Tag Archives: Vocabulary

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.

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

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