Hungarian verbs
Hungarian verbs have only three tenses and no gender, but they encode something English never does: whether the object is definite. Every verb therefore has two sets of endings. Master that distinction and verbal prefixes, and the rest is pattern practice.
The verb system at a glance
| Feature | What Hungarian does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Persons | 6, marked by the ending, so pronouns are usually dropped | várok, vársz, vár... |
| Conjugations | 2: indefinite and definite | Látok egy házat. / Látom a házat. |
| Tenses | Past, present, future (mostly with fog) | vártam, várok, várni fogok |
| Moods | Indicative, conditional, imperative-subjunctive | várnék, várj |
| Aspect | Mostly expressed with verbal prefixes | ír / megír |
| Modality | Suffix -hat/-het ("can, may") | várhatok |
Recommended learning order
- Present tense in both conjugations
- When to use the definite conjugation
- -ik verbs and the core irregular verbs
- Past tense and verbal prefixes
- Imperative, conditional, then the rest
Try any regular verb in the conjugator to see both conjugations side by side.
All verbs guides
- Beginner
Definite and indefinite conjugation
When to say látok and when látom: every rule for Hungarian definite and indefinite conjugation, with full tables, a decision flowchart and 25 contrast pairs.
- Beginner
The Hungarian present tense
The complete Hungarian present tense: indefinite and definite endings for back, front and rounded verbs, sibilant verbs like olvas and néz, and tanít.
- Intermediate
Hungarian -ik verbs
What Hungarian -ik verbs are, how lakik and eszik conjugate, lakom vs lakok, laknám vs laknék, pairs like tör and törik, and what suksükölés really is.
- Intermediate
The Hungarian past tense
How to form the Hungarian past tense: when to use -t or -ott/-ett/-ött, full definite and indefinite tables, and irregular pasts like volt, evett and aludt.
- Intermediate
The future in Hungarian
How Hungarian talks about the future: the present with time words, fog + infinitive, lesz for "will be", prefix placement and when natives really use fog.
- Intermediate
The Hungarian conditional
The Hungarian conditional: -na/-ne and -nék/-nám endings, full tables, láttam volna, ha clauses, polite requests like Kérnék egy kávét, and bárcsak wishes.
- Intermediate
Imperative and subjunctive
The Hungarian imperative and subjunctive: the -j suffix and its changes (olvass, láss, taníts), várj or várjál, gyere and menj, ne, and hogy clauses.
- Beginner
The Hungarian infinitive
How to form the Hungarian infinitive in -ni, use it with akar, tud, kell and szabad, build personal forms like mennem kell, and handle irregular verbs.
- Intermediate
Hungarian verbal prefixes (igekötők)
Hungarian verbal prefixes explained: meg, el, ki, be, le, fel and more, what they mean, how they mark completion, and exactly when they split from the verb.
- Beginner
The -lak/-lek ending (szeretlek, látlak)
When Hungarian uses -lak/-lek: "I" acting on informal "you". Forms in every tense and mood, foglak and akarlak, why Önt is definite, and common mistakes.
- Intermediate
Hungarian irregular verbs
Full tables for van, megy, jön, eszik, iszik and tesz, plus the patterns behind them: the v-stem family, -szik verbs like alszik, and nő, lő, sző.
- Beginner
The -hat/-het suffix: can and may
How Hungarian -hat/-het works: conjugation tables, permission and possibility, -hat versus tud, irregular forms like ehet and lehet, and -hatatlan adjectives.
- Intermediate
The causative: -at/-et and -tat/-tet
How to say "have something done" in Hungarian: -at/-et or -tat/-tet, which case the doer takes, traps like írass, and lexical forms like etet and itat.
- Advanced
Hungarian participles
Every Hungarian participle: present -ó/-ő, past -t/-tt, future -andó/-endő, adverbial -va/-ve and -ván/-vén, negative -atlan/-etlen, and be van zárva.
- Beginner
Tud or ismer: how do you say "to know" in Hungarian?
Tud is for facts, clauses, skills and languages; ismer is for people, places and things you are acquainted with. Decision table, both conjugations and common errors.
- Beginner
Megy or jár: what is the difference in Hungarian?
Megy is one trip; jár is going regularly, plus dating, clocks running, trams in service and being entitled. Sense table with case frames and a decision list.
- Beginner
Kér or kérdez: which "ask" do you use in Hungarian?
Kér is asking for something, kérdez is asking a question. Case frames for both, megkér vs megkérdez, kérem and kérlek, and the six mistakes learners make.
- Beginner
Szeret or tetszik: how do you say "I like" in Hungarian?
Szeret is a lasting like (or love); tetszik is the impression something makes on you, with the person in the dative. Decision table, ízlik, szeretne and the mistakes.
- Beginner
Lát or néz, hall or hallgat: see or look, hear or listen in Hungarian?
Lát is seeing, néz is looking or watching; hall is hearing, hallgat is listening. Case frames, megnéz and meglát, kinéz and látszik for "looks", and the mistakes.
- Beginner
Jön or megy, hoz or visz: how do you say come, go, bring and take in Hungarian?
Jön and hoz move toward "here", megy and visz move away from it. Why "I'm coming!" is Megyek!, why a guest says Viszek bort, and the ide/oda rule.
- Beginner
Mond or beszél: which Hungarian verb means say, tell, speak or talk?
Mond takes the words as its object; beszél takes a partner, a topic or a language. Case frames, szól and mesél for "tell", megmond vs elmond, and six mistakes.
- Beginner
Csinál or tesz: which Hungarian verb means do, make or put?
Csinál makes things and asks what you are doing; tesz puts things somewhere and turns them into states with -vá/-vé. Decision table, set phrases, six mistakes.
- Beginner
Kell or muszáj: how do you say must, have to and need in Hungarian?
Kell is the everyday "must, need", muszáj a stronger, informal "have to" that never changes form. Nine obligation words compared, and nem kell vs nem szabad.
- Beginner
Ül or leül, áll or feláll: how do you say sit, sit down, stand up and lie down in Hungarian?
Ül, áll and fekszik mean being in a position, with a "where" case; leül, feláll and lefekszik mean getting into it, with "where to". Grid, commands, mistakes.
- Beginner
Él or lakik: how do you say "to live" in Hungarian?
Lakik means to have your home at a place; él means to be alive, and with a place, where your life happens. Case frames only él has, prefixed forms, lakom vs lakok.
- Intermediate
Gondol or hisz: how do you say "I think" in Hungarian?
Szerintem, azt hiszem and úgy gondolom all mean "I think", but they are not interchangeable. Which one fits which opinion, plus gondol -ra, gondolkodik -on and hisz -nak.
- Beginner
Kap, vesz or szerez: how do you say "to get" in Hungarian?
Kap means get as in receive, vesz means get as in buy or take, szerez means obtain. A table of 17 English "get" meanings and the Hungarian verb for each.
- Beginner
Akar or szeretne: how do you say "I want" in Hungarian?
Akarok is "I want", szeretnék is "I would like". When each one fits, why Egy kávét akarok sounds pushy, and a six-step request scale up to legyen szíves.
- Beginner
Szokott: how do you say "usually" and "used to" in Hungarian?
Szoktam + infinitive means "I usually": past in form, present in meaning. The paradigm, meg szoktam nézni, "used to", and five szokik verbs with cases.
- Beginner
Tanul, megtanul, tanít or megtud: how do you say "learn", "study" and "teach" in Hungarian?
Tanul is study, megtanul is learn for good, tanít is teach and megtud is find out. Case frames, a table of 13 English uses and the mistakes learners make.
Frequently asked questions
How many tenses does Hungarian have?
Three in modern use: past, present and future. Older texts also show a few extra past forms, but they are no longer used in speech.
What is the dictionary form of a Hungarian verb?
The 3rd person singular present indefinite, such as vár or lakik, not the infinitive.
What is the hardest part of Hungarian verbs?
For most learners, the definite conjugation and the movement of verbal prefixes (megnézem but nem nézem meg). Both are rule-governed and become automatic with practice.