In Lesson 4 you ordered coffee with Kérek egy kávét, and learnt that the -t on kávét shows the object: the thing that the verb is done to. In this lesson you will learn how to add -t to any word, using what you learnt about vowel harmony and the plural in Lesson 6. Then you will learn to talk about the things you like, the things you want and the things you like doing.
The object and the -t ending
In English, the order of the words tells you who does what. "The dog sees the cat" and "The cat sees the dog" mean different things. In Hungarian, the ending tells you instead. The object always has -t. This form is called the accusative case.
Látok egy kutyát. (I see a dog.) – pronounced “LAA-tok edy KU-tyaat”
Kérek egy almát. (I'd like an apple.) – pronounced “KAY-rek edy AWL-maat”
Anna olvas egy könyvet. (Anna is reading a book.) – pronounced “AWN-naw OL-vawsh edy KÖNY-vet”
Péter ír egy levelet. (Péter is writing a letter.) – pronounced “PAY-ter eer edy LEH-veh-let”
Because the ending marks the object, Hungarian word order is quite free. Egy kutyát látok means the same as Látok egy kutyát. The order only changes what you are stressing. You will learn more about this in later lessons.
How to add -t
The rules for -t are very close to the rules for the plural -k that you learnt in Lesson 6. Here they are, step by step.
1. After a vowel: just -t
If the word ends in a vowel, add -t. As always, -a and -e become long:
autót (car) – pronounced “AW-u-toht” From autó.
fiút (boy) – pronounced “FI-oot” From fiú.
almát (apple) – pronounced “AWL-maat” From alma.
körtét (pear) – pronounced “KÖR-tayt” From körte.
2. After l, n, r, s, sz, z and a few others: usually just -t
After the consonants j, l, ly, n, ny, r, s, sz, z, zs, you can usually add -t directly, because it is easy to say. This includes names:
asztalt (table) – pronounced “AWS-tawlt” From asztal.
lányt (girl) – pronounced “laanyt” From lány.
bort (wine) – pronounced “bort” From bor.
buszt (bus) – pronounced “bust” From busz.
telefont (telephone) – pronounced “TEH-leh-font” From telefon.
Pétert (Péter) – pronounced “PAY-tert” From Péter.
3. After other consonants: a linking vowel
After all the other consonants, you need a linking vowel, just as in the plural. It is -ot in back words, -et in front words, and -öt in front rounded words:
ablakot (window) – pronounced “AWB-law-kot” From ablak.
kertet (garden) – pronounced “KER-tet” From kert.
képet (picture) – pronounced “KAY-pet” From kép.
gyereket (child) – pronounced “DYEH-reh-ket” From gyerek.
gyümölcsöt (fruit) – pronounced “DYÜ-möl-chöt” From gyümölcs.
bőröndöt (suitcase) – pronounced “BÖÖ-rön-döt” From bőrönd.
4. The words with -ak, and the words that change
Remember the group of words with -ak in the plural, such as házak? They take -at here, even when they end in one of the easy consonants from rule 2. And the words whose stem changes in the plural change in the same way before -t. A quick way to find these forms is to take the plural and swap the -k for -t:
| Word | Plural | With -t | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ház | házak | házat | house |
| hal | halak | halat | fish |
| ágy | ágyak | ágyat | bed |
| madár | madarak | madarat | bird |
| pohár | poharak | poharat | glass |
| kenyér | kenyerek | kenyeret | bread |
| levél | levelek | levelet | letter |
| víz | vizek | vizet | water |
| ló | lovak | lovat | horse |
| kő | kövek | követ | stone |
| bokor | bokrok | bokrot | bush |
| étterem | éttermek | éttermet | restaurant |
Two words to watch
Rules like these always have a few exceptions. Two common ones: tej (milk) ends in j but takes a linking vowel, tejet, as you saw in Lesson 4. And szó (word) has the plural szavak, but the -t form is simply szót. When you learn a new noun, it is a good habit to learn its plural and its -t form with it.
Plural objects
If the object is plural, add -at or -et to the plural form. Back words take -at and front words take -et. This time there is no -öt:
almákat (apples) – pronounced “AWL-maa-kawt” From almák.
házakat (houses) – pronounced “HAA-zaw-kawt” From házak.
gyerekeket (children) – pronounced “DYEH-reh-keh-ket” From gyerekek.
gyümölcsöket (fruits) – pronounced “DYÜ-möl-chö-ket” From gyümölcsök.
Látok madarakat. (I see birds.) – pronounced “LAA-tok MAW-daw-raw-kawt”
But remember: after a number, the noun stays singular, so it is Látok két madarat (I see two birds).
Liking doing things: szeret + -ni
The verb szeret means "like" and also "love". It is a regular front verb. The easiest way to use it is to say what you like doing. For that you need the infinitive, the "to ..." form of a verb, as in "I like to read". In Hungarian, the infinitive ends in -ni, and you add it to the dictionary form:
| Dictionary form | Infinitive | English |
|---|---|---|
| olvas | olvasni | to read |
| tanul | tanulni | to learn |
| beszél | beszélni | to speak |
| főz | főzni | to cook |
| táncol | táncolni | to dance |
| sétál | sétálni | to walk, to go for a walk |
For ik-verbs, take off the -ik first: dolgozik → dolgozni, úszik → úszni (to swim), utazik → utazni (to travel). A few very common verbs have special infinitives: eszik → enni, iszik → inni, alszik → aludni (to sleep), játszik → játszani (to play).
enni (to eat) – pronounced “EN-ni”
inni (to drink) – pronounced “IN-ni”
aludni (to sleep) – pronounced “AW-lud-ni”
játszani (to play) – pronounced “YAAT-saw-ni”
Now put szeret in front of the infinitive:
Szeretek olvasni. (I like reading.) – pronounced “SEH-reh-tek OL-vawsh-ni”
Szeretsz főzni? (Do you like cooking?) – pronounced “SEH-rets FÖÖZ-ni”
Anna szeret úszni. (Anna likes swimming.) – pronounced “AWN-naw SEH-ret OOS-ni”
Szeretünk utazni. (We like travelling.) – pronounced “SEH-reh-tünk U-tawz-ni”
Nem szeretek dolgozni. (I don't like working.) – pronounced “nem SEH-reh-tek DOL-goz-ni”
A gyerekek szeretnek játszani. (The children like playing.) – pronounced “aw DYEH-reh-kek SEH-ret-nek YAAT-saw-ni”
Notice that English says "I like reading" or "I like to read", but Hungarian always uses the infinitive. You can also put an object with the infinitive: Szeretek zenét hallgatni (I like listening to music), Szeretek tévét nézni (I like watching TV).
Liking things: szeretem a ...
Now for things you like: coffee, dogs, Budapest. Here Hungarian works a little differently from English. When you talk about something you like in general, you use a or az (the): Hungarians say "I like the coffee", not "I like coffee".
And there is something else. When the object has a or az in front of it, the verb takes a different set of endings. This is called the definite conjugation, and you will learn it properly in Lesson 10. For today, you only need it for szeret:
| without a/az | with a/az | |
|---|---|---|
| én | szeretek | szeretem |
| te | szeretsz | szereted |
| ő | szeret | szereti |
| mi | szeretünk | szeretjük |
| ti | szerettek | szeretitek |
| ők | szeretnek | szeretik |
Szeretem a kávét. (I like coffee.) – pronounced “SEH-reh-tem aw KAA-vayt”
Szereted a csokoládét? (Do you like chocolate?) – pronounced “SEH-reh-ted aw CHO-ko-laa-dayt”
Péter szereti a sört. (Péter likes beer.) – pronounced “PAY-ter SEH-reh-ti aw shört”
Nem szeretem a tejet. (I don't like milk.) – pronounced “nem SEH-reh-tem aw TEH-yet”
Szeretjük a magyar bort. (We like Hungarian wine.) – pronounced “SEH-ret-tyük aw MAW-dyawr bort”
Szeretik a kutyákat. (They like dogs.) – pronounced “SEH-reh-tik aw KU-tyaa-kawt”
Szeretek or szeretem?
Here is a simple way to choose for now. If szeret is followed by a verb in -ni, use the first set: Szeretek olvasni. If it is followed by a or az and a noun, use the second set: Szeretem a könyveket. The word szeret also means "love", so Szeretem Budapestet means "I love Budapest". Names of places and people count like a/az + noun.
Szeretem Budapestet. (I love Budapest.) – pronounced “SEH-reh-tem BU-daw-pesh-tet”
Tetszik: it appeals to me
Hungarian has a second way to say "I like", for things you see, hear or experience: a picture, a film, a city. The verb is tetszik, an ik-verb that means "is pleasing" or "appeals". The thing you like is the subject of the sentence, not the object, so it has no -t:
Tetszik a ház. (I like the house. (The house appeals.)) – pronounced “TET-sik aw haaz”
Tetszik Budapest? (Do you like Budapest?) – pronounced “TET-sik BU-daw-pesht”
Nagyon tetszik. (I like it a lot.) – pronounced “NAW-dyon TET-sik”
Nem tetszik a film. (I don't like the film.) – pronounced “nem TET-sik aw film”
Tetszenek a képek. (I like the pictures. (The pictures appeal.)) – pronounced “TET-seh-nek aw KAY-pek”
Look at the last example. Because a képek is plural and is the subject, the verb takes the "they" form: tetszenek. Notice that these sentences don't say who likes the thing. In a conversation, it is usually clear: Tetszik? means "Do you like it?" You will learn how to say "to me" and "to you" in Lesson 9.
For food, Hungarians often use another verb that works the same way, ízlik (tastes good): Ízlik a leves? (Do you like the soup?) Waiters ask this all the time.
Ízlik a leves? (Do you like the soup?) – pronounced “EEZ-lik aw LEH-vesh”
Igen, nagyon ízlik. (Yes, I like it a lot.) – pronounced “I-gen, NAW-dyon EEZ-lik”
Wanting: akar
The verb akar means "want". It is a regular back verb, and it can be followed by a noun with -t or by an infinitive:
| akar | |
|---|---|
| én | akarok |
| te | akarsz |
| ő | akar |
| mi | akarunk |
| ti | akartok |
| ők | akarnak |
Kávét akarok. (I want coffee.) – pronounced “KAA-vayt AW-kaw-rok”
Enni akarok. (I want to eat.) – pronounced “EN-ni AW-kaw-rok”
Mit akarsz csinálni? (What do you want to do?) – pronounced “mit AW-kawrs CHI-naal-ni”
Aludni akarunk. (We want to sleep.) – pronounced “AW-lud-ni AW-kaw-runk”
A gyerekek fagyit akarnak. (The children want ice cream.) – pronounced “aw DYEH-reh-kek FAW-dyit AW-kawr-nawk”
Notice that Hungarians often put the infinitive or the object before akar: Enni akarok, "To eat I want". That is the most natural order.
Be polite
Akarok is fine with friends, but it can sound rude in a shop or a café, just like "I want" in English. Use kérek (from Lesson 4) or szeretnék ("I would like") instead: Szeretnék egy kávét. You met szeretnék in Fizetni szeretnék. It is a polite form of szeret, and you will learn how it is made in Lesson 21.
Szeretnék egy kávét. (I'd like a coffee.) – pronounced “SEH-ret-nayk edy KAA-vayt”
Asking for: kér
You already know kérek. Here is the whole verb. It is very useful for offering things to people, too:
| kér | |
|---|---|
| én | kérek |
| te | kérsz |
| ő | kér |
| mi | kérünk |
| ti | kértek |
| ők | kérnek |
Kérsz egy teát? (Would you like a tea? (to a friend)) – pronounced “kayrs edy TEH-aat”
Kér egy kávét? (Would you like a coffee? (polite)) – pronounced “kayr edy KAA-vayt”
Mit kértek? (What would you (all) like?) – pronounced “mit KAYR-tek”
Két sört kérünk. (We'd like two beers.) – pronounced “kayt shört KAY-rünk”
Putting it all together
Mit szeretsz csinálni? (What do you like doing?)
Szeretek olvasni és főzni. És te? (I like reading and cooking. And you?)
Én szeretek táncolni, de nem szeretek főzni. (I like dancing, but I don't like cooking.)
Szereted a magyar ételeket? (Do you like Hungarian food?)
Igen, nagyon szeretem a pogácsát! (Yes, I really love savoury scones!)
Kérsz egy pogácsát? Itt van. (Would you like a savoury scone? Here's one.)
Köszönöm! Nagyon ízlik. (Thank you! It tastes very good.)
Étel means "food" or "dish", so a magyar ételek are "Hungarian dishes".
Conclusion
You can now add -t to any noun, singular or plural. You know the infinitive in -ni, and you can talk about what you like with szeret, tetszik and ízlik, what you want with akar, and what you ask for with kér. Look over the Vocabulary, then try the Exercises. In Lesson 8 you will learn to say where things are, and where you are going.