Tag Archives: szókincs

Vocabulary – Family and Relationships

család – family
rokon – relative > rokonok – relatives
rokonság – relatives
kapcsolat – relationship

fiatal – young > fiatalság – youth
öreg – old > öregkor, öregség – old age
idős – elderly > idős kor – old age
kiskorú – minor > a kiskorúak – the minor, the underaged
nagykorú, felnőtt – adult
a nagykorúak, a felnőttek – the adults
nagykorúság – full age

gyermek / gyerek – child
csecsemő / kisbaba / bébi – baby
kisfiú – little boy > fiú – boy
kislány – little girl > lány – girl

kamasz – adolescent
kamaszkor – adolescence
tinédzser – teenager > SLANG: a tinik – the teens

szülők – parents
apa – father, dad
apu, apuci – dad, daddy
anya – mother, mom
anyu, anyuci – mom, mommy

nagyszülők – grandparents
nagyapa – grandfather
nagypapa, papa – grandpa
nagymama – grandmother
mama – grandma, granny
dédapa – great-grandfather
dédanya – great-grandmother
ükapa – great-great grandfather
ükanya – great-great grandmother

testvér – brother, sister
testvérek – brother and sister, siblings
SLANG: tesó – bro, sister
féltestvér – halfsister, halfbrother

öcs – younger brother
báty – older brother
húg – younger sister
nővér – older sister

unoka – grandchild
fiúunoka – grandson
lányunoka – granddaughter

unokatestvér – cousin
unokaöcs – nephew
unokabáty – cousin
unokahúg – niece, cousin
unokanővér – cousin

keresztapa – godfather
keresztanya – godmother

vő – son-in-law
meny – daughter-in-law
após – father-in-law
anyós – mother-in-law

nős – married (man)
férjnél van – she’s married
eljegyzés – engagement
esküvő – wedding
házasok – they’re married
házasság – marriage
nászéjszaka – wedding night
menyasszony – bride
vőlegény – bridegroom
feleség – wife
férj – husband
nászom – father-in-law/mother-in-law of my son/daughter
koszorúslány – bridesmaid
vőfély – bridesman
összeházasodik …-val –vel – to get married with
elvesz …-t – to marry sy
férjhez megy – to marry
feleségül vesz – to marry

barát – friend; boyfriend
barátnő – friend; girlfriend
jár …-val, -vel – to date sy
Járok vele. – I’m dating him/her.
Járunk. – We’re dating/going out.
Szakítottunk. – We broke up.
Dobtam. – I dumped him/her.

mostohaapa – stepfather
mostohaanya – stepmother
mostohatestvér – stepbrother, stepsister
mostohanővér – stepsister
mostohahúg – stepsister
mostohaöcs – stepbrother
mostohabáty – stepbrother

Vocabulary – otthon or itthon / haza vs. haza

The English title could be just: HOME

In Hungarian there is a slight difference between being at home and being at home. First let’s see itthon and otthon.

itt = here
ott = there
hon = native land (OR home in this case)

Let’s imagine this situation. You’re at home and you’re talking to your friend over phone saying:

I’m not in the shop. I’m at home.
Nem a boltban vagyok . Itthon vagyok.

You say itthon because you’re in your own house/flat. You’re here in your home. Do I make myself clear? I hope so 🙂

I’m at home in two minutes.
Két perc múlva otthon vagyok.

You say otthon because you talk about your home as a place which is far away from you. You’re not there yet.

So the rule is: if you’re at home, you say itthon. If you’re not at home, you just talk about it, you say otthon.

By the way, the word hon is used in this compound word: homepage = honlap 🙂

And what about haza?

This word is a noun and an adverb in one. As a noun it means: native land. As an adverb it means home as towards home. You use it in this case:

Hazamegyek. – I’m going home.
Te is hazajössz? – Are you coming home, too?

And as an adverb used with a verb, it is a verbal prefix, so the rules are valid for haza, as well.

Hazamegy. – She’s going home.
Menj haza! – Go home.
Nem megyek haza. – I’m not going home.

Normally, you write it together with the verb. But it is separated from the verb when in negation and imperative mood.

Summary:

itthon = at home (I’m at home already)
otthon = at home (I talk about my home)
haza = home (I’m going home)

And let’s see some examples for using them as a noun:

Ez az én otthonom. – This is my home.
Ez az én hazám. – This is my native land.

So otthon as a noun is used when you say home as a noun in English!

AND!

ház = house > házam = my house
haza = native land > hazám = my native land.

Easy, isn’t it? 🙂

Vocabulary – Polite Expressions and Wishes in Conditional

P O L I T E   E X P R E S S I O N S

–Szeretnél inni valamit? -Köszönöm, szeretnék.
–Would you like to have a drink? – Thank you, I would.

Szeretném megkérdezni, hogy…
I’d like to ask if… / Can I ask if…

Elnézést, meg tudná mondani…
Excuse me, could you tell me…

Elnézést, meg tudná mondani, mennyi az idő?
Excuse me, could you tell me the time?

Elnézést, meg tudná mondani, hol van az állomás?
Excuse me, could you tell me where the station is?

Lennél / Volnál szíves eloltani a cigarettát?
Would you be so kind as to put out the cigarette?

Lenne / Volna szíves eloltani a cigarettát? (polite form)
Would you be so kind as to put out the cigarette?

And we should talk about this, too:

–Nem bánná, ha rágyújtanék? -Nem.
–Would you mind my smoking? -No, I wouldn’t.

In this case there’s no problem with ‘mind’. However, Hungarian does not always translate it with the equivalent verb: bán. Sometimes we just put the verb in conditional mood, while English uses ‘mind’.

–Becsuknád az ablakot? –Igen, be.
–Would you mind closing the window? –No, I wouldn’t.

As you see, the Hungarian answer is YES, while the English one is NO because Hungarian just asks:

–Would you close the window? –Yes, I would.

W I S H E S

English: If only / I wish + past simple or perfect
Hungarian: Ha / Bárcsak + present or past conditional

I wish he came at last. – Bárcsak jönne már!
I wish he had come. – Bárcsak eljött volna!

If only I understood what she’s saying in Hungarian.
Ha érteném, mit mond magyarul! OR
Bárcsak érteném, mit mond magyarul!

Vocabulary – Welcome

Welcome is a word Hungarian expresses in several ways.

If someone arrives:
Welcome! – Isten hozott! / Üdvözöllek! (informal)
Welcome! – Isten hozta! / Üdvözlöm! (formal polite)

You’re always welcome in my house.
Mindig szívesen látlak a házamban.

To be welcome – Szívesen lát valakit (= to see someone with pleasure)

If you answer to someone saying thank you:
-Thank you for helping me. –You’re welcome.
-Köszönöm, hogy segítettél. –Szívesen! / Nincs mit!

Vocabulary – Tessék!

It is a general and versatile exclamation. It comes from the verb tetszik. Actually, it is the imperative 3rd PS indefinite form of tetszik. Its meanings can be:

If someone is knocking at the door:
Come in! – Tessék!

If you give somebody a gentle order:
Please sit down. – Tessék csak leülni!

-May I come in? -Bejöhetek?
–Please. – Tessék!

If you didn’t understand something:
I beg your pardon? – Tessék?
> In this case it is a question.

When sitting at the table:
Help yourself. – Tessék!

Vocabulary – To like

T O   L I K E

This is a simple English verb, but Hungarian expresses it with three different verbs.

TO LIKE SOMEBODY, SOMETHING:
I like that girl.
She likes horror movies.

You can say these verbs in Hungarian like this: tetszik, kedvel

I like that girl.
Kedvelem azt a lányt. OR
Tetszik (nekem) az a lány.

She likes horror movies.
Kedveli a horrorfilmeket.
Tetszenek neki a horrorfilmek.

The formula is:

Kedvel + accusative case
Kedveli azt a filmet. – She likes that movie.
> The accusative case causes kedvel to be in definite conjugation!

Tetszik + dative pronouns + subjective case
Tetszik neki az a film. – She likes that movie.
> The subjective case causes tetszik to be simply in indefinite conjugation!
> And if there are more objects you like, tetszik is put in 3rd PP!
Tetszenek neki azok a filmek. – She likes those movies.

TO LIKE FOODS, DRINKS:
I like sushi.
I like red wine.

You can say these verbs in Hungarian like this: ízlik, szeret

I like sushi.
Szeretem a szusit.
Ízlik (nekem) a szusi.

I like red wine.
Szeretem a vörös bort.
Ízlik (nekem) a vörös bor.

The formula is:

Szeret + accusative case
Szeretem a bort. – I like wine.
> The accusative case causes szeret to be in definite conjugation!

Ízlik + dative pronouns + subjective case
Ízlik nekem a bor. – I like wine.
> The subjective case causes ízlik to be in indefinite conjugation!
> If there are more food, drink you like, ízlik is put in 3rd PP!
Ízlenek nekem a borok. – I like wines.

Summary:

To like people and objects: kedvel, tetszik

To like food, drink: szeret, ízlik

– kedvel / tetszik in definite conjugation 3rd PS + requires accusative case

– tetszik / ízlik in indefinite conjugation 3rd PS or 3rd PP + subjective case
> and the dative pronoun is not mandatory.

You should avoid saying ‘szeret’ if you talk about a person. In this case szeret means: to love

Szeretem azt a lányt. – I love that girl.

Some Words That Might Deceive You

Now I’ll snow you a few words that are written exactly or almost exactly like some English words. So the confusion is kind of foreprogrammed. You see the Hungarian words, their actual meaning in English and the brackets show what they shouldn’t be confused with.

hat > six (and it’s not a hat on your head)

here > testicle (and it’s not like: Come here!)

van > is, there is (and it’s not a vehicle)

most > now (and it’s not like: most of them)

jog > law, right (and it’s not like: I jog every morning)

fog > tooth (and it’s not the fog on a rainy day)

hold > moon (and it’s not like: I hold something)

nap > day, sun (and it’s not like: I take a nap)

had > army (and not like: I had no idea)

Fuss! > Run! (and it’s not like: I make a fuss)

is > also, too (and it’s not the 3rd PS of ‘to be’)

dug > to hide, to stick (and it’s not like: I dug up the whole garden)

sugár > ray, beam (and it’s not like: There’s no sugar in my tea)

And some more curiosity: there are some words which you can pronounce easier if you think of these words. You see the Hungarian word, then the actual meaning in English and the brackets show words you should think of to pronounce them easier.

hét > seven, week (hate)

rét > meadow (rate)

szék > chair (sake)

fék > brake (fake)

kék > blue (cake)

tép > to tear (tape)

fém > metal (fame)

Bye now! 🙂

Vocabulary – Cities and Inhabitants

Vocabulary:

city, town – város
inhabitant – lakos

And here are the cities:

Budapest > budapesti (Budapest)
Róma > római (Rome)
Berlin > berlini (Berlin)
Zágráb > zágrábi (Zagreb)
Prága > prágai (Prague)
Stockholm > stockholmi
Helsinki > helsinki
Madrid > madridi
Moszkva > moszkvai (Moscow)
Atén > aténi (Athens)
Varsó > varsói (Warsaw)
Ankara > ankarai
Dublin > dublini
Párizs > párizsi (Paris)
London > londoni
Lisszabon >lisszaboni (Lisbon)
Oslo > osloi
Koppenhága > koppenhágai (Copenhagen)
Bécs > bécsi (Vienna)
Pozsony > pozsonyi (Bratislava)
Bukarest > bukaresti (Bucharest)
Brazíliaváros > brazil (Brasília)
Újdelhi > újdelhi lakos (New Delhi)
Brüsszel > brüsszeli (Brussels)
Peking > pekingi (Beijing)
Tokió > tokiói (Tokyo)
Washington > washingtoni
Mexikóváros > mexikói (Mexico City)
Ottawa > ottawai
Bagdad > bagdadi (Baghdad)
Teherán > teheráni (Tehran)

You see it’s the same as for countries. You need the suffix -i to form the inhabitant from the city: Budapest > budapesti. And remember to write folk names and inhabitants of a city with lowercase!

ONE MORE THING! If you talk about a country or city expressed with more words, then you refer to the inhabitants with the suffix -beli!

Amerikai Egyesült Államok (United States of America) > egyesült-államokbeli (stateside)
Mexikóváros (Mexico City) > mexikóvárosbeli (Mexican)

But you can also just say: amerikai, mexikói

Next time more about Hungary. How the territory is divided and so on… Bye now.

Best wishes, László

Vocabulary – The Four Cardinal Points and Continents

Before learning some cities, let’s take a look at the “Hungarian compass” as well as continents.

THE FOUR CARDINAL POINTS = A NÉGY ÉGTÁJ

észak – north > északi – northern
dél – south > déli – southern
kelet – east > keleti – eastern
nyugat – west > nyugati – western

As you see, you can make adjectives by adding an -i suffix to them: észak > északi = north > northern

észak-kelet(i) > north-east(ern)
észak-nyugat(i) > north-west(ern)
dél-kelet(i) > south-east(ern)
dél-nyugat(i) > south-west(ern)

And so on…

C O N T I N E N T S

continent – kontinens OR szárazföld (literally: dryland)

Európa – Europe > európai – European
Amerika – America > amerikai – American
Afrika – Africa > afrikai – African
Ázsia – Asia > ázsiai – Asian
Ausztrália – Australia > ausztráliai – Australian
Északi-sark – North Pole
Déli-sark – South Pole

Arktisz – Arctic
Antarktisz – Antarctic

Északi-sark and Déli-sark can be made adjectives like this: északi-sarki, déli-sarki

You see it’s all the same in Hungarian: you add the adjectival suffix -i and you must not use capital letters when the suffix -i is added: Észak > északi, Amerika > amerikai

So much for today. Bye now.

Vocabulary – Nationalities

Vocabulary:

nation – nemzet
national – nemzeti
nationality – nemzetiség
nationalities – nemzetiségek

Now let’s see the nationality names for the countries I wrote about in the previous entry.

NOTE! If you see a country name with the word ország in it, you already know the nationality: Magyarország = magyar + ország. So Hungarian is magyar.

IMPORTANT! Hungarian people write nationalities with lowercase (small letters all the way).

Magyarország > magyar (Hungarian)
Olaszország > olasz (Italian)
Spanyolország > spanyol (Spanish)
Németország > német (German)
Franciaország > francia (French)
Finnország > finn (Finn)
Horvátország > horvát (Croat)
Törökország > török (Turkish)
Oroszország > orosz (Russian)
Csehország > cseh (Bohemian)
Svédország > svéd (Swede)
Görögország > görög (Greek)
Lengyelország > lengyel (Pole, Polish)
Írország > ír (Irish)

Norvégia > norvég (Norwegian)
Ausztria > osztrák (Austrian)
Ausztrália > ausztráliai (Australian)
Portugál > portugál (Portuguese)
Szlovákia > szlovák (Slovak)
Szlovénia > szlovén (Sloven)
Bulgária > bolgár (Bulgarian)
Hollandia > holland (Dutch)
Brazília > brazil (Brazilian)
Anglia /Nagy Britannia > angol / brit (English / British)
Dánia > dán (Danish)
Románia > román (Rumanian)

Mexikó > mexikói (Mexican)
Japán > japán (Japanese)
Kína > kínai (Chinese)
Amerikai Egyesült Államok > amerikai (American)
Kanada > kanadai (Canadian)
Irak > iraki (Iraqi)
Irán > iráni (Iranian)

And I forgot: Svájc (Switzerland) > svájci (Swiss)

Hungarian makes the folk name plural in this case:

The Hungarian eat goulash. – A magyarok gulyást esznek.
The Italian talk much. – Az olaszok sokat beszélnek.
The Japanese are respectful. – A japánok tisztelettudóak.

And the nationality names above are adjectives and nouns at the same time. So as adjective:

Italian food is tasty. – Az olasz ételek finomak.
Japanese cars are small. – A japán autók kicsik.
Finnish education is outstanding. – A finn oktatás kiváló.