Hungarian Compound-Words

When it comes to putting words together, you can observe that the various nations think differently about certain aspects of an object or an action. For a Hungarian one feature is more important than it is for other nations, and the opposite of it is also true.

Note that the first member of a Hungarian compound-word is sometimes turned into an adjective, which is not always the case in English.

Hungarian Word – English Equivalent > Literal Translation

  1. kézfej – back of the hand > kéz+fej = hand+head
  2. lábfej – foot >láb+fej = foot+head
  3. szemüveg – a pair of glasses > szem+üveg = eye+glass
  4. tollbamondás – dictation > tollba+mondás = into pen+saying
  5. ékszer – jewel > ék+szer = ornament/decoration+tool
  6. mosószer – detergent > mosó+szer=washing+chemical
  7. gyógyszer – medicine > gyógy+szer = curing+chemical
  8. rendőr – police officer > rend+őr = order+guard
  9. tűzoltó – fireman > tűz+oltó = fire+extinguisher
    >>this word can mean the fireman and the tool to put out the fire with
  10. gördeszka – skateboard > gör-+deszka = rolling+board
  11. ágynemű – bed linen > ágy+nemű = bed-kind
    >>nemű means sort of, belonging to, -kind, -type
  12. ágytál – bedpan > ágy+tál = bed+bowl
  13. kémcső – test tube > kém+cső = spying/watching+tube
  14. távcső – telescope > táv+cső = distance/remote+tube
  15. hőkép – infrared image > hő+kép = heat+image
  16. kézfogás – handshake > kéz+fogás = hand+grip
  17. épületegyüttes – a block of buildings > épület+együttes = building+group
  18. zenekar – orchestra > zene+kar = music+choir
  19. kukásautó – garbage truck > kukás+autó = garbage+car
  20. számítógép – computer > számító+gép = computing+machine
  21. repülőgép – airplane > repülő+gép = flying+machine
  22. nyaklánc – necklace > nyak+lánc = neck+chain
  23. lelkiismeret – conscience > lelki+ismeret = soul+knowledge
  24. hűtőszekrény – refrigerator >hűtő+szekrény = cooling+cupboard
    >>or cooling wardrobe/closet. You decide! 🙂
  25. ablaktörlő – windscreen wiper > ablak+törlő = window+wiper
  26. visszapillantó tükör – rear-view mirror > visszapillantó+tükör = backglancing+mirror
  27. izomkolosszus – jock > izom+kolosszus = muscle+giant
  28. háromajtós szekrény – beefy/muscular man > háromajtós+szekrény = triple-door+wardrobe 🙂
  29. égbolt – firmament > ég+bolt = sky+arch
  30. tűlevél – pine needle > tű+levél = needle+leaf
  31. nyakkendő – necktie > nyak+kendő = neck+cloth
  32. hüvelykujj – thumb, big toe > hüvelyk+ujj = inch+finger
  33. éjjeli szekrény – bedside table > éjjeli szekrény = night closet
  34. személyi igazolvány – identity card > személyi igazolvány = personal certificate
    >>igaz – true/real; igazol – to identify, to certify; igazolvány – certificate
  35. szempilla – eyelashes > szem+pilla = eye+glancer
    >>the verb pillant (to blink) comes from pilla
  36. tépőzár – velcro > tépő+zár = tearing+lock
  37. gombostű – pin > gombos+tű = button+needle
  38. esernyő – umbrella > esó+ernyő = rain+shade
    >>eső is shortened as ‘es’ for easier pronunciation
  39. ejtőernyő – parachute > ejtő+ernyő = dropping+umbrella
    >>ernyő itself can mean umbrella, screen, shade
  40. zuhanyrózsa – shower head > zuhany+rózsa = shower+rose
    >>due to the form of the shower head
  41. melltartó – bra > mell+tartó = breast+holder
  42. lábujj – toe > láb+ujj = foot+finger
  43. pénztárca – purse, wallet > pénz+tárca = money+holder/case
  44. belváros – downtown > bel+város = inner+town
    >>külváros – suburb >kül+város = outer+town
  45. röppálya – trajectory > röp+pálya = flying+path
    >>röp is the root for repül, röpül – to fly
  46. úszógumi – rubber ring > úszó+gumi = swimming+rubber
  47. továbbképző tanfolyam – refresher course > továbbképző+tanfolyam = further training+course
  48. fényszóró – search light, headlights > fény+szóró = light+spreader/scatterer
  49. vagyontárgy – property, asset > vagyon+tárgy = fortune/property object
  50. államcsíny – coup d’etát > állam+csíny = state+trick/prank

There are also some peculiar words that cannot be translated literally:

lábbeli – footwear > láb+-beli = belonging to foot
>>the suffix -beli is kind of equivalent to ‘belonging to something’

fülbevaló – ear ring > fülbe+való = tool belonging into ear
>>való also refers to ‘belonging’ just as -beli, but it is not a suffix

fehérnemű – underwear > fehér+nemű = a white kind of clothing
>>the word ‘nem’ has a couple of meanings: gender; no; sort of
(see ágynemű above)

 

Hungarian words reverse-engineered

A linguist, Dr. Gyula Lónay, wrote a book with the title A magyar nyelv misztériuma (the mystery of the Hungarian language). In his work he tried to describe the origin of the Hungarian words going back to the ancient times when there was nothing but nature around our people. The only reference they had so that they could create new words was nature. He postulates that R, S, K, T, M, P and H were the first sounds humans managed to pronounce. These seven sounds had the following meanings:

R > meanings: Lord, God, sublimity, ”height” / variations: L, J
S > meanings: unity, unification; separation; former connection / variations: SZ, Z, ZS, CS, C
K > meanings: stone, hardness; continuity – multitude, plularity (as the parts of a split stone fly apart and there is a great number of splits); diminution / variations: G, GY; C
T > meanings: place; nailed down to something / variations: D, GY, C, Z
M > meanings: mother earth / variations: N, NY
P > meanings: height, something up there / variations: B, F, V
H > meanings: soul, habit, intimate; hole space / one variation: K

Side note: G has the characteristic of gathering, being one. SZ shows a certain tendency for separation. L expresses life many times in our words.

Lets see a couple of examples for root words and their meanings:

B-R > water moving uninterruptedly

LáB leg, foot; as water flows, our legs brings us continuously where we want to.
TaLP sole; same as LáB
BéRC crag, peak; a place where water flows
BéR salary; a certain equalization effect of water
BíRó judge; same as BéR
BoRul > primary meaning: to be covered. Like water covers the river bed.
BuRkol to cover; same kind of meaning as BoRul
BeRek mountain; a place where water flows (see: BéRC)
öBöL bay
BáLna whale; B-L refers to water and N in na refers to mother earth as a variations of M > the mother of water.

P-S > water that lets something in; expresses a certain type of continuity as water flows in rivers. The meaning can be literal and figurative.

PiSil to pee
PaCSkol to splash
PoCSolya puddle
SzoP to suck
SeB wound: original meaning is to flow

The opposite of this root is S-P with consonant alterations like:
CsaP tap; a tap capture the water and holds it in a certain path
CsaPda trap; as humans used smaller bays to capture fish
CiPő shoes; it brings/conducts you somewhere
PaPuCS slipper; same as CiPő
BoSSZú revenge > original meaning: the equalizing effect of water

P and its variations: refers to height

Fa tree
FáRaó pharao > F = height, R = Lord
PaLoTa palace > P = height, L = Lord; T = place >> place of Lord up there, very high
éPüL to be constructed > P = height, L = Lord >> something constructed upwards

K and its variations: refers to plurality, continuity, diminution and hardness

stone
éK wedge > opposite of Kő; if you split a stone, it can be a wedge
Kemény hardness
tálCa tray > diminutive suffix for tál-bowl

Of course, K is the suffix for expressing plurality: házaK houses, erdőK forests

M and its variations: refers to mother earth

MaMa mom
aNYa mother
woman
NéNe aunt

MaG seed > M = mother earth, G = together, one >> something is one in mother earth

SZ and its variations: separation

aSSZoNY woman > SZ – separation, NY – mother earth >> in our context a woman is different/separated from men
SzüL to bear > SZ – child separates from mother, L – Life

It would be a long list to write every words, so I will continue with words that were fundamental to our ancestors. It should be also noted that our words are built up like this:

sounds create source words
>
source words create primary words
>
primary words create secondary words

sounds P-N > source words NaP (sun) > primary word PiNce (cellar) > secondary word PiNcér (waiter)

The cellar is related to the sun because that is where life comes from. Food is stored in the cellar and food is what keeps us alive. So the primary word is related to the source word. However, the secondary words has nothing to do with the source word. It is derived from the primary as needed.

P-N variations:

FeNN up
FeNYő pine > a tree is shooting upwards as it grows (English kept that meaning, too P-N=PiNe)
FéNY light > comes from God, from very high
FőNök boss > a man leading in a hierarchy

So much for now. I will try to write more. Bye 🙂

Charlie Chaplin: Dictator Speech

Charlie Chaplin: Egy zsarnok beszéde

1. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business.

I’m sorry – Sajnálom
but – de
I don’t want – nem akarok
to be – lenni
an Emperor – uralkodó
That’s not – Az nem
my business – az én dolgom

Sajnálom, de nem akarok uralkodó lenni. Az nem az én dolgom.

2. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone.

I don’t want – nem akarok
to rule – uralkodni + -n, -on, -en, -ön
or – vagy
conquer – meghódítani + -t accusative case
anyone – senki

Nem akarok senkin uralkodni vagy meghódítani.
>the verb uralkodni requires the suffix -n = uralkodni valakin. The verb meghódítani takes the accusative case -t = meghódítani valakit. In this case anyone is in negation, so Hungarian says senki. As uralkodni precedes meghódítani, it is enough to say senkin uralkodni. It is obvious for a Hungarian that meghódítani requires -t and not -n.

3. I should like to help everyone if possible- Jew, Gentile, black men, white.

I should like to – szeretnék
help – segíteni + -n, -on, -en, -ön OR -nak, -nek
everyone – mindenki
if possible – ha lehetséges, lehetőleg, ha lehet
Jew – zsidó
Gentile – nem zsidó
black men – feketék
white – fehér

Segíteni szeretnék mindenkinek, ha lehetséges: zsidónak, nem zsidónak, feketének, fehérnek.
>the verb segít requires the suffix -n or -nak, -nek unlike in English. When listing Jew, Gentile, etc., you can make them plural or leave them in singular form, but keep it consistent. You can also say zsidóknak, nemeseknek, feketéknek, fehéreknek. In this case, the singular form is more powerful as it clearly refers to people as a whole.

4. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that.

We all – mi mind, mi mindannyian, mi mindnyájan
we want – akarunk
to help – segíteni + -n, -on, -en, -ön OR -nak, -nek
one another – egymás
Human beings – az emberek
are like that – ilyenek.

Mi mindannyian segíteni akarunk egymáson. Az emberek ilyenek.

5. We want to live by each others’ happiness, not by each other’s misery.

We want – akarunk
to live – élni
by each other’ happiness – egymás boldogságában
misery – nyomorúság

Egymás boldogságában akarunk élni, nem egymás nyomorúságában.
>English says by each other, but it is a better Hungarian translation if we say -ban, -ben: boldogságában, nyomorúságában.

6. We don’t want to hate and despise one another.

We don’t want – Nem akarjuk
to hate – utálni + -t accusative case
to despise – megvet + -t accusative case
one another – egymás

Nem akarjuk utálni és megvetni egymást.
>We translate We don’t want as nem akarjuk because it refers to somebody definite: egymást. Nem akarunk would be incorrect.

7. In this world there is room for everyone and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone.

In this world – A világon
there is room for – jut hely…-nak, -nek
everyone – mindenki
and – és
the good earth – a jó Föld, a jóságos Föld
is rich – gazdag
can – -hat, -het; képes; tud
provide for – gondoskodik …-ról, -ről
everyone – mindenki

A világon mindenkinek jut hely és a jó Föld gazdag, gondoskodik mindenkiről.
>There is no need to say Ezen a világon because we know that we live on this planet. It is enough to say A világon. It is not necessary that we translate the modal verb can. It sounds more powerful without -hat, -het. It is my opinion. It is a matter of what the translator thinks is the better solution.

8. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.

The way of like – Az életünk, az életmódunk
can be – lehet
free – szabad
beautiful – gyönyörű
but – de
to lose the way – eltéved; eltévelyedik; rossz irányba megy

Az életünk szabad és gyönyörű lehet, de rossz irányba megyünk.

9. Greed has poisoned men’s souls; has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed.

Greed – kapzsiság
to poison – megmérgez
men – az ember, az emberek
soul – lélek
to barricade – elbarikádoz + -t accusative case
the world – a világ
with – -val, -vel
hate – gyűlölet
to goose-step – díszlépésben megy; in this case: díszlépéssel vezet
misery – nyomorúság
bloodshed – vérontás

A kapzsiság megmérgezte az ember lelkét, gyűlölettel barikádozta el a világot, díszlépéssel vezetett minket a nyomrúságba és vérontásba.

10. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in: machinery that gives abundance has left us in want.

To develop – kifejleszt
speed – sebesség
but – de; mégis
to shut in – bezár
machinery – gépezet; gépek
that – mely
to give – ad; szolgáltat
abundance – bőség
to leave – hagy
want – szükség, nélkülözés

Növeltük a sebességet, mégis bezárkóztunk; a gépek, melyek bőséget szolgáltatnak nélkülözésbe taszítottak minket.
>It sounds much better to write növeltük a sebességet-we have increased than kifejlesztettük-we have developed. Machinery is better translated as gépek, than gépezet because it expresses that mankind is already using machines everywhere. The verb to give-ad sounds better if we say szolgáltat + -t = to provide with. The verb to leave-hagy is weak in Hungarian in this context, so it is not incorrect to translate it as taszít-to push.

11. Our knowledge has made us cynical; our cleverness, hard and unkind.

Our – (a mi)…-unk, -ünk
knowledge – tudás
to make sy sg – tesz valakit valamivé/valamilyenné
us – minket
cynical – cinikus
cleverness – okosság, ügyesség
hard – szigorú
unkind – faragatlan

Tudásunk cinikussá tett minket. Okosságunk szigorúvá és faragatlanná.

12. We think too much and feel too little.

We think – gondolkozunk
too much – túl sok; túl sokat
to feel – érez
too little – túl kevés, túl keveset
Túl sokat gondolkozunk és túl keveset érzünk.
>In this case gondolkozik és érez requires the suffix -t for túl sok and túl kevés.

13. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness.

More than – …helyett inkább
to need – szükség van …-ra, -re; kell valakinek
humanity – emberség
kindness – kedvesség
gentleness – gyengédség

A gépek helyett inkább emberség kell. Az okosság helyett inkább kedvesség és gyengédség.
>If we simply say kell for to need, it is more powerful in this case.

14. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.

Without – nélkül
these – ezek; ezen
quality – tulajdonság
life – élet
will be – lesz; válik valamivé
violent – erőszakos
all – minden
will be lost – elveszik

Ezen tulajdonságok nélkül az élet erőszakossá válik és minden elvész.
>The demonstrative pronoun ez is ezek in plural form. In this case, we should repeat it like ezek nélkül a tulajdonságok nélkül. To avoid that and make the translation more elevated, we can use a more elegant form ezen, so we do not need to repeat it: ezen tulajdonságok nélkül.

15. The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together.

Aeroplane – repülőgép
radio – rádió
to bring – hoz
us – minket
closer – közelebb
together – egymás

A repülőgép és a rádió közelebb hozott minket egymáshoz.
>the verb hoz-bring takes -hoz, -hez,- höz. That is why: egymáshoz.

16. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in man, cries out for universal brotherhood, for the unity of us all.

The very nature of – …-nak, -nek a természete; in this case> természetüknél fogva
these inventions – ezen találmányok
to cry out for – kiált …-ért
goodness – jóság
in man – az emberben lévő
universal – egyetemes
bortherhood – testvériség
unity – egység
of us all – mindannyiunk

Ezen találmányok természetüknél fogva az emberben lévő jóságért kiált, egyetemes testvériségért, mindannyiunk egységéért.
> We do not need to repeat cries out for-kiált…-ért. It gives more kick if we do not repeat it.

17. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women, and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.

Even now – most is (éppen)
my voice – hangom
to reach – elér + -t accusative case
millions – milliók; milliókat
throughout the world – világszerte
millions of – milliónyi
despairing – kétségbeesett
men, women, little children – férfi, nő, kisgyermek
victim – áldozat
system – rendszer
that – amely
to make sy torture – kínoz
to imprison – bebörtönöz, börtönbe vet
innocent – ártatlan
people – ember; emberek

Hangom most is milliókat ér el világszerte; milliónyi kétségbeesett férfit, nőt és kisgyermeket. Egy olyan rendszer áldozatait, amely kínozza őket és ártatlanokat vet börtönbe.

18. To those who can hear me, I say “Do not despair.”

To those who – Azokhoz szólok, akik
can hear – hall
me – engem
I say – WE DO NOT NEED TO TRANSLATE IT
Do not despair – Ne csüggedjetek

Azokhoz szólok, akik hallanak engem: ne csüggedjetek!
>The literal Hungarian translations is: I am speaking to those who can hear me: do not despair. That is why I did not translate I say.

19. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress.

misery – nyomorúság
that – amely
is now upon us – literally: rajtunk van. I translate is as: minket sújt – afflicts us
but – de; in this case csupán OR nem több, mint
passing – múló mivolta
greed – kapzsiság
bitterness – keserűség
who – aki; akik
to fear sg – fél …-tól, -től
human progress – emberi fejlődés; az emberek/az emberiség fejlődése

A nyomorúság, amely minket sújt csupán a kapzsiság múló mivolta, olyan emberek keserűsége, akik félnek az emberiség fejlődésétől.

20. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people.

hate – gyűlölet
to pass – elmúlik
dictator – diktátor, zsarnok
to die – meghal
power – hatalom
to take from – elvesz…-tól, -től
to return – visszatér
Az emberek gyűlölete elmúlik, a zsarnokok meghalnak. A hatalom, melyet elvettek az emberektől, ismét az embereké lesz.

21. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.

so long as – amíg
to die – meghal
liberty – szabadság
never – soha
to perish – elpusztul

És amíg az emberek meghalnak, a szabadság soha nem pusztul el.

22. Soldiers! Don’t give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you and enslave you; who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel. Who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder.

Soldier – katona
to give – ad; in this case: odavet
yourselves – magatok; magatokat
brute – fenevad
to despise – megvet + -t accusative case
to enslave – rabigába dönt, szolgasorba taszít
to regiment – vezényel
life – élet
to tell – megmond
what to do, what to feel and what to think – in this case: mit csináljatok, mit érezzetek, mit gondoljatok
to drill – kiképez
to diet – in this case:éheztet
to treat – bánik valakivel valahogyan/mint
cattle – marha, jószág; in this case: állatok
to use as – használ valamiként/valaminek
cannon fodder – golyó fogó

Katonák! Ne vessétek oda magatokat fenevadaknak; embereknek, akik megvetnek és rabigába döntenek; akik vezénylik az életeteket; megmondják, hogy mit csináljatok, mit érezzetek, mit gondoljatok. Akik kiképeznek és éheztetnek; állatként bánnak veletek, golyó fogónak használnak.

23. Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men—machine men with machine minds and machine hearts.

to give – ad; in this case: odavet
yourselves – magatok(at)
unnatural – természetellenes
machine men – gépemberek
mind – elme
heart – szív

Ne vessétek oda magatokat ezeknek a természetellenes embereknek; gépies elméjű, gépies szívű gépembereknek.

24. You are not machines. You are not cattle. You are men.

machine – gép
cattle – marha; in this case: állatok

Nem gépek vagytok. Nem állatok vagytok. Emberek vagytok.

25. You have a love of humanity in your hearts.

To have – van neki; in this case: hordoz-to carry

love – szeretet
humanity – emberiség
heart – szív

A szívetekben hordozzátok az emberiség iránti szeretetet.
>Literally translating to have is weak in Hungarian and sounds a little bit weird.

26. You don’t hate, only the unloved hate; the unloved and the unnatural.

to hate – gyűlöl; gyűlölködik
unloved – nem szeretett; much better: szeretetre éhező-starving for love
unnatural – természetellenes

Ti nem gyűlölködtök, csak a szeretetre éhezők; a szeretetre éhezők és a természetellenesek.

27. Soldiers! Don’t fight for slavery. Fight for liberty.

Soldier – katona
to fight for – harcol …-ért
slavery – rabszolgaság
liberty – szabadság

Katonák! Ne a rabszolgaságért harcoljatok! Harcoljatok a szabadságért!

28. In the seventeenth chapter of St. Luke, it’s written:

The kingdom of God is within man”

Not one man, nor a group of men, but in all men; in you.

seventeenth – tizenhetedik
chapter – fejezet
St. Luke – Szent Lukács
it is written – az áll …-ban, -ben; azt írja

Szent Lukács tizenhetedik fejezetében az áll:
”Isten királysága az emberben lakozik”
Nem egy emberben, nem egy embercsoportban, hanem minden emberben: bennetek.

29. You, the people, have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness.

power – hatalom
to have the power to – hatalma van, hogy
to create – létrehoz
machine – gép
happiness – boldogságába

Nektek, az embereknek, van hatalmatok; hatalmatok, hogy gépeket, boldogságot teremtsetek.

30. You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.

to make sg sg – valamit valamivé/valamilyenné tesz
free – szabad
beautiful – gyönyörű
wonderful – csodálatos
adventure – kaland

Nektek, az embereknek, van hatalmatok, hogy az életet szabaddá és gyönyörűvé tegyétek; hogy az életet csodálatos kalandként éljétek.
>I translated to make this life a wonderful adventure as to live life like it is a wonderful adventure. Sounds better in Hungarian.

31. Then in the name of democracy, let us use that power.
Then – akkor; in this case: hát

in the name of – -nak, -nek a nevében
democracy – demokárcia
let us – USUALLY TRANSLATED AS IMPERATIVE MOOD
to use – használ; él valamivel
that – azt a

Éljünk hát azzal a hatalommal a demokrácia nevében.

32. Let us all unite.

to unite – egyesül

Egyesüljünk!

33. Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give youth a future and old age a security.

to fight for – harcol …-ért
new world – új világ
decent – rendes
that – amely
to give sy a chance – esélyt ad valakinek valamire
to work – dolgozik
youth – fiatalság; a fiatalok
future – jövő
old age – az idősek
security – biztonság

Harcoljunk egy új világért, egy rendes világért, amely esélyt ad az embernek, hogy dolgozhasson; amely a fiataloknak jövőt ad, az időseknek biztonságot.

34. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power, but they lie.

By the promise of – -nak, -nek az ígéretével, …-t ígérve
brute – fenevad
to rise to power – hatalomra jut
to lie – hazudik

Ezeket ígérve fenevadak jutottak hatalomra, de hazudnak.

35. They do not fulfill their promise. They never will.

to fulfill – teljesít + -t accusative case
promise – ígéret
never – soha
will – in this case: fog

Nem teljesítik az ígéretüket. Soha nem fogják.

36. Dictators free themselves, but they enslave the people.
dictator – diktátor, zsarnok
to free oneself – felszabadítja magát
to enslave – rabigába dönt, szolgasorba taszít

A zsarnokok magukat szabadítják fel, de szolgasorba taszítják az embereket.

37. Now let us fight to fulfill that promise.

now – most; in this case: hát
let us – TRANSLATED AS IMPERATIVE MOOD
to fight – harcol

Harcoljunk, hogy teljesítsük azt az ígéretet.

38. Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance.

to free – felszabadít
to do away – megszabadul …-tól, -től
national barriers – nemzeti határok; nemzetek határai
intolerance – intolerancia

Harcoljunk a világ felszabadításáért, hogy megszabaduljunk a nemzetek határaitól, hogy megszabaduljunk a kapzsiságtól, gyűlölettől, intoleranciától.

39. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness.

reason – értelem, ésszerűség
science – tudomány
progress – fejlődés
to lead to – (el)vezet …-hoz, -hez, -höz

Harcoljunk egy észszerű világért, egy világért, ahol a tudomány és fejlődés mindannyiunk boldogságához elvezet.

40. Soldiers, in the name of democracy: let us all unite!
Katonák! A demokrácia nevében: egyesüljünk!

Hungarian Folk Song

If the video shouldn’t work, you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_YPfTXDDqo

 

Repülj, madár

 

Ifijúság olyan madár,
Addig víg, míg szabadon jár
Ha elfogják, fogoly madár,
Többet szabadon már nem jár.
Nem vagyok magammal szabad,
Kezemen, lábamon lakat.

Repülj, madár, repülj!

Ifijúságom telik el,
Azért a szívem hasad el.
A szabadság gyöngykoszorú,
Ki elveszti, de szomorú.
Nem vagyok magammal szabad,
Kezemen, lábamon lakat.

Repülj, madár, repülj!
Vigyél el magaddal!
Repülj, madár, repülj!
Szállj fel magasra!

Szabad madár vagy, te rózsám,
Mégis ritkán jössz el hozzám.
Ha én olyan szabad volnék,
Minden este nálad volnék.

Fly, bird

 

Youth is a bird,
That is joyous until it’s free.
If it’s captured, it’s a captive bird,
It will never be free ever again.
I’m not free with myself,
My hands and legs are chained.

Fly, bird, fly.

My youth is going by,
That’s why my heart is broken.
Youth is a wreath of pearl,
The one who loses it, is so sad.
I’m not free with myself,
My hands and legs are chained.

Fly, bird, fly.
Take me with you.
Fly, bird, fly.
Fly up to the sky.

You’re a free bird, darling,
Yet you come to see me rarely.
If I were that free,
I’d be with you every night.

Hungarian Speech – Articulation, Strand of Speech, Intonation, Accent on Stem

This is the pdf. file you can download: HungarianSpeech

I wrote this entry in a pdf. file because WordPress did not allow me to create texts the way I wanted to. If there is any trouble with downloading, please notify me in the comment section.

Next time I’ll write about ‘Ambivalence in Meaning’ and a phenomenon that cannot really be written down with any scientific method, but it is an integral part of Hungarian speech.

I’ll also try to upload some sound files in addition to the pdf. file. After all, you should hear what those intonations sound like.

Hungarian way of speaking – Introduction

Soon I’ll write some entries about the following topics:

  1. Intonation (hanglejtés)Intonation means saying a single word or whole sentences with a certain cadence of your voice. Your voice can rise and fall according to saying question or statements.
  2. Tőhangsúlyos beszédI’ll try to find an adequate translation for it. Even Hungarian teachers don’t talk to the children about this very important phenomenon.
  3. Adding feeling to your speechAdding feeling to your speech means saying something with a certain tone of voice. It is much more entwined into Hungarian, then it is in English.

Sentence Structure Part 3

THERE ARE NO SUBORDINATE CLAUSES IN HUNGARIAN.

The best way to show you what I’m talking about is if I give you a German example. Our example means: I’m not going to school because I’m in hospital.

Ich gehe nicht zur Schule, weil ich im Krankenhaus liege.

German subordinate clauses are indicated by inversions after the conjunction. However, the basic German word order is SVO. If we remove the subordinate clause from the sentence, we’ll get an inversed sentence which does not make any sense in itself. It has to be the basic SVO order.

Weil ich im Krankenhaus liege. > incorrect sentence; it should be SVO like this:
Ich liege im Krankenhaus.

There is no such thing in Hungarian because there is no basic word order or inversions. Questions are not formed with inversions because the word order can be changed freely just like in any statement.

Hungarian uses conjunctions to connect two thoughts.

This explanation might seem ridiculous. Of course, it connects two thoughts. But if we take a look at the German example, we see why it is important to stress it. With all the possibilities we can have, let’s take a look at only a few to prove my point.

Nem mehetek iskolába, mert kórházban fekszek.
Nem mehetek iskolába, mert fekszek a kórházban.
Iskolába nem mehetek, mert kórházban fekszek.
Iskolába nem mehetek, mert fekszek a kórházba.

Nem mehetek iskolába = Iskolába nem mehetek; Kórházban fekszek. = Fekszek a kórházban. A different word order changes the importance of a certain part of the sentence, but it doesn’t make it subordinate to anything, especially not to the main clause. The conjunction BECAUSE-MERT simply connects two thoughts. That’s all. And that is true for every Hungarian conjunction.

Another example. Let’s change the word order only in the secondary clause:

I talked to him yesterday, although he couldn’t give me any new information.

Tegnap még beszéltem vele, jóllehet nem tudott új információval szolgálni.
Tegnap még beszéltem vele, jóllehet új információval nem tudott szolgálni.

I said to my colleague that if he was going to the post-office, he could take my letter, too.

Azt mondtam a munkatársamnak, hogy ha postára megy, elvihetné a levelemet is.
Azt mondtam a munkatársamnak, hogy ha megy a postára, a levelemet is elvihetné.

Give my drivers’ licence back or I can’t go to Pest by car.

Add vissza a jogosítványomat, különben nem mehetek autóval Pestre.
Add vissza a jogosítványomat, különben autóval nem mehetek Pestre.
Add vissza a jogosítványomat, különben nem mehetek Pestre autóval.

If we change the word order of the secondary clause, we have as many possibilities as many units there are in the sentence. We’ve talked about in Part 1. If we also change the main clause, the number of possibilities will increase according to how many units the main clause has.

Just a few examples, again. Writing it all down would be exhausting 🙂

Tegnap még beszéltem vele, jóllehet nem tudott új információval szolgálni.
Még beszéltem vele tegnap, jóllehet új információval nem tudott szolgálni.

Azt mondtam a munkatársamnak, hogy ha postára megy, elvihetné a levelemet is.
A munkatársamnak azt mondtam, hogy ha megy a postára, a levelemet is elvihetné.

Add vissza a jogosítványomat, különben nem mehetek autóval Pestre.
A jogosítványomat add vissza, különben autóval nem mehetek Pestre.
A jogosítványomat add vissza, különben nem mehetek Pestre autóval.

Roots H-, H-V, Har; H-R

Root H-, H-V, HaR

When it comes to weather and temperature you can think of some words as a group. It is the root H-. I keep writing the consonants in capitals.

Hi is an abstract root for Hideg – cold
is an abstract root for HűVös – cool
means snow > HaVas is snowy
means heat > HeVes fierce (man), heated (debate)
Ha is an abstract root for HaRmat – dew

A hó hő hatására elolvad. – Heat causes snow to melt.
Hűvös az idő, de nem hideg. – It’s a cool weather, but it’s not cold.

A heves vita közepette nem vették észre a virágról lehulló harmatot.
While having a heated debate, they didn’t notice the dew falling from the flower.

Root H-R for decaying

HeRvad – to wither;
A virágok
elhervadnak. – Flowers wither.

KoRhad – to rot, to decay;
A kidőlt fa
elkorhad. – The fallen tree rots away.

SoRvad – to waste away, to recede;
A fogad
elsorvad, ha nem húzzák ki. – Your teeth will recede if it is not removed.

The Hungarian Alphabet – Rovásírás

Not so long ago Hungarian people had their own alphabet just like the Chinese and the Japanese. Nowadays we refer to it as runic alphabet, but given the fact that in our modern days we use the Latin writing system, it is more appropriate to simply call it Hungarian alphabet.

Our ancestors originally carved these letters into wood sticks, then on their houses, buildings and probably books. I say ‘probably books’ because a lot of them were burnt after the Christians had arrived.

The Hungarian writing was exercised by both priests and ordinary people. Among others, we’ve found needle cases and other mundane objects decorated with these letters, which proves that the average people could write and read.

When the farmer carved these letters into the wood sticks, he was holding the stick with his left hand, so he started to write with his right hand. When he turned the stick, he continued to write from left to right, but fundamentally it is an alphabet written from right to left.

There was no need to use compound letters like we do today: sz, ny, ly, cs, etc. We have to do that because we have 40 letters in our alphabet and when our ancestors were forced to use the Latin writing, they had to figure out how to write a sound they had a character for in the Hungarian alphabet. Hence older family names like Weöres, Batthyhányi, Széchenyi…We pronounce them as Vörös, Battyányi, Szécsenyi. And that’s how we would have written any word back in the day because there is a character for every sound without letter combinations.

The rules of writing for the Hungarian alphabet are:

  1. Generally speaking, start writing from right to left.
  2. The omission of vowels was common especially the e-é vowels because originally these vowels were used to say the alphabet: eb, ec, ecs, ed, ef, eg, egy…(today we say bé, cé, csé, dé, ef, gé, gyé…). As the consonants express the meaning of the word, it is no problem omitting the vowels.
  3. You can omit the vowels when it does not hinder you from understanding the word, but always write it when back-vowels and front-vowels change in the same word and you always write it at the end of the word.
  4. The sounds w, x, y, q are transcribed with v, ksz, i, kv. Not part of the alphabet.
  5. The sounds dz, dzs are also not part of it, so they are written as in the Latin writing: d+z, d+zs
  6. The indication of long vowels is a recent development. Our ancestors didn’t make a distinction in writing, only in speech.

Here’s the alphabet from right to left:

m ly l k j í i h gy g f é e d cs c b á a

m L l k j í i h G g f é e d C c b á a

zs z v ű ü ú u ty t sz s r p ő ö ó o ny n

Z z v ű ü ú u T t S s r p ő ö ó o N n

Variations for o-ó, ö-ő and ü-ű can be found as we go back further in time. Check the Internet if you like for sites like that. Let’s see some texts. Keep in mind that the Hungarian alphabet goes from right to left.

Text with each character written out:

aNál moráh kanna sé NoSSa Ge reSGe tlov, tlov men loh, tlov reSGe

Egyszer volt, hol nem volt, volt egyszer egy asszony és annak három lánya.
Once upon a time there was a woman and she had three daughters.

Same text with vowel omission where possible:

aNál moráh knna s NoSSa G rSG tlv, tlv mn lh, tlv rSG

Egyszer volt, hol nem volt, volt egyszer egy asszony és annak három lánya.
Once upon a time there was a woman and she had three daughters.

The interesting thing about this alphabet is that you can use ligatures, that is you can combine these characters. It is your hand writing, if you will. The computer does not write ligatures, so I wrote it myself. Note that there are vowel omissions and ligatures in it.

wp_20170114_001

Note that there are two versions of K = k and K. Linguist believe that it’s due to vowel harmony. The first is believed to be EK or KE like meredek kederem (steap), the second one is AK or KA like akna anK (mine). Some linguists say that the second ”deep-vowel” K was only used for expressing the plural form, but there is no evidence to that. It is simpler to use the first k k. Look at this:

Linguists saying there is Ek and AK would write KAKUKKOK (cuckoos) like this:

kokkukaK

Linguists saying that K is only for plural would write it like this:

Kokkukak

Root M-G and More

The Hungarian roots can be used like this:

-keeping the consonants and shading with vowels: magyar = megyer
-mutating the consonants: KöR (circle) > GuRul (to roll)
-using the inversion of the root: MaG (seed) <> GaM (no meaning in itself today)

The first solution can have the same meaning or it can shade the original meaning. In case of magyar-megyer it is the same meaning. Our ancestors used megyer just as magyar.

The second solution implies that consonants can be turned into other consonants. For example the M at the end of a word often changes into NG, ND, N to shade the meaning of that word. Or in case of kör-gurul the words express the same kind of thing, that is a circular motion and K often mutates into G.

I’d like to talk about the third solution in details because the inversion of the root can have the same meaning, it can shade the meaning or it can express the opposite of the base root. Look at this example: CsaVar – FaCSar. What happened in csavar? The root Cs_V was reversed and the V mutated into F, which is also very common. As a result, the two verbs have the opposite meaning. Csavar means to twist, facsar means to wring. The first implies – fundamentally – a motion inwards, the second a motion outwards.

Another example can be megy (to go) – jön (to come). Would you tell about these verbs that they are inversions? This is how it goes: MeGY <> GYeM > GYeN > GYüN > JöN.

So what is it about MaG<> GaM? They imply the same thing: something spherical that has a seed in it or it has the shape of a seed. The vowels and the consonants can change to shade the meaning. The root GaM has no meaning today, but its derivatives do. I’ll keep writing the consonants carrying the meaning in capital letters, so that you see the root better.

MaG – seed

Derivatives of MaG are:

MáK – poppy-seed
MaKK – acorn
MaGYar – Hungarian
MaGyal – holly
MaGzat – embryo
MáGlya – bonfire
MaGas – tall
and possibly NaGY – big
MeGGY – sour cherry
MeGYe – county (Originally means earth, ground. Ancient villages were circular, probably that’s the reason for this word)

The inversion of MaG is GaM. Take a look at the words that originated from it:

GuMó = GüMő – tuber
GoMB – button
GoMBa – mushroom
GoMBóc = GöMBőc – dumpling or something ball-shaped
GöMB – orb
GoMBolyag – skein, hank
GoMolyog – to wreathe
GöMBölyű – round, spherical
GuBó – cocoon
GőG – haughtiness (originally means something empty, spherical, inflatable)
GöNGYöleg – bundle, bale
GYöNGY – pearl
GYüMölcs – fruit

Other examples from our Kun ancestors. The Kuns liked to change the Hungarian consonants like this: G, GY > D, ND, NG, NT, MD, K; D > T.

áGas > áKas = today’s word is eke = plough

We had a word like KiJó. Nowadays we say KíGYó (snake). The inversion of KíGY is GYíK. GYíK means lizard. Animals belonging to the same kind of species, so to say. With consonant mutation GYíK became CSíK (streak, stripe). Obviously lizards and snakes look like a streak from the distance.

Other examples would never really ”show themselves” if we wouldn’t know their origins. Such roots are: ék, kő, üt, tű. Kő (stone) is the inversion of éK (wedge). It is obvious that a stone, especially a sharp one resembles a wedge. With a wedge you can hit things, and so some consonant and vowel mutations will allow us to create the verb üT (hit). The inversion of üt is Tű (needle). And a needle still looks like a small wedge. Out of the root éK, our eKe (plough) was born.

Another phenomenon is when the consonant H modifies the original root. Such root is aL (below, beneath). If you put an h at the beginning of the word, it becomes HaL (fish). Where do fish live? Under the ocean.

A HaL aLul van. – The fish is beneath.

The poetic way of thinking of our ancestors allowed them to identify fish with death:

HaL (fish-noun) – megHaL (to die-verb) – HaLLgat (to listen, to be silent)

What does a person do who died? If someone dies at sea, you say: That man perished at sea = Az az ember tengerbe HALT. And what does a dead person do? He’s silent like a fish, that is HaLLgat. This is how these words developed: aL (beneath) > HaL (fish-to die) > HaLott (dead) > HaLLgat (to be silent, to listen). Also, if someone’s listening to you while you’re speaking, they’re silent.

So much for now. I’ll try to write more.

Bye! 🙂