Ha or amikor: how do you say "when" and "if" in Hungarian?

Amikor means "when" in the sense "at the time that": Amikor gyerek voltam, Pécsen laktunk, "When I was a child, we lived in Pécs". Ha means "if", but it also covers English "when" or "once" for a future event you expect to happen: Ha meglátod a parkot, fordulj jobbra, "When you see the park, turn right". In the past, a "when" that happened once is always amikor.

The rule: a time, or a condition?

English uses "when" for two ideas. Hungarian makes you choose.

• A time: amikor. The clause names a moment or period, and the main clause happens at that time. Wiktionary defines amikor simply as "when" and builds it from az ("that") and mikor ("when"), so it is literally "that when", the same a- that turns question words into the relative words on the ami, amely, amelyik page.
• A condition: ha. The main clause depends on the ha clause being true. Wiktionary gives ha two senses: "if", introducing a conditional clause, and "when, once", with the example Ha meglátod a parkot, fordulj jobbra, "When you see the park, turn right".

That second sense is why the question exists. elon.io's note on Ha mindenki kész, továbbindulunk ("When everyone's ready, we'll move on") says Hungarian uses ha for a real condition whose fulfilment is expected, and amikor for a more purely temporal "when".

The one-question test

Take the English sentence and swap "when" for "if".

1. It makes nonsense, or changes what happened: use amikor. "If I was a child, we lived in Pécs" is not something anyone means.
2. It still works, and the event lies ahead: ha is the normal choice, and amikor is also correct if you mean the time rather than the condition. "If you see the park, turn right" gives the same instruction.
3. It still works, and it describes a rule or a habit: ha, or valahányszor if you mean "every time" (see the table below).

Future "when": both are correct, and they do not mean quite the same

For an event still to come, both words are grammatical:

• Ha hazaérsz, hívj fel. When you get home, call me. (call me once that has happened)
• Amikor hazaérsz, hívj fel. When you get home, call me. (at that moment, not before)

The difference is emphasis. Ha treats getting home as the trigger: the call depends on it. Amikor points at the moment. When the event is not certain at all, only ha fits, because amikor takes it for granted that the time will come: "If it rains tomorrow, we'll stay in" is Ha holnap esik, itthon maradunk, and the amikor version would assume the rain.

Neither clause needs a future tense. Hungarian uses the present with future meaning, as the future tense page explains, so English "when you get home" and Hungarian ha hazaérsz line up word for word. There is no need to put fog into the ha clause.

In the past, a single "when" is amikor

A finished event is not a condition: it either happened or it did not.

• Amikor megérkeztem, már elment. When I arrived, she had already left. (már = already)
• Írtam a levelet, amikor csengettek. I was writing the letter when the doorbell rang.

The second example is from the verbal prefixes page. With a past verb, ha no longer means "when". It either states a habit or rule (valahányszor says that more clearly) or opens an unreal condition with volna: Ha tudtam volna, szóltam volna, "If I had known, I would have told you", as on the conditional page.

Mikor: the question word, and its informal double

Mikor is the question word "when? at what time?" (Mikor indulsz?, "When are you leaving?"). It is also what you use for an indirect question, because the clause is still asking about a time: Nem tudom, mikor jön, "I don't know when he's coming". Like every question word, it stands directly before the verb and pushes a prefix behind it (Mikor jössz haza?), as the questions page shows.

Wiktionary records a second, informal use: mikor as an alternative form of amikor. In writing, use amikor for the statement and keep mikor for questions.

Amikor and ha do not move a prefix: compare Wiktionary's Ha meglátod a parkot with the question Mikor látod meg?

Akkor: the "then" that pairs with both

Akkor is "then", and Wiktionary gives it two senses that match the two words exactly: "then, at that time" (the partner of amikor) and "then, as a result, in that case", noted as often coupled with ha.

• Akkor jöttem rá, amikor már késő volt. I realised it only when it was already too late. (at that time)
• Ha mindenki kész, akkor továbbindulunk. If everyone's ready, then we'll move on. (in that case)
• Csak akkor megyek, ha te is jössz. I'll only go if you come too.

After ha, akkor is optional: elon.io notes that everyday sentences usually leave it out and that adding it gives emphasis. The Hungarian Wikipedia article on subordinate clauses brackets it in a sample sentence: Ha a számítás nem jön ki, (akkor) valószínűleg hibáztunk. "Only if" is the one place it does real work, because csak needs a word to attach to. The last example also uses the same is as in én is, "me too".

When English "if" is not ha

Two everyday uses of "if" are not conditions at all, and Hungarian does not use ha for them.

• "If" meaning "whether" is -e. Wiktionary's translation table for this sense of English "if" gives (hogy) (vajon) -e. "I don't know if he's coming" is Nem tudom, hogy jön-e, never *Nem tudom, ha jön. The particle is covered under the -e particle.
• "Even if" is még ha ... is. The same table lists ha ... is and még ha ... is for the concessive sense: Még ha esik is, elmegyek, "Even if it rains, I'll go".

The reverse trap also exists: some ha clauses translate as "that" or "to". After verbs of wishing, ha introduces what you want, with the verb in the conditional: Szeretném, ha eljönnél, "I'd like you to come"; De jó lenne, ha holnap nem esne!, "How nice it would be if it didn't rain tomorrow!"

Eleven more words for "when" and "if"

These cover the rest of English "when", "if", "as soon as" and "whenever". Meanings and register labels are Wiktionary's.

For German speakers: wenn and als

Wiktionary's German wenn covers both "when, whenever" and "if (on the condition that)", while als is the "when" of a particular moment or period, and its examples are in the past (Als wir jung waren, spielten wir im Wald). Map them like this: als is always amikor; wenn is ha when it means "if" or a future "once", and amikor when it simply names a time.

Where the rule stops

• The future overlap is real. For an expected future event, both words are correct; the choice is about emphasis, not correctness.
• Habits and rules sit in between. "When water boils, it turns to steam" can take either word, because a general rule is both a time and a condition. If you mean "every time", valahányszor removes the doubt.

Common learner errors

1. *Ha gyerek voltam... for "When I was a child". A past time is Amikor gyerek voltam...
2. *Nem tudom, ha jön. "If" meaning "whether" is -e: Nem tudom, hogy jön-e.
3. Amikor holnap esik, itthon maradunk. This assumes the rain will come. For an uncertain event, use Ha holnap esik...
4. Ha haza fogsz érni... Not wrong, but heavy. The present already points ahead: Ha hazaérsz...
5. *Amikor jössz haza? A question takes mikor: Mikor jössz haza?

Sources and further reading

• Wiktionary, "ha", "amikor", "mikor" and "akkor" (Hungarian): senses, etymology and examples
• Wiktionary, "hogyha", "amennyiben", "mihelyt", "amint", "valahányszor", "ahányszor", "bármikor" and "midőn"
• Wiktionary, English "if" and "whenever" (Hungarian translations), German "wenn" and "als"
• Wikipedia (Hungarian), "Mellékmondat" (conditional clauses and the reference word akkor)
• elon.io, "Ha mindenki kész, továbbindulunk" (ha for an expected condition, optional akkor)

Frequently asked questions