Here is an encouraging fact. In any language, a small number of words do most of the work. In Hungarian, as in English, the hundred most common words make up a large part of everything you read and hear. If you know them well, you will understand the shape of almost any sentence, even when some of the other words are new.
You already know most of these words from earlier lessons. This lesson brings them together, and then looks closely at a group of little words that textbooks often skip: the particles.
The 100 most used words
The full list is in the 100 Words tab. The exact order changes from one frequency list to another, so we have grouped the words by type rather than numbering them. Go through the list and mark any word you don't know yet.
About a third of the list are tiny words like és, hogy, de and is. They don't have much meaning on their own, but they hold sentences together. Let's look at a few that need some explanation.
Hogy: that, how
Hogy is one of the busiest words in the language. Its main job is to join two clauses, like English "that". Unlike English, Hungarian never leaves it out, and it always has a comma in front:
Tudom, hogy itt lakik. (I know (that) he lives here.)
Azt mondta, hogy jön. (She said (that) she's coming.) Literally "she said that, that she's coming".
Remélem, hogy jól vagy. (I hope you are well.)
Hogy also means "how", as in Hogy vagy? (How are you?). In a question it is short for hogyan.
Mi and ki
Two of the commonest words have two meanings each. Mi means "we" and also "what". Ki means "who" and is also the prefix ki (out). The sentence always makes it clear:
Mi Budapesten lakunk. (We live in Budapest.)
Mi ez? (What is this?)
Ki ez? (Who is this?)
Kimegyek. (I'm going out.)
Nem, sem, soha, senki, semmi
Hungarian is happy to use more than one negative in a sentence. "I don't know anything" is literally "I don't know nothing", and that is correct, standard Hungarian:
Nem tudok semmit. (I don't know anything.)
Senki nem jött. (No one came.)
Soha nem iszom kávét. (I never drink coffee.)
Semmi baj. (No problem. / It's fine.)
The particles
Particles are small words that add a feeling to a sentence: surprise, agreement, impatience, a gentle reminder. English does this mostly with tone of voice and little words like "just", "well" and "you know". Hungarian uses particles, and they are everywhere in conversation. Using them well is one of the things that makes you sound natural.
is: also, too
Is always comes after the word it refers to. This is the most important thing to know about it, because English "also" usually comes in front:
Én is. (Me too.)
Péter is jön. (Péter is coming too.)
Kávét is kérek. (I'd like coffee too.) As well as something else.
Holnap is dolgozom. (I'm working tomorrow too.)
Move is and you change what "too" refers to: Kávét is kérek means "I'd like coffee too" (as well as the cake), but Én is kérek kávét means "I'd like coffee too" (as well as you). In a negative sentence, use sem instead of is:
Én sem. (Me neither.)
Péter sem jön. (Péter isn't coming either.)
csak: only, just
Csak goes in front of the word it refers to:
Csak egy kávét kérek. (Just a coffee, please.)
Csak nézelődöm. (I'm just looking.) What to say in a shop.
Csak holnap jövök. (I'm not coming until tomorrow.) Literally "only tomorrow".
Csak te tudod. (Only you know.)
már and még: already and still
These two are a pair, and they work almost exactly like English "already" and "still", "yet":
| Positive | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| már | Már itt vagyok. (I'm already here.) | Már nem lakom itt. (I don't live here any more.) |
| még | Még itt vagyok. (I'm still here.) | Még nem ettem. (I haven't eaten yet.) |
In questions, már means "ever" or "yet": Voltál már Budapesten? (Have you ever been to Budapest?). And még also means "more" or "another":
Még egy sört kérek. (Another beer, please.)
Még valamit? (Anything else?)
Még nem. (Not yet.)
hát: well
Hát starts a sentence when you need a moment to think, or when the answer is obvious. It is very common in speech:
Hát, nem tudom. (Well, I don't know.)
Hát persze! (Well, of course!)
Hát te? (And what about you?)
ugye: isn't it?
Ugye turns a statement into a question that expects "yes", like English "isn't it?", "don't you?" or "right?". It can go at the start or the end:
Te is jössz, ugye? (You're coming too, aren't you?)
Ugye nem baj? (It's not a problem, is it?)
Szép, ugye? (It's beautiful, isn't it?)
pedig: whereas, and yet
Pedig has two uses. In the middle of a sentence it contrasts two things, a bit like "whereas" or "while". It comes second in its clause, after the thing being contrasted:
Én teát iszom, Péter pedig kávét. (I drink tea, and Péter drinks coffee.)
Anna Budapesten lakik, a húga pedig Bécsben. (Anna lives in Budapest, while her sister lives in Vienna.)
At the start of a sentence, pedig means "and yet" or "but really":
Pedig igaz! (But it's true!)
Nem jött el. Pedig megígérte. (He didn't come. And he promised!)
persze: of course
Persze! (Of course!)
Persze, hogy jövök. (Of course I'm coming.)
Jössz? Hát persze. (Are you coming? Well, of course.)
szintén: also, likewise
Szintén means "also" or "likewise". It is a little more formal than is, and it goes in front of the verb or the noun. On its own, it is a polite way of returning a greeting:
Ő szintén tanár. (He is also a teacher.)
Örülök, hogy megismertelek. Szintén. (Nice to meet you. Likewise.)
Three more you will hear every day
na starts or pushes a sentence, like English "come on" or "so": Na, mi van? (So, what's up?), Na, gyere! (Come on!).
szóval means "so" when you get to the point: Szóval, holnap jössz? (So, are you coming tomorrow?).
tényleg means "really": Tényleg? (Really?), Tényleg nagyon szép. (It's really very beautiful.)
Conclusion
The words in this lesson are the glue of Hungarian. Look through the 100 Words list until you know every word in it, and listen for the particles whenever you hear Hungarian spoken. Then learn the Vocabulary and try the Exercises. The last lesson of the B1 part is about Hungarian homes.