsabban (more quickly) -> leggyorsabban (most quickly)
• jól (well) -> jobban (better) -> legjobban (best)
• sokan (many people) -> többen (more people) -> legtöbben (the most people)

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Reading Practice

• A lány nagyon szépen énekel. [The girl sings very beautifully.]
• A fiú gyorsan fut a parkban. [The boy runs quickly in the park.]
• Te nagyon jól beszélsz magyarul. [You speak Hungarian very well.]
• Péter ma rosszul érzi magát. [Péter feels bad today.]
• Ki fut a leggyorsabban? [Who runs the fastest?]
• Kérlek, beszélj egy kicsit lassabban! [Please speak a little more slowly!]
• Ő tanul a legjobban az osztályban. [He studies the best in the class.]