Tag Archives: verbal prefix

Problems with Verbal Prefixes (or Coverbs)

GOOD ADVICE IN ADVANCE: knowing when to choose a verbal prefix and which to choose requires a knowledge of the shades of meanings Hungarian verbs can have.

1. In the present tense verbal prefixes (coverbs) can add shades to the verb. These shades can be direction and perfectivity in the future.

NOTE! The general rule is that Hungarian verbs without verbal prefixes have a continous aspect in any tense and mode.

– DIRECTION:

Megyek a pincébe. <> Lemegyek a pincébe.
I’m going to the cellar. <> I’m going down to the cellar.

Sétálunk a parkban. <> Kisétálunk a parkba.
We’re walking in the park. <> We’re walking out to the park.

Ugrál az ágyon. <> Felugrál az ágyra.
He’s jumping on the bed. <> He keeps jumping up to the bed.

– PERFECTIVITY IN THE FUTURE:

a)

Megyek a boltba. <> Elmegyek a boltba.
I’m going to the shop. <> I’m going to the shop./I’ll go to the shop.

Megyek a boltba expresses a continous aspect. I’m going to the shop right now as I’m talking. Elmegyek a boltba refers to the direction el-away because the shop is farther away from where I am now and to the perfectivity in the future because I expressed the wish of going to the shop. That’s where I will be sometime in the future. It can also express a promise (I’ll go).

Elmegyek a boltba > és mikor befejeztem az odamenetelt, vagyis megérkeztem, ott leszek.
I’m going to the shop > and when I stopped going to that place, that is I have arrived, I will be there.

You see there is no equivalent of the verbal prefix el in the English sentence because it simply expresses completion and in this case it does not have the meaning equivalent to away.

As you can see, if verbal prefixes indicating a direction are attached to verbs expressing motion, the indication of direction is implied even though the point is perfecitivity.

b)

Nézem a műsort. <> Megnézem a műsort.
I’m watching the show. <> I’ll watch the show.

Nézem a műsort expresses a continous aspect. I’m watching the show right now as I’m talking. Megnézem a műsort cannot refer to any direction as watching something has no direction. That’s why meg- is used and not el-. It definitely refers to the future because as you can see the English sentence changed, too. Hungarian uses present tense with the aspect of completion expressed by meg-, which is expressed in English by Simple Future Tense (I’ll watch).

2. What happens to this phenomenon in the past tense?

Well, it is clearer because the Hungarian past tense can only refer to the past tense (in contrast with the present tense with the sense of future actions). That is proved by the English sentences, too.

a)

Mentem a boltba. <> Elmentem a boltba.
I was going to the shop. <> I went to the shop.

Mentem a boltba expresses a continous aspect. I was going to the shop right at the moment as Iwas talking. Elmentem a boltba refers to the direction el-away because the shop was farther away from where I was then and to the perfectivity in the past because I stated the fact that I went to the shop. That’s where I was in the past. An action that happened once: I went to the shop and I was there. End of story.

b)

Néztem a műsort. <> Megnéztem a műsort.
I was watching the show. <> I watched the show.

Néztem a műsort expresses a continous aspect. I was watching the show right at the moment as I was talking. Megnéztem a műsort cannot refer to any direction as watching something has no direction. That’s why meg- is used and not el-. It definitely refers to the past because as you can see the English sentence changed, too. Hungarian uses past tense with the aspect of completion expressed by meg-, which is expressed in English by Simple Past Tense (I watched).

3. Generally speaking, any verbal prefix can be used to express completion if a certain direction is implied.

a)

Jövök a kirándulásról. <> Visszajövök a kirándulásról.
I’m coming from the excursion. <> I’m coming back/I’ll come back from the excursion.
Jöttem a kirándulásról. <> Visszajöttem a kirándulásról.
I was coming from the excursion. <> I came back from the excursion.

Mutatjuk a grafikont. <> Rámutatunk a grafikonra.
We’re showing the diagram. <> We’re pointing at the diagram.
Mutattuk a grafikont. <> Rámutattunk a grafikonra.
We were showing the diagram. <> We pointed at the diagram.

True enough, Rámutattunk a grafikonra can also mean We were pointing at the diagram as Hungarian does not have specifically a different time for continuous past tense. In this case it is the context that matters.

Rámutattunk a grafikonra és mindenki odanézett.
We pointed at the diagram and all looked at it.

Rámutattunk a grafikonra, miközben mindenki odanézett.
We were pointing at the diagram while all were looking at it.

And that’s where there can be a little bit more confusion because rámutattunk indicates a direction and completion at the same time. The form megmutat exist just as well, with no sense of direction. Let’s see the difference:

Mutattuk a grafikont. – We were showing the diagram.
Megmutattuk a grafikont. – We showed the diagram.
Rámutattunk a grafikonra. – We pointed at the diagram.

Not only a different verbal prefix, but a different meaning, too. That different meaning can be seen in English as it uses a different verb for it (point and not show). Plus, the English preposition at expresses the Hungarian rá- requiring the postposition -ra meaning onto. Literally: We pointed at onto the diagram.

b) Verbs that don’t express motion take meg-, el-. Despite the fact that el- means away, it has a neutral meaning of completion just like meg-. It is also a question of memorizing such verbs.

Verbs with no aspect of motion:

Megláttam a lányt az utcán. – I noticed the girl in the street.
Megérezte, hogy baj lesz. – He had a feeling that there would be trouble.
Megköszönték a vendéglátást. – They said thank you for the hospitality.

Elkezdett hadarni. – She started jabbering.
Elmondtuk, hogyan történt. – We told how it had happened.
Elvégeztem a feladatot. – I finished/completed the task.

c) There are verbs with no aspect of motion that can have both meg- and el- for expressing completion with apparently no change in the meaning.

Elmondtuk, hogyan történt. – We told how it has happened.
Megmondtuk, mit tegyél. – We told you what to do.

Elkezdtem írni. – I started writing.
Megkezdtem az írást. – I started writing.
>In this case both sentences mean the same, but take a different part of speech (first verb, second noun). The first sentence is used in 99% of the cases.

Sometimes it is a matter of choosing like above, other times it is about an idiomatic expression.

Megmondtuk az igazat. – We told the truth. (a while ago)

4. What if we separate the verbal prefix from the verb and make it follow the verb?

Let’s see an example:

Megyek a padlásra. – I’m going to the attic.
Felmegyek a padlásra. – I’m going up to the attic./I’ll go up to the attic.
Megyek fel a padlásra. – I’m going up the the attic.

So what’s the difference between Megyek a padlásra and Megyek fel a padlásra? The fundamental rule of continuity is definitely there. Verbs with no verbal prefixes have a continuous aspect. So why then Megyek fel is continuous? Because it is more the emphatic sense the speaker wants to express then a grammatical rule.

An example for present tense whe the action is more important:

-Mit csináltok? –Sétálunk ki a piacra.
-What are you doing? -We’re walking (out) to the market
-Azt hittem, kocsival mentek. -Nem. Mondom, hogy sétálunk ki a piacra.
-I thought you’d go by car. -No. I’m telling you we’re walking to the market.

Sometimes Hungarian uses present tense to tell a story that happened in the past.You can use this when you think the action is really important. Watch this:

“Úgy döntöttem, hogy szombaton rendet teszek a padláson. Végül is semmi dolgom nem volt. A pincét is ki kellett volna takarítani, de ahhoz két hétvége sem lenne elég. Na mindegy. Megyek fel a padlásra, amikor zajt hallok fentről. Kinyitom a padlásajtót. Hát nem egy rusnya macska rohangál fent!”

Here’s the translation:

“I decided to tidy the attic up on Saturday. After all, I had nothing to do. The cellar should’ve been done, too, but even two weekends wouldn’t be enough for that. Whatever. I’m going up to the attic when I hear some noise. I open the attic door. And, of course, it is an ugly cat running around up there!”

The speaker wanted to put emphasis on the action as he/she was going up to the attic. Some more examples:

Indulok ki a garázsból, amikor elém áll a szomszéd és…
I’m about to leave the garage when the neighbour stands in front of me and…

Mondom neki, hogy hallgasson, de ő csak kiabál vissza nekem.
I keep telling him to be quiet, but all he’s doing is shouting back to me.

Egy csomó autó várt a zöld lámpára, a pasas meg csak fordul be a kereszteződésbe.
There were lots of cars waiting for the green light, but the guy just keeps turning in the junction.

5. Change in the meaning.

Verbs with no aspect of motion can still be given a direction. The meaning may change or not. It is a matter of memorization.

A fiú virágot ad a lánynak.
The boy gives a flower to the girl.

A fiú odaadja a virágot a lánynak.
The boy gives the flower to the girl.
>It means the same, but oda- emphasizes the direction (to the girl).

A lány visszaadja a virágot.
The girl gives the flower back.

A fiú feladja.
The boy gives up.

Verbs with an aspect of motion can be given a direction, too. The meaning may change or not. It is a matter of memorization.

A fiú fut a lányhoz.
The boy is running to the girl.

A fiú odafut a lányhoz.
The boy is running up to the girl.

A lány elfut a fiútól és befut a házba.
The girl is running away from the boy and is running in the house.

A lány összefut egy másik fiúval a házban.
The girl runs into another boy in the house.

A lány visszafut, ahol még várja az első fiú.
The girl is running back where the first boy is still waiting for her.

A lány átfut a hídon, de a másik oldalon is mindenhol fiúkat lát.
The girl is running over the bridge, but all she can see on the other side is boys.

A lány már össze-vissza/oda-vissza fut az üldözői elől.
The girl is now running around/back and forth from her pursuers.

6. Everyday conversation.

– Hoznál tejfölt? (-Would you bring some sour cream?)
– Igen, hoznék. (-Yes, I would.)
– Akkor menj el a boltba. (-Then go to the shop.)

A fiú felöltözött és kilépett az ajtón, amikor visszakiabált:
(The boy put on his clothes and stepped outside when he shouted back:)

– Mentem! (-I’m gone.)

You don’t see elmentem. Because both members of this conversation knew the context. Obviously, the boy didn’t want to talk about the continuity while he was going somewhere.

Of course, the correct way of saying is Elmentem! It is just a quick note for you to be aware of this, too.

After all, everyday language doesn’t abide by the grammar book. Just think of writing on a piece of paper GONE SHOPPING. It has quite the same feeling.

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. 🙂

Phrasal Verbs Part 3

HOW DO WE WRITE VERBAL PREFIXES?

Here are the grammatical situtation when you MUST write the verbal prefix together or separately from the verb.

-If the verbal prefix precedes the verb, it is written together with the verb:

megnéz, odafut, szétszed…

-If the verbal prefix follows the verb, it is written separately from the verb. Reason for this can be an imperative sense or negation!

Mondd meg! Nézzen oda! Keljenek fel!
Nem eszem meg. Nem kel fel.

-The verbal prefix is written separately if a third word is wedged between the verbal prefix and its verb:

El ne áruld! Meg is teszem. Fel szabad menni…

In this case you should deal with verbs like: megtud, leszokik, megvan. Watch their use!

1a. Megtudta, hogy átment a vizsgán. – He learned he passed the exam.
1b. Meg tudta írni a tesztet. – He could write the test.

2a. Leszokott a dohányzásról. – He gave up smoking.
2b. Le szokott menni a parkba. – Usually he goes down the park.

3a. Megvan a megoldás! – I’ve got the solution!
3b. Meg van ijedve. – He’s frightened.

1a. megtud = to get to know, to learn
1b. meg tud írni = auxiliary verb ’can’

2a. leszokik = to give up
2b. le szokott menni = auxiliary verb equivalent to ’usually’

3a. megvan = to have it; „I’ve got it!”
3b. meg van ijedve = adverbial construction derived from megijed ’to get scared’

-If a verbal prefix is repeated, it is written with a hyphen and together with the verb:

vissza-visszanéz, meg-megáll…

-If two verbal prefixes have an opposite meaning, they’re written with a hyphen and separately from the verb they refer to:

le-fel járkál, ki-be szalad, oda-vissza utazik

So much for phrasal verbs. Next time we start with modal verbs and then we’re done with verbs for good and all.

Phrasal Verbs Part 2

This part is about this prefix:

MEG-

It can’t be translated in English. In this function it has no meaning. It just expresses completeness. We could say that Hungarian verbs with no verbal prefix have a continuous aspect. Examples:

No prefix:
Írom a levelet. – I’m writing the letter.
Írtam a levelet. – I was writing the letter.

With meg-:
Megírom a levelet. – I’ll write the letter.
Megírtam a levelet. – I wrote the letter.

See the difference? That’s why Hungarian people don’t need four tenses to express all those nuances. All we need is the verbal prefix -meg. Two other verbal prefixes can also have this function: el-, le-

Tudtam a választ. – I knew the answer.
Megtudtam a választ. – I found out the answer.

Értem, mit akarsz mondani. – I see what you mean.
Megértem, mit érzel. – I know exactly how you feel.

Pirítóst eszek. – I eat toast.
Megeszem a pirítóst. – I eat up the toast.

A vonat ötkor megy. – The train leaves at five.
A vonat ötkor elmegy. – The train will have left at five.

A koncert javában zajlik. – The concert is still in progress.
A koncert hatra lezajlik. – The concert will be over by six.

ANSWERING WITH VERBAL PREFIXES

If you’re asked a question that has a verb with a verbal prefix (phrasal verb), then you have the following options:

1. You can answer with just yes or no:
-Megcsináltad a leckét?
–Igen. / Nem.

-Have you done your homework?
–Yes. / No.

2. You can answer by repeating the verb (not common):
-Megcsináltad a leckét?
–Igen, megcsináltam. / Nem, nem csináltam meg.

-Have you done your homework?
–Yes, I have done it. / No, I haven’t done it.

3. You can answer with yes + the verbal prefix. You can’t answer with the verbal prefix if the answer is no:
-Megcsináltad a leckét?
–Igen, meg. / Nem.

Have you done your homework?
–Yes, I have. / No, I haven’t.

4. You can answer with just the verbal prefix if the answer is yes. You can’t answer with the verbal prefix if the answer is no:
-Megcsináltad a leckét?
–Meg. / Nem.

-Have you done your homework?
–Yes. / No.

In part 3 we’ll take a look at how verbal prefixes are supposed to be written, together or separately.

Bye now.

Phrasal Verbs Part 1

There will be three parts on this topic to make sure we cover everything.

English has phrasal verbs, too: go out, look up, looking forward to

Hungarian phrasal verbs are called igekötős igék. The word ‘igekötő’ can be translated as verbal prefix which normally precedes the verb is written together with it:

go out – kimegy
look up – felnéz
tear apart – széttép
…

Now lets see some Hungarian phrasal verbs and their meaning!

ABBA-
No English equivalent for it. It is used with certain verbs.

abbahagy – to stop
abbamarad – to stop, to break off

Hagyd abba! – Stop it!
A földrengés abbamaradt. – The earthquake has ceased.

AGYON-
It comes from the noun agy (brain). It expresses an activity which has reached a critical stage, or is exaggerated. Sometimes it can be translated as: to death.

agyonlő – to shoot sy to death
agyondolgozza magát – to overwork oneself
agyonvág – to strike dead

A katona agyonlőtte a foglyot.
The soldier shot the prisoner to death.

Az orvos azt mondta, agyondolgozom magam.
The doctor said I’ve been overworking myself.

A szerelőt agyonvágta az áram.
The technician’s got an electric shock.

ALÁ-
Equivalent: under-

aláír – to sign
alátámaszt – to support
aláaknáz – to undermine

Az elnök holnap aláírja a dokumentumot.
The president will sign the document tomorrow.

A bizonyíték alátámasztja a gyanúmat.
The evidence affirms my suspicion.

Csapatok aláaknázták a területet.
Troops have undermined the area.

ÁT-
Equivalent: through

átmegy – to cross, to pass
átvészel – to go through, to get over
átkarol – to embrace

Átmegy a hídon. – He crosses the bridge.
Átmegy a vizsgán. – He passes the exam.
Átvészelik a telet. – They go through the winter.
Átkarolja a barátját. – She embraces/hugs her boyfriend.

BE-
Equivalent: in, inside

bemegy vhova – to enter
belát vmt – to understand, to admit
behoz vmt – to make up
berobban – to blow in; to implode; to be a big hit

Bemegy a házba. – She enters the house.
Belátom, tévedtem. – I admit/Now I see I was wrong.
Behozta a lemaradást. – He made up arrears.

Az új hip-hop szám berobbant a köztudatba.
The new hip-hop song was a big hit.

BELE-
Equivalent: in, inside

beleun vmbe – to get tired of sg
beleszól vmbe – to intervene in sg
belemegy vmbe – to be in, to agree with sg
belejön vmbe – to become better and better, to get into sg

Lassan beleunok az írásba. – I’m getting tired of writing.
Mindenbe beleszól. – He puts in his oars, no matter what.
Belemész a válásba? – Do you agree with getting divorced?
Kezdesz belejönni! – You’re getting into it.

EGYBE-
Equivalent: together. Literally: in one.

egybeír – to write together/as one word
egybeesik vmvel – to coincide with sg

A „rövidnadrágot” egybeírjuk.
The word „rövidnadrág” is written as one word.

A névnapom egybeesik a szülinapommal.
My name-day coincides with my birth-day.

EL-
Equivalent: away, off, wrong

elír vmt – to write sg wrong
eljár vhova – to frequent
elsírja magát – to burst out crying
elfut – to run away
elmond vmt – to tell (about) sg
elront vmt – to mess sg up
elalszik – to fall asleep
eltér vmtől – to differ from sg

Elírták a címet. – There’s a typo in the title.
Eljár a diszkóba. – He often goes to the discotheque.
Hirtelen elsírta magát. – All of a sudden she burst out crying.
Ijedtemben elfutottam. – I was so scared I ran away.
Elmondjuk, amit hallottunk. – We’ll tell you what we heard.
Elrontottátok a tesztet. – You guys blew the test.
Éjféltájt alszok el. – I fall asleep towards midnight.

Ez a könyv eltér az eredetitől.
This book is different from the original.

ELLEN-
Equivalent: counter-, anti-, against

ellenáll vmnek – to resist
ellenőriz vmt – to control

Ellenáll a kísértésnek. – He resists temptation.
Ellenőrizd a féket! – Check the brake please.

ELŐ-
Equivalent: the actual meaning is fore-, but it can’t be really translated.

előad – to play, to perform
előjön – to come out
elővesz – to produce

Előadják a Hamlet-et. – They play Hamlet.
Előjönnek a bokorból. – They come out the bush.
Elővesz egy tollat a zsebéből. – He produces a pen from his pocket.

ELŐRE-
Equivalent: fore-, in advance

előrelát – to foresee
előre megmond – to foretell
előrebocsát – to mention in advance

Előrelátta a halálát. – He foresaw his own death.

Előre megmondtam, hogy ez lesz.
I told you this was going to happen.

Szeretném előrebocsátani, hogy…
I’d like to mention in advance that…

FEL-, FÖL-
Equivalent: up

felmegy – to go up, to climb
felkiált – to shout out
felad – to give up sg

Felmegyünk a hegyre.
We’re going up to the mountain.

Felkiáltott: „Hajó a láthatáron!”
He shouted out loud ’Ship on the horizon!’

Soha ne add fel! – Never give up!

Felkopik az álla.
He’ll perish with hunger.

FÉLBE-
Equivalent: in two, inter-. Literally: in half.

félbehagy – to stop doing sg (but it’s not finished yet); to do half the job
félbeszakít – to interrupt

Félbehagyta a munkát.
She broke off her work.

A tanárt félbeszakította a csengő.
The teacher was interrupted by the bell.

FÉLRE-
Equivalent: aside

félreáll – to stand clear, to step aside
félreért – to misunderstand

Félreáll az ajtóból. – He steps aside from the door.
Ne érts félre! – Don’t get me wrong.

FELÜL, -FÖLÜL-
Equivalent: super-

felülmúl – to surpass
felülbírál – to supervise; to overrule

Minden várakozást felülmúl.
It’s beyond expectations.

A bíró felülbírálta a döntést.
The judge overruled the decision.

FENN-, FÖNN-
Equivalent: up

fennmarad – to survive
fennáll – to stand, to exist

A neve örökre fennmarad.
His name will be known forever.

Amióta a cégünk fennáll…
Since our firm exists…

HÁTRA-
Equivalent: backwards, over-

hátraesik – to fall back

A kisfiú hátraesett játék közben.
The little boy fell backwards while playing.

HAZA-
Equivalent: home

hazamegy – to go home

Most hazamegyek. – I’m going home now.
hazafelé menet – on my way home

HELYRE-
Equivalent: to its place, right

helyretesz – to put sg right; to haul sy over the coal

Az anyuka helyretette a lányát.
The mother reprehended her daughter.

HOZZÁ-
Equivalent: to him/her/it

hozzámegy vkhez – to marry him/her
hozzákezd vmhez – to start doing sg

Petra hozzáment Ödönhöz.
Petra married Ödön.

Holnap hozzákezdenek az építkezéshez.
Construction begins tomorrow.

IDE-, ODA-
Equivalent: here, there

ideszól – to tell, to call
odaszalad – to run up to

Ha jössz, szólj ide! – If you come, call me.

A gyerek odaszaladt az apukájához.
The child ran up to his father.

KERESZTÜL-
Equivalent: through, across. It can be used like át- except with some verbs.

keresztülmegy – to go through

Sok mindenen ment keresztül. – She’s been through a lot.

KETTÉ-
Equivalent: in two, apart

kettétörik – to break in two

Kettétört a lemez. – The disk has broken in two.

KI-
Equivalent: out

kifakad – to fulminate
kifest – to paint

Ezekre a szavakra kifakadtam.
On hearing these words I foamed with rage.

Kifestitek a szobát? – Will you paint the room?

KÖRÜL-
Equivalent: around

körülvesz – to surround
körülír – to paraphrase, to circumscribe

Idiótákkal vagyok körülvéve.
I’m surrounded by idiots.

Megpróbálom körülírni, milyen volt.
I’m trying to describe what it felt like.

KÖZBE-
Equivalent: inter-

közbevág – to interrupt

Ekkor a nő közbevágott.
And then the woman interposed a remark.

KÖZRE-
No equivalent.

közreműködik – to contribute, to participate

A másik csapat is közreműködik a filmben.
The other team will participate in the movie, too.

KÜLÖN-
Equivalent: apart

különválik – to get divorced

A házaspár különválik.
The married couple will get divorced.

LE-
Equivalent: down

lemond – to give up; to resign
lefekszik – to go to bed

Az elnök lemondott.
The president has resigned from his office.

Lefekszek aludni. – I’m going to bed.

MELLÉ-
Equivalent: mis-; by

melléfog – to make a blunder
melléáll – to stand by sy

Jól melléfogtam. – That was a huge blunder for me.
Melléd állok, ne aggódj! – I’ll stand by you. Don’t worry!

NEKI-
Equivalent: to him/her/it OR not to be translated

nekilát vmnek – to get down to

Nekilát a munkának. – He’ll get down to work.

ÖSSZE-
Equivalent: together

összejön – to be successful, to make it
összecsinálja magát – to crap one’s pants

Végül is összejött! – We made it after all!

Majd összecsinálta magát ijedtében!
He almost crapped his pants with fear.

RÁ-
Equivalent: onto him/her/it

rátalál vkre – to find sy
ráhibáz vmre – to make a lucky hit
ráfog vmt vkre – to blame sy for sg

A mentőcsapat további öt emberrel talált rá.
The rescue team have found other five people.

Ráhibáztál!
That was a lucky hit of yours!

Mindent rám fogsz.
You blame me for everything.

RAJTA-
Equivalent: on him/her/it

rajtakap – to catch sy in fault

Rajtakapták a lopáson. – He’s been caught on stealing.

SZÉT-, -SZÉJJEL- See: ketté-

SZEMBE-
Equivalent: against

szembeszáll vkvel – to fight sy
szembenéz vmvel – to face sg

Szembeszállok vele. – I’ll fight him.
Nézzünk szembe a tényekkel! – Let’s face the facts.

SZERTE-
Equivalent: everywhere, apart

szerteágazik – to fork, to diversify

A vélemények szerteágaznak. – Opinions are all different.

TELE-
Equivalent: full

teleeszi magát – to stuff oneself
telebeszéli vknek a fejét – to talk sy’s head off

Teleették magukat. – They’ve stuffed themselves.

Telebeszéled a fejem minden hülyeséggel.
You’re talking my head off with nonsense.

TOVÁBB-
Equivalent: on. This word itself can also mean ’to continue’.

továbbcsinál – to go on doing sg
továbbolvas –  to continue reading

Továbbcsinálom, akkor is, ha nem tetszik.
I’ll keep doing it even if you don’t like it.

Továbbolvassa a könyvet.
He continues reading the book.

TÖNKRE-
Equivalent: No equivalent. I could describe it as: ’until something is in ruins’.

tönkremegy – to go awry; to go bankrupt
tönkretesz – to bring sg to ruin

Tönkrement a mosógép. – The washing machine has had it.
Tönkretted az estémet. – You messed up this evening for me.

TÚL-
Equivalent: over-

túlárad – to overflow
túlbecsül – to overestimate

Túláradnak az örömtől. – They bubble over with joy.
Túlbecsültem. – I overestimated him.

ÚJJÁ-
Equivalent: re-; to become new

újjáépít – to rebuild
újjáéled – to resuscitate

Újjáépítem a házam. – I’ll rebuild my house.
A természet tavasszal újjáéled. – Nature resuscitates in spring.

ÚJRA
Equivalent: re-, again

újra csinál – to do it again

Csináld újra! – Do it again.

NOTE! This adverb is always written separately from the verb!

UTÁNA-
Equivalent: after

utánanéz – to see about, to look after

Megteszed, hogy utánanézel?
Will you do me a favour and see about it?

VÉGBE-
Equivalent: to the end

végbemegy – to take place

Elképesztő, mi megy itt végbe!
Unbelievable what kind of things are going on here.

VÉGHEZ-
Equivalent: to the end; ’to do sg so that it’s surely done’

véghezvisz – to bring to effect

Az a hegymászó nagy tettet vitt véghez.
That mountainer has made quite an achievement.

VÉGIG-
Equivalent: until the end

végigcsinál – to go through with sg, to do sg until it’s finished

Végigcsinálom a tanfolyamot.
I’m going to finish with the course.

Végigfut a hátamon a hideg tőle.
It gives me the creeps.

VISSZA-
Equivalent: back

visszamegy – to go back

Visszamegyek Budapestre.
I’m going back to Budapest.

Visszahúz a szívem.
I’m homesick.

…and some notes…

Be careful with certain verbs!

 betűz = to spell NOT EQUAL TO betűz = to stick in

kiált = to shout NOT EQUAL TO kiállt = he stood up (for)