Conditional and Subjunctive

So far, all your Hungarian verbs have talked about what is or was true. In this lesson you will learn two new moods. A mood is a set of verb forms for a particular attitude. The conditional talks about what would happen. The subjunctive (also called the imperative) is for orders, wishes and "I want you to...". Both are built very regularly, and you have already met their most famous forms: ▶szeretnék (I would like) and ▶Gyere ide! (Come here!).

The conditional: -na, -ne

The conditional is the Hungarian "would". It is made by adding -na or -ne to the verb stem, followed by personal endings. Here is the indefinite conjugation:

Three things to notice:

• The én form always ends in -nék, even in back-vowel verbs: ▶olvasnék, not "olvasnák". This is one of the very few places where vowel harmony is ignored.
• The a and e become long when another ending follows: ▶olvasna but ▶olvasnál, ▶olvasnánk.
• Verbs ending in -ít or in two consonants need a linking vowel: ▶tanítana, ▶mondana, ▶értene, ▶segítene.

The definite conjugation

When the object is definite (Lesson 10), use -ná/-né with these endings:

Notice that ▶kérnék means both "I would ask for (something)" (indefinite) and "they would ask for (it)" (definite). The context always tells you which.

▶Szívesen elolvasnám ezt a könyvet. (I would happily read this book.)

▶Megkérdeznéd Pétert? (Would you ask Peter?)

Irregular verbs

Most irregular verbs simply use their infinitive stem, the part before -ni:

▶van, lenne (is → would be) From lenni. The old form volna is also correct.

▶megy, menne (goes → would go)

▶jön, jönne (comes → would come)

▶eszik, enne (eats → would eat)

▶iszik, inna (drinks → would drink)

▶tesz, tenne (puts → would put)

▶vesz, venne (buys → would buy)

▶alszik, aludna (sleeps → would sleep)

Polite requests

Just as in English, the conditional makes a request softer and more polite. You have used ▶szeretnék since Lesson 4. Now you know it is the conditional of ▶szeret:

▶Szeretnék egy kávét. (I would like a coffee.)

▶Kérnék egy pohár vizet. (I would like a glass of water.) Literally "I would ask for".

▶Segítenél? (Would you help (me)?)

▶Segítene nekem? (Could you help me?) Formal, to Ön.

▶Meg tudná mondani, hol van az állomás? (Could you tell me where the station is?)

▶Lenne szíves becsukni az ablakot? (Would you be so kind as to close the window?)

▶Volna kedved moziba menni? (Would you like to go to the cinema?)

Adding -hat/-het (Lesson 15) gives "could I...?", which is perfect for asking permission:

▶Kaphatnék egy szalvétát? (Could I have a napkin?)

▶Bejöhetnék? (Could I come in?)

If-sentences

The word for "if" is ▶ha. When you talk about something real or likely, use the ordinary present tense, as in English:

▶Ha esik az eső, otthon maradok. (If it rains, I'll stay at home.)

When you talk about something imaginary or unlikely, use the conditional in both halves of the sentence. English uses "if I had... I would...", but Hungarian uses the same form twice:

▶Ha sok pénzem lenne, vennék egy házat a Balatonnál. (If I had a lot of money, I would buy a house at Lake Balaton.)

▶Ha ráérnék, elmennék veled. (If I had time, I would go with you.)

▶Mit csinálnál, ha nyernél a lottón? (What would you do if you won the lottery?)

▶Ha én lennék a helyedben, nem mondanám el neki. (If I were you, I wouldn't tell him.) Literally "if I were in your place".

You can also use the conditional on its own for wishes, often with ▶bárcsak (if only):

▶Bárcsak itt lennél! (If only you were here!)

The past conditional: would have

The past conditional is easy: take the ordinary past tense and add the word ▶volna. The word ▶volna never changes:

▶mentem volna (I would have gone)

▶olvastad volna (you would have read it)

▶megvette volna (she would have bought it)

It is used for things that did not happen, and for regrets:

▶Ha tudtam volna, szóltam volna. (If I had known, I would have told you.)

▶Ha korábban indultunk volna, nem késtük volna le a vonatot. (If we had left earlier, we wouldn't have missed the train.)

▶Szívesen eljöttem volna, de beteg voltam. (I would have liked to come, but I was ill.)

▶Bárcsak ne mondtam volna semmit! (If only I hadn't said anything!)

The subjunctive: -j-

The second new mood is the subjunctive. Its sign is the letter -j-, placed between the stem and the personal ending. It is used for commands ("Wait!"), suggestions ("Let's wait") and after ▶hogy in sentences like "I want you to wait". Hungarian grammars call it the imperative (▶felszólító mód), but it does far more than give orders.

The te form is the ordinary command: ▶Várj! (Wait!), ▶Ülj le! (Sit down!). It has a longer form too, ▶várjál, ▶kérjél, ▶üljél, which is just as correct and very common in speech. The mi form means "let's": ▶Várjunk! (Let's wait!).

The definite subjunctive

The te form is short: just -d, as in ▶Várd meg! (Wait for him!), ▶Nézd! (Look!), ▶Olvasd el! (Read it!). The long forms ▶várjad, ▶nézzed also exist but are less common. Notice that several forms, such as ▶várja and ▶várjuk, look exactly like the present tense. Again, context tells you which is meant.

Assimilation: when -j- changes

After some consonants, the j does not stay as j. This is the only tricky part of the subjunctive, so take it slowly.

1. After s, sz, z and dz, the j becomes a copy of that consonant:

So ▶Olvass! (Read!), ▶Nézz ide! (Look here!), ▶Hozz egy széket! (Bring a chair!), ▶Játsszunk! (Let's play!). Notice that with a digraph only the first letter is doubled: sz + j gives ssz.

2. After t, two things can happen. If the t follows a consonant, or the verb ends in -ít, the tj becomes ts. If the t follows any other vowel, it becomes ss:

▶Segíts! (Help!) segít → segíts

▶Tarts ki! (Hold on!) tart → tarts

▶Fuss! (Run!) fut → fuss

▶Lássuk! (Let's see!) lát → lássuk

3. After st and szt, the whole group becomes a double s or sz: ▶fest → ▶fessen (let him paint), ▶választ → ▶válasszon (choose, formal).

Irregular verbs

A few very common verbs have irregular subjunctives. Here is the third person (which is also the formal command, to ▶Ön) and the te command:

▶Gyere! and ▶Gyertek! (Come!) are used only for commands. In all other uses, ▶jön is regular: ▶jöjjön, ▶jöjjünk, ▶jöjjenek.

Using the subjunctive

Commands

In a command, a verbal prefix moves after the verb:

▶Gyere be! (Come in!)

▶Nyisd ki az ablakot! (Open the window!)

▶Üljön le, kérem! (Please sit down.) Formal.

▶Menjünk haza! (Let's go home!)

▶Nézzük meg! (Let's have a look at it!)

Negative commands: ne

To say "don't", put ▶ne (not ▶nem) in front of the subjunctive. The prefix stays after the verb:

▶Ne menj el! (Don't go!)

▶Ne aggódj! (Don't worry!)

▶Ne nyisd ki az ablakot! (Don't open the window!)

▶Ne féljen! (Don't be afraid.) Formal.

▶Ne haragudj! (Sorry!) Literally "don't be angry". The most common everyday apology.

Hogy + subjunctive

This is where the subjunctive really earns its place. After verbs of wanting, asking and ordering, and after words like ▶fontos (important), the ▶hogy-clause has a subjunctive verb. Here the prefix usually stays in front of the verb, as in ▶hogy eljöjj. Only when the clause reports an order does it often move after the verb, just as in a command: ▶hogy vigyük ki.

▶Azt akarom, hogy eljöjj. (I want you to come.)

▶Anya azt mondta, hogy vigyük ki a szemetet. (Mum told us to take the rubbish out.)

▶Megkértem, hogy segítsen. (I asked her to help.)

▶Fontos, hogy pontosan érkezz. (It's important that you arrive on time.)

▶Azért jöttem, hogy beszéljünk. (I came so that we could talk.) azért ... hogy = so that, in order to

Compare ▶Azt mondta, hogy eljön. (He said that he is coming: a statement) with ▶Azt mondta, hogy jöjjek el. (He told me to come: an order). The mood of the second verb changes the whole meaning.

Conclusion

You now have the two moods that let you be polite, imagine, regret, give orders and tell people what you want them to do. That is a great deal of expressive power. Keep the Conjugation Tables nearby, learn the Vocabulary and practise with the Exercises. In Lesson 22 we start C1 with something that makes Hungarian sound truly Hungarian: word order and focus.