Tag Archives: szó

Word Formation – Adjective from Noun

ADJECTIVE FROM NOUN

-s, -os, -es, -ös = fitted with sg
szépség – beauty > szépséges – beautiful
barátság – friendship > barátságos – friendly

-(a)tlan, -(e)tlen = the lack of sg
haj – hair > hajatlan – hairless
fej – head > fejetlen – panic-stricken

-talan, -telen = the lack of sg
faj – race, species > fajtalan – perverse
hely – place > helytelen – inappropriate

-s, -as, -os, -es, -ös = fitted with sg
szellő – breeze > szellős – breezy
kerek – round > kerekes – with wheels

-ékony, -ékeny = characteristic of a noun
kár – damage > kártékony – harmful 

-ú, -ű, -jú, -jű = having sg, fitted with sg
szem – eye > szemű – eyed
alak – shape > alakú – shaped

-só, -ső = belonging swhere
fel – up > felső – upper
hát – back > hátsó – posterior

-i = origin, characteristic
város – city > városi – urban
Pécs > pécsi

-beli = belonging to sg
írás – writing > írásbeli – written, in writing
tér – space > térbeli – spatial

-szerű = it is like sg
mese – fairytale > meseszerű – fictitious
idő – time > időszerű – timely 

-féle = similar to sg
gyümölcs – fruit > gyümölcsféle – a kind of fruit

-fajta = similar to sg
kutya – dog > kutyafajta – a dog species

-nyi = measure
lapát – shovel > lapátnyi – shoveful
marok – hand > maroknyi – handful

Word Formation – Adjective from Verb

ADJECTIVE FROM VERB

-(a)tlan, -(e)tlen = the lack of sg
enged – to allow > engedetlen – disobedient
árt – to harm > ártatlan – innocent

-talan, -telen = the lack of sg
szűnik – to cease > szüntelen – unceasing
nyugszik – to rest > nyugtalan – unquiet, uneasy

-ékony, ékeny = characterizing an action
változik – to change > változékony – variable
félt – to fear for sy > féltékeny – jealous

-atag, -eteg = characterized by action
pöffeszkedik – to be conceited > pöfeteg – conceited
hallgat – to keep silence > hallgatag – taciturn

-ós, -ős = has an active sense to it
kap – to get > kapós – popular, much in demand
fél – to fear > félős – timid

ADVERB OF MANNER FROM ADJECTIVE

-n, -on, -en, -ön = mode, condition
csúnya – ugly > csúnyán – nastily
ügyes – clever > ügyesen – adetply

-lag, -leg = mode, condition
baráti – friendly > barátilag – in a friendly way
elvi – of principle > elvileg – theoretically

-l, -ul, -ül = mode, condition
jó – good > jól – well
német – German > németül – in German
rossz – bad > rosszul – badly

Word Formation – Nouns from Adjectives and Verbs

NOUN FROM ADJECTIVE

-ság, -ség = collective noun
szép – beautiful > szépség – beauty
bátor – courageous > bátorság – courage

NOUN FROM VERB

-ás, -és; -at, -et = (result of an) action
gyanakszik – to suspect > gyanakvás – suspicion
emel – to lift > emelet – floor, storey

ADJECTIVE FROM ADJECTIVE

-i + -s, -os, -es, -ös = quality, characteristic
pesti – (characteristic of ) Budapest > pesties – (typical to) Budapest
harci – war- > harcias – warlike

Word Formation – Nouns from Nouns

NOUN FROM NOUN

-s, -os, -es, -ös; -ság, -ség = collective noun
nád – reed > nádas – reeds
erdő – forest > erdőség – forests, woodland

-s, -os, -es, -ös = profession
lakat – padlock > lakatos – locksmith
üveg – glass > üveges – glazier

-ász, -ész = profession
kert – garden > kertész – gardener
jog – law > jogász – lawyer

-né = Mrs.
Horváth > Horváthné – Mrs. Horváth
Kiss > Kissné – Mrs. Kiss

-ka, -ke = diminutive OR nickname
pici – little, small > picike – tiny
madár – bird > madárka – little bird
Mária > Marika
Teréz > Terike

-(o)cska, -(e)cske = diminutive
fül – ear > fülecske – little ear
ló – horse > lovacska – little horse

-i, -csi = nickname
Péter – Peter > Peti – Pete
János – John > Jani – Johnny

-us = nickname
Anna > Annus

Vocabulary – Advice

TANÁCS = ADVICE

You can give advice with such expressions:

Azt hiszem… – I think…
Szerintem… – In my opinion…
Úgy gondolom… – In my view…
Jobban tennéd, ha… – You had better…
Azt tanácsolom… – I advise you to…
Miért nem… – Why don’t you…
Mi lenne, ha… – How about…
Ha rám hallgatsz,… – If you listen to me…
Ha a helyedben lennék, … – If I were you…
Nem kell… – There’s no need to…
Azt javaslom, … – I suggest…, I recommend…
Tanácsos lenne, ha… – It’d be advisable for you to…

Azt hiszem, be kéne venned a gyógyszert.
I think you should take your medicine.

Szerintem, vedd meg azt a szemüveget.
In my opinion you should buy those glasses.

Úgy gondolom, orvoshoz kéne menned.
In my view you should see a doctor.

Jobban tennéd, ha nem feleselnél.
You had better not talk back.

Azt tanácsolom, maradj otthon.
I advise you to stay at home.

Miért nem mész a játszótérre?
Why don’t you go to the playground?

Mi lenne, ha ennél valamit?
How about eating something?

Ha rám hallgatsz, itt maradsz.
If you listen to me, you stay here.

Ha a helyedben lennék, megőrülnék.
If I were you, I would go crazy.

Nem kell mindjárt kiabálni.
There’s no need to shout.

Azt javaslom, nézzétek meg.
I recommend you take a look at it.

Azt javaslom, menjünk.
I suggest going. I suggest that we should go.

Tanácsos lenne, ha nem veszítenéd el a pénzt.
It’d be advisable for you not to lose the money.

The One Who

THE ONE WHO = AZ,  AKI…, …

As you see, the Hungarian equivalent is:

Az, aki…,… OR
Aki…, az…

Examples:

Aki délben napozik, az hamar leég.
Az, aki délben napozik, hamar leég.
The one who sunbathes at noon, will get a sunburn soon.

’Az’ and ’aki’ can vary depending on the sentence:

Aki embert öl, annak börtönbe kell mennie.
Annak, aki embert öl, börtönbe kell mennie.
The one who kills people has to go to jail.

Of course you can write different sentences similar to English:

The one who learns Hungarian is likely to be pretty ambitious.
Az, aki magyarul tanul, eléggé törekvő lehet.

He who learns Hungarian is likely to be pretty ambitious.
Az, aki magyarul tanul, eléggé törekvő lehet.

The person who learns Hungarian is likely to be pretty ambitious.
Az az ember, aki magyarul tanul, eléggé törekvő lehet.

The people who learn Hungarian are likely to be pretty ambitious.
Azok az emberek, akik magyarul tanulnak, eléggé törekvőek lehetnek.

Those who learn Hungarian are likely to be pretty ambitious.
Azok, akik magyarul tanulnak, eléggé törekvőek lehetnek.

Suffixes -vá, -vé – Translative Case

SUFFIXES -VÁ, -VÉ

The name of the grammatical case for these suffixes is: translative case

You already know how -val, -vel behaves when attached to a word ending with a consonant. > COMPLETE ASSIMILATION

gyerek + –vel = gyerekkel (with child)
asztal + –val = asztallal (with table)

The same happens to these suffixes: -vá, -vé. Take a look at it:

gyerek + –vé = gyerekké
asztal + –vá = asztallá

And what do these suffixes express? A simple answer would be: it is equivalent to the English preposition into. However, it has nothing to do with going into a place.

It indicates:
-a change
-someone/something turns into something else

Examples with the words above:

Szeretnék megint gyerekké válni.
I’d like to become a child again.

A hercegnő hirtelen asztallá változott.
The princess suddenly turned into a table.

As you see, English doesn’t always reflect the Hungarian method. There is no preposition equivalent to -vé in the first sentence. I guess you see the point, so more examples on the way:

Porrá zúzták az épületet.
The building has been smashed to dust.

A fiú férfivá érett.
The boy has become a man.

A lakberendező széppé varázsolta a lakásomat.
The decorator changed my flat into a beautiful place.

Kővé dermedtem az ijedtségtől.
I was petrified with fear.

Tedd magad hasznossá!
Do something useful.

–Mivé változott a herceg? –Békává.
-What did the prince become? –A frog.

The suffixes -vá, -vé are not to be confused with -va, -ve for condition!!!

Vocabulary – Playing with Words

Let’s play around with words now. I wrote the sentences below (however awkward they sound) to show you how stupid sentences you can say with homonyms. But not only homonyms. I also give the explanation where necessary.

A követ követ követ.
The ambassador is following a rock.

a követ = the ambassador > noun
kő = rock > accusative case = követ
követ = follows / is following > 3rd PS indefinite form
 ————————————————————————————————-
Annyi vitamint eszem, hogy jól működjön az eszem.
I eat much vitamin so that my mind works well.

eszem = I eat / I’m eating
eszem = my mind > plural of ész
————————————————————————————————-
Az állam intézkedéseitől leesik az állam.
The measures the state takes makes me drop my teeth.

Literally: Due to the measures of the state my chin falls.

állam = state > noun
állam = my chin > base word is áll = chin
————————————————————————————————-
„Azt akarom, hogy légy légy!” –mondta a varázsló.
’I want that you be a fly’, the wizard said.

légy = be > imperative mood, 2nd PS indefinite form
légy = fly > noun (animal, not the verb)

English can do the same joke with bee: Be a bee. LOL
————————————————————————————————-
A varázsló szavaira ott termett egy varázs ló.
On the wizard’s words a magic horse appeard.

varázsló = wizard > noun
varázs = magic > noun and adjective
ló = horse
————————————————————————————————-
A vár mindig ott lesz és vár.
The castle will always be there waiting.

vár = castle > noun
vár = (he/she/it) waits > 3rd PS indefinite form
————————————————————————————————-
A hegy hegye rendkívül hegyes.
The peak of the mountain is extremely sharp.

hegy = mountain; point, tip
hegyes = sharp, pointed

Actually the noun peak is csúcs, not hegy because hegy means the point of a knife or the tip of your nose. Everything for awkward sentences!
————————————————————————————————-
A legyező a földre esett, a szolga is, így már nem legyez ő.
The fan fell to the ground, so did the servant, and so he will no longer fan.

legyező = fan > noun
legyez ő = he’s fanning
————————————————————————————————-
Ha elkésel, megkésel.
If you’re late, he’ll stab you with a knife.

elkésel = you’re late > 2nd PS indefinite form of elkésik
megkésel = to stab sy with a knife > verb derived from kés = knife
————————————————————————————————-
A szerelem úgy nyilvánul meg az autóm felé, hogy szerelem.
Love shows itself to my car by my repairing it.

szerelem = love > noun
szerelem = I repair > 1st PS indefinite form of szerel = to repair
————————————————————————————————-
Ez a terem nem kert, így itt gyümölcs nem terem.
This room is not a garden, so no fruit grows in here.

terem = room
terem = grows / is growing (fruits, vegatables)
————————————————————————————————-
Hová mész? Nekem kell az a vödör mész!
Where are you going? I need that bucket of whitewash.

mész = you’re going
mész = whitewash, lime
————————————————————————————————-
-Holnap megmásszuk a hegyet! –Másszuk meg most!
-Tomorrow we’re going to climb the mountain. –Let’s climb it now.

másszuk = we climb / let’s climb
————————————————————————————————-
A szám ötöst formál, ami egy szám.
My mouth forms five which is a number.

szám = my mouth > possessive form of száj
szám = number
————————————————————————————————-
A fog akkor fog, ha egészséges.
The tooth grabs if it’s healthy.

fog = tooth
fog = to take, to grab
————————————————————————————————-
A hatalom nem egyenlő a hat alommal.
Power is not the same as six litters.

hatalom = power, authority
hat alom = six litters
————————————————————————————————-
A javítási ár attól függ, mekkora az ár.
The price of repair depends on how big the flood is.

ár = price; flood
————————————————————————————————-
Az esernyő nem ugyanaz, mint a képernyő.
An umbrella is not the same as a screen.

esernyő = umbrella
képernyő = screen, display, monitor
————————————————————————————————-
Tette tette őt tettessé!
His deed made him an offender.

tette = his deed > possessive form of tett = deed
tette = made > past tense of tesz
————————————————————————————————-
Hogy mennyit ér az ép ér, csak akkor tudod meg, ha már nincs benned vér.
You only know how much a healthy vein is worth when there’s no blood in you anymore.

ér = vein
ér = is worth

By the way, ér also means these: brooklet, to reach
————————————————————————————————-
-És ő mit mondott? –Azt, hogy…ő…már nem emlékszem.
-What did he say? –Well…erm… I don’t remember.
————————————————————————————————-
Az idei év tele tele volt meglepetésekkel.
The winter of this year was full of surprises.

tele = the winter of > possessive form of tél
tele = full of
————————————————————————————————-
Ősz volt, amikor észrevette, hogy ősz lett.
It was aumtumn when he realized he turned grey.

ősz = autumn
ősz = grey
————————————————————————————————-
Hova lett az a kedves lett nő?
Where’s that nice Latvian woman gone?

lett = became (in this case: gone, disappeared)
lett = Lettish, Latvian
————————————————————————————————-
A mentő a partra ment, mert ott valaki életet ment.
The ambulance went to the shore because someone is saving a life there.

ment = went > past tense of megy
ment = saves > 3rd PS indefinite form
————————————————————————————————-
Ily remek íj már nem is létezik.
Such a great bow doesn’t exist anymore.

ily = such a
íj = bow

They’re not homonyms, but sound alike. The pronoun ily is an old form of ilyen.
————————————————————————————————-
A lét a pénztől függ, szóval adj egy kis lét!
Existence depends on money, so give me some green stuff.

lét = existence
lét = sland for money > accusative case of lé
————————————————————————————————-
Kora reggel aggódik a színésznő a kora miatt.
Early in the morning the actress is worried about her age.

kora = early > synonym for korán
kora = her age
————————————————————————————————-
A ügyfél fél, hogy csak fél végkielégítést kap.
The client is afraid of only getting half severance pay.

ügyfél = client
fél = is afraid
fél = half
————————————————————————————————-
Akkora a dugó, hogy egy dugó sem férne el a kocsik között.
The jam is so big that not even a stopper couldn’t have room between the cars.

dugó = traffic jam
dugó = stopper (for the bath-tub)
————————————————————————————————-
A tér még tele van, mert a tömeg nem tér haza.
The square is still full because the crowd won’t return home.

tér = square
tér = to return
————————————————————————————————-
A jobboldali kormány nem akarja balra tekerni a kormányt.
The right-wing government will not turn the steering wheel to the left.

kormány = government
kormány = steering wheel > accusative = kormányt
————————————————————————————————-
Az ír férfi jól ír japánul.
The Irish man is good at writing in Japanese.
————————————————————————————————-
A női nem gyakran az mondja: Nem!
The gentle sex often says: No!

nem = sex, gender, species
nem = no
————————————————————————————————-
A nő összezárta a lábát, hogy a méh nem csípje meg a méhét.
The woman closed her legs so that the bee doesn’t sting her womb.

méh = bee
méh = womb > possessive in accusative = méhét

Word Order – Verbal Prefix

VERBAL PREFIX

You already know this:

1. The verbal prefix precedes the verb and is written together with it in normal / general statements.

Felkelek. – I get up.
Megesszük a levest. – We eat up the soup.
Kitakarítják a szobát. – They tidy up the room.

2. The verbal prefix follows the verb and is written separately from it in imperative mood, negation.

Keljek fel? – Shall I get up?
Nem kelek fel? – I won’t get up.

Együk meg a levest! – Let’s eat up the soup.
Nem esszük meg a levest. – We won’t eat up the soup.

Takarítsák ki a szobát! – They’d better tidy up the room.
Nem takarítják ki a szobát! – They won’t tidy up the room.

3. The verbal prefix is written separately from the verb if a third word is inserted between them.

Fel akarok kelni. – I want to get up.
Meg kell ennünk a levest. – We must eat up the soup.
Ki tudják takarítani a szobát. – They can tidy up the room.

What you don’t know (yet) is that certain expressions require the verbal prefix to behave like in imperative mood and negation. These are expressions with contrasted / excluding / negative meaning. Examples:

alig, aligha, kevésbé, nem annyira, kevesen, nem sokan, nehezen, ritkán, csak, csupán, mindössze, kizárólag

Alig néztél bele a könyvbe. – You hardly looked into the book.
Nem annyira eszem meg a spenótot. – I don’t really like spinach.
Kevés nő mondja meg az életkorát. – Few women tell their age.
Nehezen írok le ilyesmit. – It’s difficult for me to write down such things.
Csak ketten jöttek el. – There were only two people.

WE’RE DONE WITH WORD ORDER. 🙂

Word Order – Double Question

So this time it’s about DOUBLE QUESTION. At least in Hungarian. Take a look at this to understand what I mean:

Mit mondtál, hova megy?
Where did you say he’s going?

First let’s translate the Hungarian sentence literally:

What did you say, where is he going?

As you see there are two question words Mit? (What?) and Hova? (Where?), while the English sentence is satisfied with one question word Where?

That would be the rule: If you ask what a person said/heard… about a second person and you’re interested in what the second person does, you need two question words in Hungarian. The first question is usually: Mit? Hogy? Note that Mit? is accusative case.

More examples with literal translations:

Mit mondtak, mikor érkezünk meg?
When did they say we’ll arrive?
What did they say, when will we arrive?

Mit gondolsz, ki vagy te?
Who do you think you are?
What do you think, who are you?

Mit hallottál, hogyan halt meg a nő?
How did you hear the woman died?
What did you hear, how did the woman die?

Hogy mondtátok, mit követtem el?
What did you say I committed?
How/What did you say, what did I commit?

Mit hittél, honnan került elő?
Where did you think he came up from?
What did you believe, where did he come up from?

Mit mondott, milyen színű a ház?
What color did he say the house is?
What did he say, what color is the house?

Mit képzeltél, melyik felnőtt bárba engednek be?
Which adult bar did you think they’ll let you in?
What did you think, which adult bar will they let you in?

Mit láttak, kinek adta a tolvaj a szajrét?
Who did they see the thief gave the swag to?
What did they see, who did the thief give the swag?

Of course, a language always offers mor possibilities to express something in a different way. The sentences above can be said like this with no double question:

Mikorra mondták, hogy megérkezünk?
Kinek gondolod magad?
Hogy hallottad, hogy a nő meghalt?
Mit mondtatok, hogy elkövettem?
Honnan hitted, hogy előkerült?
Milyen színűnek mondta a házat?
Melyik felnőtt bárba képzelte, hogy beengedik?
Kinek láttad, hogy a tolvaj átadja a szajrét?

If you take my advice, you should use Kinek gondolod magad? without hesitation. However, even if the other sentences are valid, the ones with double questions sound more like Hungarian. Just like English sentences with one question sound more like English.

All right. The next topic will be NEGATION. See ya! 🙂