Do you want to start learning Hungarian? Here are some basic expressions

Are you considering learning Hungarian? Although it is certainly a tricky language, there are some basic expressions that will help you get by. Have a look at our article and you’ll see that you’ll pick up the local lingo in no time!

Greetings in Hungarian

Greetings and introductions are essential when learning a new language. Therefore, you might want to start by memorising the basic Hungarian greetings. In the Hungarian language, you greet people by saying Jó napot! or Szia!/Sziasztok!

Note that Szia! (singular form) or Sziasztok! (plural form) are considered informal while Jó napot! is more formal. If you want to learn how to greet people at different times of the day, here are some pointers:

Jó reggelt! = Good morning!
Jó estét! = Good evening!
Jó éjszakát! = Good night!

However, you cannot go wrong by sticking to Jó napot!, locals will appreciate your effort.

Self-introductions

You have to introduce yourself quite often when you are staying in a foreign country, so these easy expressions will certainly come in handy. Similarly to English, there are two basic ways to say who you are:

Anna vagyok = I’m Anna
Annának hívnak = My name is Anna

In Hungarian, you use two different verbs to introduce yourself, either the verb “to be” (lenni) or the verb “call” (hívni). If you only want to learn one way of introducing yourself, the first one (Anna vagyok = I’m Anna) is recommended as Hungarians use it more commonly in everyday language.

How to use the verb “to be” = lenni

In Hungarian, the verb “to be” is used quite often, therefore, it is critical to know it by heart. Here is the conjugation of the verb “to be” (lenni) in Hungarian:

Én vagyok = I am
Te vagy = You are
Ő van = He/she/it is
Mi vagyunk = We are
Ti vagytok = You are
Ők vannak = They are

As you can see, the third form singular is an easy one, as the Hungarian language is genderless, meaning there is only one pronoun. You should use ő for both he and she.

Once you have mastered the conjugation of “to be” (lenni), you can learn some easy sentences using this verb.