This lesson is about the feature of Hungarian that surprises learners most. Hungarian verbs have two sets of present tense endings. Which one you use depends on the object of the verb: the thing you read, see, want or wait for. If the object is something definite, like "the book", you use one set. If it is indefinite, like "a book", or there is no object at all, you use the other.
You have actually been using both sets since Lesson 3. Kérek egy kávét (I'd like a coffee) uses the first one. Köszönöm (thank you) uses the second one: it means "I thank (you)", and that "you" counts as definite. In this lesson you will see how the system works.
Olvasok or olvasom?
Compare these two sentences:
Olvasok egy könyvet. (I'm reading a book.)
Olvasom a könyvet. (I'm reading the book.)
The only difference in English is "a" or "the". In Hungarian, the verb changes too. Olvasok is the indefinite conjugation, the one you learned in Lesson 5. Olvasom is the definite conjugation, which is new.
The names are a little misleading. It is not the verb that is definite or indefinite: it is the object. A good way to think of it is that the definite ending contains a hidden "it" or "the one we both know about". Olvasom is close to "I'm reading it".
Látok egy házat. (I see a house.)
Látom a házat. (I see the house.)
Kérek egy kávét. (I'd like a coffee.)
Kérem a számlát. (I'd like the bill.)
Várok egy barátot. (I'm waiting for a friend.)
Várom a buszt. (I'm waiting for the bus.)
The definite endings
Here are the definite endings on a back-vowel verb, vár (to wait for), and a front-vowel verb, kér (to ask for). Compare them with the indefinite endings you already know:
| Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| én | várok | várom | kérek | kérem |
| te | vársz | várod | kérsz | kéred |
| ő, Ön | vár | várja | kér | kéri |
| mi | várunk | várjuk | kérünk | kérjük |
| ti | vártok | várjátok | kértek | kéritek |
| ők, Önök | várnak | várják | kérnek | kérik |
So the definite endings are:
| Back verbs | Front verbs | |
|---|---|---|
| I | -om | -em / -öm |
| you | -od | -ed / -öd |
| he, she, Ön | -ja | -i |
| we | -juk | -jük |
| you (plural) | -játok | -itek |
| they, Önök | -ják | -ik |
Notice the j in many of the back-vowel endings, and the i in the front-vowel ones. The rounded -öm and -öd are for verbs with ö, ő, ü, ű in the last syllable, which is why it is köszönöm and not "köszönem".
Ismered Pétert? (Do you know Péter?)
Igen, ismerem. (Yes, I know him.) No need for "him": the ending says it.
Anna nézi a filmet. (Anna is watching the film.)
Kérjük a számlát. (We'd like the bill.)
Tanuljátok a szavakat? (Are you learning the words?)
Köszönjük! (Thank you! (from us))
A spelling change: olvassa, nézzük
When a verb ends in s, sz or z, the j of the ending turns into a copy of that consonant. You write it double:
olvas + ja → olvassa (he / she reads it)
olvas + juk → olvassuk (we read it)
olvas + ják → olvassák (they read it)
néz + jük → nézzük (we watch it)
keres + jük → keressük (we are looking for it)
Péter olvassa az újságot. (Péter is reading the newspaper.)
Nézzük a meccset. (We're watching the match.)
You say it as you write it: hold the double consonant a little longer. The full forms are in the Conjugation Table.
When is an object definite?
This is the part that needs practice. The basic rule is simple: if the object is something specific that both of you can identify, use the definite conjugation. In practice, that means the object is one of these:
1. A noun with a or az
This is the most common case. If the object has a or az in front, the verb is definite:
Látom a hegyet. (I see the mountain.)
Szereted a kávét? (Do you like coffee?)
Szeretem a zenét. (I like music.)
Coffee in general takes a
Hungarian uses a and az for things in general, where English uses no article at all: Szeretem a kávét means "I like coffee", not just "I like the coffee". So with szeret you will very often need the definite conjugation. You met this pattern in Lesson 7; now you know why the verb is szeretem.
2. A name
Names of people, cities and countries are definite, even though they have no article:
Ismerem Annát. (I know Anna.)
Szeretem Budapestet. (I love Budapest.)
Várjuk Pétert. (We're waiting for Péter.)
3. A noun with a possessive ending
"My car", "your sister" and "Peter's house" are all definite, because you know exactly which one is meant:
Keresem a kulcsomat. (I'm looking for my key.)
Várom a barátomat. (I'm waiting for my friend.)
Ismered a húgomat? (Do you know my younger sister?)
4. This one, that one, which one
Ezt (this one) and azt (that one) are definite, and so is melyiket (which one), because it asks you to choose from a definite set:
Ezt kérem. (I'll have this one.)
Azt nem értem. (I don't understand that.)
Melyiket kéred? (Which one would you like?)
Ezt a tortát kérem. (I'd like this cake.) ez + a + noun: "this cake"
5. Him, her, them
The pronouns őt (him, her) and őket (them) are definite, and so are the formal Önt and Önöket:
Látod őt? (Can you see him / her?)
Nem ismerem őket. (I don't know them.)
But engem (me), téged (you), minket (us) and titeket (you, plural) take the indefinite conjugation:
Péter szeret engem. (Péter loves me.)
Látsz engem? (Can you see me?)
Ki vár minket? (Who is waiting for us?)
6. A whole clause, or a hidden "it"
When the object is a whole clause beginning with hogy (that) or a question word, the verb is definite. It is also definite when the object is just understood, like "it" in English:
Tudom, hogy itt lakik. (I know that he lives here.)
Tudod, hol van a posta? (Do you know where the post office is?)
Nem tudom. (I don't know.)
Értem. (I understand. / I see.)
Köszönöm. (Thank you.)
When is an object indefinite?
Everything else takes the indefinite conjugation. Most importantly:
Olvasok. (I'm reading.) No object at all.
Olvasok egy könyvet. (I'm reading a book.) egy + noun
Kávét kérek. (I'd like some coffee.) A noun with no article.
Két jegyet kérek. (I'd like two tickets.) A number + noun.
Sok könyvet olvasok. (I read a lot of books.)
Mit olvasol? (What are you reading?) mit (what) and kit (who)
Kit vársz? (Who are you waiting for?)
Látok valamit. (I can see something.)
Question words are a good test. Mit olvasol? is indefinite, because you don't know the answer yet. But the answer is often definite: Az újságot olvasom. (I'm reading the newspaper.)
A quick test
If you are not sure, ask yourself: could I translate the object with "the", "my", "this" or a name? Then use the definite conjugation. Could I translate it with "a", "some", "what" or no article? Then use the indefinite. This works almost every time.
Two short verbs: eszik and iszik
You already know eszik (to eat) and iszik (to drink). Here are their definite forms, which you will need for "I'm eating the soup" and "I'm drinking my coffee":
| eszik | iszik | |
|---|---|---|
| én | eszem | iszom |
| te | eszed | iszod |
| ő, Ön | eszi | issza |
| mi | esszük | isszuk |
| ti | eszitek | isszátok |
| ők, Önök | eszik | isszák |
Eszed a levest? (Are you eating the soup?)
Iszom a kávémat. (I'm drinking my coffee.)
I love you: -lak and -lek
There is one more form, and it is a famous one. When I do something to you, Hungarian has a special ending: -lak for back verbs and -lek for front verbs. It replaces both "I" and "you":
Szeretlek. (I love you.)
Látlak. (I can see you.)
Várlak. (I'm waiting for you.)
Hívlak holnap. (I'll call you tomorrow.)
Ismerlek. (I know you.)
Hallak. (I can hear you.)
With a few verbs, a linking vowel slips in: értelek (I understand you), tanítalak (I teach you).
The same form works for "you" plural. If you want to make that clear, add titeket: Szeretlek titeket (I love you all). For the formal "you", use the normal definite form with Önt: Várom Önt (I am waiting for you).
Szeretsz engem? (Do you love me?)
Igen, szeretlek. (Yes, I love you.)
Én is szeretlek. (I love you too.)
Conclusion
The definite conjugation takes time. Even after you know the rules, you will make mistakes for a while, and that is completely normal. Hungarians will understand you either way. Go through the Conjugation Table, learn the words on the Vocabulary tab and then try the Exercises. The Definite Conjugation grammar page has a summary of all the rules. In the next lesson you will learn three new cases, for "on", "onto" and "off".