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Could you pass a Hungarian language exam? Solve these tasks and find out!

Do you want to test your Hungarian knowledge? Solve these short tasks and find out if you could pass the A2 level Hungarian language exam.

Language exam task 1: matching headings

Task: Read the short texts and match them with the headings based on the pattern.

Short texts:

1. Hasznos megtanulni magyarul egy-két szót. Természetesen a turistaközpontokban, információs
pontokon beszélnek angolul is.

2. A magyar városokban az első ajtón kell felszállni a buszra, a villamosra. A busz vagy a villamos
vezetőjétől is lehet jegyet vásárolni.

3. A magyar konyha általában erősen fűszeres. Mindig van főzelék az étlapon. A főzelék különböző
zöldségekből (pl. bab, burgonya, káposzta) készül, ezért egészséges. Lehet hús nélkül is rendelni.

4. A patikákat zöld kereszt jelöli. Fájdalomcsillapítót, vitaminokat benzinkutaknál is árulnak.

5. Magyarország az Európai Unió tagja, de a boltokban nem euróval, hanem forinttal kell fizetni.

Headings:

A: IDEGEN NYELV

B: ÉTTEREM

C: VÁROSI KÖZLEKEDÉS

D: GYÓGYSZER

E: PÉNZ

Key: 1. – A, 2. – C, 3. – B, 4. – D, 5. – E

Task 2: advertisements

Task: Enter the number(s) of the appropriate travel ad(s) in the table! You can enter a number more than once!

Advertisements:

1. Töltse a szilvesztert Hévízen! 4 nap / 3 éj reggelivel, szilveszteri vacsorával, élő zenével 36 990 Ft / fő. Tel.: 234-5678

2. Falusi turizmus Fertődön, az Esterházy-kastély mellett, a Kúria Vendégházban, gazdag programmal, maximum 30 fő részére. Tel.: 06/99/371-952.

3. Szilveszterezzen Orfűn! 3 nap / 2 éj félpanzióval, báli belépővel 28 700 Ft / fő.

4. Síutak, síiskolák: Ausztria: 195 000 Ft-tól, Szlovénia: 161 000 Ft-tól, Magyarország: 129 000 Ft-tól. Fenyő Tours, Tel.: 214-8654

5. Prága, december 20-23-ig, 4 nap / 3 éjszaka kétcsillagos szállodában, reggelivel. Idegenvezetés, sörgyár-látogatás, jéghokimeccs. Jelentkezés: ELTE BTK, Tel.: 266-9875

6. Nyár a télben! Utazzon Egyiptomba! Kairó: 114 000 Ft-tól; utazás a Níluson 187 900 Ft-tól. Quint Tours, Tel.: 583-1402

7. Autóbuszok, mikrobuszok sofőrrel: 10 000 Ft / nap. Tel.: 437-9732 vagy www.autobustransfer.hu

8. Hétvége Hévízen: 3 nap reggelivel 3900 Ft-ért, félpanzióval 6900 Ft-ért. Tel.: 345-7100

A: Ez a legolcsóbb utazás.  
B: Csak külföldi utazást kínálnak.  
C: Év végére kínálnak utazást.  
D: Az utasok hotelban laknak majd.  
E: Szabadidős programokon is részt lehet venni.  
F: Itt nincs szállás.  
G: Nem csak telefonon lehet érdeklődni.  
H: Itt sportolni lehet.  

Key: A – 8, B – 5,6, C – 1,3, D – 5, E – 5, F – 7, G – 7, H – 4

Task 3: interview

Task: Read the text and answer the questions briefly.

Interview with a doctor:

– Az Ön családjában öt generáció óta vannak orvosok. Ön is mindig orvos akart lenni?
– Igen. Ez természetes volt a mi családunkban. Volt már sebész, belgyógyász, háziorvos is.
– A hagyományok alapján lehetett volna zenész vagy cukrász is. Mozarttal is közeli rokonságban voltak, és a Sacher tortát is önöknek köszönhetjük.
– Franz Sacher a dédnagyapám volt. Ő volt Metternich herceg cukrásza. A herceg lányának esküvőjére
készítette el először a ma már nagyon kedvelt tortát 1832-ben. Ebből a csokoládés tortából egyszerre többet lehetett készíteni, és sokáig friss maradt. A dédnagyapám találta ki a később róla elnevezett Sacher tortát, amelyet egyébként a feleségem is nagyszerűen készít. Nálunk az ünnepeken mindig Sacher torta a desszert. Nagyon szeretem az efféle finomságokat.
– El is tudja készíteni?
– Én sajnos nem.

Questions:

1. Melyik rokon volt cukrász? …………………………………………….
2. Kinek készült a torta? …………………………………………….
3. Melyik évben készült az első torta? …………………………………………….
4. Mi ennek a csokoládés tortának a jellemzője? …………………………………………….
5. Ki készíti finoman a Sacher tortát a családban? …………………………………………….

Key: 1: a dédnagyapa, 2: Metternich/a herceg lányának, 3: 1832-ben, 4: sokáig friss marad/sok készíthető belőle, 5: a feleség

Would you pass the A2 level Hungarian language exam? Let us know!

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Want to learn Hungarian? Here are the best apps!

Duolingo

The beginning of learning a new foreign language is never easy, however, with the help of applications, you might have fun in the process. Here are the best apps if you want to learn Hungarian.

Duolingo, the best free app to learn Hungarian

Duolingo is probably the most well-known and used free learning app. With Duolingo, you can learn some useful vocabulary and phrases for completely free. However, you should not expect to be fluent, Duolingo is rather recommended for beginners. You can acquire the basics of Hungarian and be able to formulate some sentences. You can take a full Hungarian course for free and practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Price: Free or a premium ad-free version that starts at EUR 11,88 per month.

Tandem: learn with native speakers

If you want to learn the language from native spakers for free, this app is the perfect choice for you! Tandem is a messaging app that connects you with native Hungarian speakers who want to practice your language. Normally, it would be hard to find Hungarian native speakers to chat with, but through Tandem, you can easily reach Hungarians. They help you learn their language, while you teach them some of your language, too. It is a win-win situation.

Price: Free. Premium: EUR 6,39 per month.

HungarianPod101

This app offers numerous lessons that cover a huge range of topics. If you prefer learning new vocabulary from different topics, you are definitely going to enjoy HungarianPod101. This app is recommended for everyone from beginners to advanced speakers. Besides the topics, it helps you develop multiple skills, like reading, writing, and listening. In addition, as a special feature, you can even get feedback from a tutor to make sure you are making progress.

Price: Paid subscriptions start at EUR 3,66

Pimsleur, one of the best apps to learn Hungarian

This app focuses on communication, therefore, if your goal is to speak confidently in Hungarian, you might want to try Pimsleur. According to langoly.com, it is the best app to learn Hungarian because all of the lessons are audios. The lessons are all the same length and you can listen to them any time you want to.

Price: EUR 13,71 per month

Mondly

With Mondly, beginners can acquire the basic Hungarian vocabulary and grammar. It is especially helpful for those who struggle with grammar, as there are grammar tables collecting the most important rules. Moreover, it is easy to see and track your learning progress.

Price: EUR 9,14 per month

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Read alsoThe funniest Hungarian expressions

5 reasons to learn Hungarian

folk dance

Although Hungarian is only spoken by a small number of people, you may want to consider learning the language. It is not only a unique language, but it can be useful in one way or another, too. Here are 5 reasons why you should learn Hungarian. 

Hungarian is a beautiful language

When people think about the most beautiful language, probably not Hungarian will be their first thought. However, the Hungarian language has some beautiful words and expressions. According to foreigners, cipőfűző [shoelace] is the most beautiful Hungarian word. In addition, Dezső Kosztolányi, the famous Hungarian writer collected his favourite Hungarian words which are the following: láng [flame], gyöngy [pearl], anya [mother], ősz [Autumn], szűz [virgin], kard [sword], csók [kiss], vér [blood], szív [heart], sír [grave, cry].

Hungarian is diverse and colourful

Hungarian may not be the easiest language in the world, but it is certainly rich and colourful. There is a different word for every expression. There are several ways you can express yourself in a given situation, and you can say a synonym for every word. For example, hungarianpod101.com lists these expressions if you want to say “to walk” or “to go”: sétálni, járni, lépdelni, kóborolni, csavarogni, bóklászni, andalogni. 

It is a phonetic language

If you learn the Hungarian letters, you are already halfway to success. Although English has only 26 letters and Hungarian has 44,  English words are not pronounced according to the alphabet. In comparison, Hungarian is an entirely phonetic language. Once you have learned the alphabet, you will be able to pronounce everything. Of course, you will have to learn some difficult sounds, such as cs, which is pronounced as the “ch” in “check” or cheek”. Here is some help to learn Hungarian effectively!

The funny proverbs are worth the effort

Hungarian sayings, proverbs and phrases are essential parts of the language. If you are tired of grammar, learning some proverbs will help you get back on track and enjoy studying.

Here are two funny idioms collected by catchbudapest.com:

  • “Álljon már meg a fáklyás menet!” – Stop the torchlight procession!Meaning: I’ve really had it with your demands/ideas / doing favours for you.
  • “Örülök, hogy lyuk van a fenekemen.” – I’m happy to have a hole in my butt. Meaning: I really have bigger problems than what you just said.

Not many people speak Hungarian

At first, this might sound like a negative aspect, but it can actually be an advantage to speak a language that not many people know. If you speak Hungarian, you will be considered unique and valuable. You might need it for your job or just for fun, the main idea is that if you speak Hungarian as a foreigner, you will be one of a kind.

Folk Dance
Read alsoWant to sound more like a native Hungarian? Here are some tips!

Corvinus Uni: five new master programs, most of them will be one-year programs in English

BCE Corvinus University Budapest Hungary 2020

Diplomacy, Community Governance, Marketing Strategy and Innovation, Advanced Supply Chain Management and Economic Behaviour Analysis master programmes will be launched in the autumn at the Corvinus University of Budapest, in addition to the presently available twenty master programmes. The new programmes will be delivered in English, most of them can be completed in one year, and all of them are unique in Hungary in the advertised forms.

 As a result of the amendment of the act on higher education at the end of last year, universities and colleges have been able to register master programmes in an extraordinary procedure, with deadlines of a few days, directly and immediately.

„As Hungary’s leading university of economics and social sciences, the Corvinus University of Budapest has set a strategic objective to continuously renew the supply of master programmes, therefore the institution has taken advantage of the possibility provided by the act of law and has initiated the registration of five new master programmes. The new programmes, in the form they are advertised, are unique in Hungary”, said Előd Takáts, Rector of the Corvinus.

The Diplomacy, the Community Governance, the Marketing Strategy and Innovation and the Advanced Supply Chain Management programmes require one year, while the Advanced Economic Behaviour Analysis programme requires two years. All of these new programmes will be delivered in English.

  • Students graduating from the Diplomacy study programme will be able to efficiently represent the interests of their countries in practice, too. This programme is for students with various qualifications, who will, after graduation, take up jobs in specific fields of diplomacy, corresponding to their earlier studies.
  • Students graduating from the Public Governance study programme will be able to carry out responsible professional work in projects of public purposes, in public and non-public institutions of the public sector, and in domestic and international organisations.
  • At the Marketing Strategy and Innovation study programme, the University trains well-prepared future managers who understand digitalisation and make complex marketing strategy decisions, and represent the marketing considerations in various business sectors, company types, as well as in local and international markets.
  • The graduates of the Advanced Supply Chain Management study programme will plan, control and develop the comprehensive supply chains that are woven into companies, both within and among the organisations.
  • The Economic Behavior Analysis study programme fills a gap in the whole Central European region. It focuses on consumers’ and organisations’ behaviour and decisions, as well as social and economic changes In the course of this programme, our students will become professionals with high-level interdisciplinary skills, who possess economic, psychological and research methodology skills and are able to interpret and – by metering – forecast human economic and organisational behaviour, thinking and decision-making processes.

Students may submit their applications for admission to the five new study programmes from January 31 to February 15, on the felvi.hu interface of the Education Authority.

In addition to the programmes mentioned above, it is possible to complete four other master programmes in one year at the Corvinus: Supply Chain Management, Public Policy and Management, International Economy and Business and Marketing. Among the two-year master programmes of the University, apart from the Economic Behaviour Analysis, another novelty will be the Political Economy programme, as a unique feature in Hungary. The Corvinus will have an online open day on January 25 about the master programmes.

The standard of the professional work carried out at the Corvinus is indicated by the fact that it is the only university in Hungary that has two international accreditations: it has won the AACSB qualification that covers the best 6 per cent of institutions of higher education in economics in the word, and has obtained the accreditation of AMBA, the international association of MBA programmes.

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How to learn Hungarian effectively? Here are some tips

folk dance

Hungarian is definitely not among the easiest languages. However, with enough persistence and effort, you might find yourself not only knowing but also enjoying the language. Here are some tips on how to learn Hungarian effectively!

Set a study routine and know your learning style

When learning a new language, having an established study routine is of key importance. No matter how much you study if you do it inconsistently. Therefore, you should take into consideration what your goals with the language are. Are you learning Hungarian to make new friends? Do you need it for your workplace? Are you participating in an exchange programme? No matter which one is the case, the main idea is to be conscious about the reason of learning Hungarian.

After this, you should consider what kind of study style suits you best. If you are a visual learner, seeing pictures of the words might help you. Auditory learners prefer learning via listening to native speakers and tactile learners enjoy touching objects. Last but not least, if you believe you are a kinesthetic learner, you should move when studying.

Learn the alphabet

Skipping the alphabet sounds inviting, however, you should definitely not miss out on the basics of the Hungarian language. In order to proceed to learning words and sentences, first you need to get familiar with the letters. Although English has only 26 letters and Hungarian has 44,  English words are not pronounced according to the alphabet. In comparison, if you learn the Hungarian letters, you are already halfway to success.

Here are some of the most difficult sounds to pronounce collected by catchbudapest.com:

  • CS – pronounced as the “ch” in “check” or cheek”
  • DZ – pronounced as the “ds” in “kids”
  • DZS (the only trigraph) – pronounced as the “j” in “jam”
  • GY – pronounced as the “d” in “during”
  • LY – pronounced as the “y” in “yes”
  • NY – pronounced as the “n” in “new”
  • SZ – pronounced as the “s” in “sister”
  • TY – pronounced as the “t” in “tube”
  • ZS – pronounced as the “s” in “pleasure

Basic Hungarian expressions

After having learned the alphabet, you can move on to the next phase, which is learning basic Hungarian expressions. Basic expressions are useful to learn in order to make the first conversation with a native. In addition, it is highly motivating to understand these everyday expressions on the street or when watching videos. The basic Hungarian expressions include greetings such as Hi, Hello = Szia, Sziasztok or Good afternoon = Jó napot. Moreover, you should be able to introduce yourself or ask for directions.

Here is a chart compiled by Elte:

INTRODUCTION AND SOCIALISING
What’s your name? Hogy hívnak?
My name is (John Doe) (Doe John)-nak hívnak
Nice to meet you! Örülök, hogy találkoztunk!
Where are you from? Honnan jött(él)?
I’m from (the U.S/ Hungary) (Az Egyesült Államokból/Magyarországról) jöttem
Do you speak (English/ Hungarian)? Beszélsz (angolul/magyarul)?
Just a little Csak egy kicsit
I’m trying to learn Hungarian Próbálok magyarul tanulni
Are you free tomorrow evening? Szabad vagy holnap este?
I would like to invite you to dinner Szeretnélek meghívni vacsorázni
I’m single Egyedül élek
I like you / I love you Kedvellek / Szeretlek

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Want to sound more like a native Hungarian? Here are some tips!

Folk Dance

While it is never easy to start learning a new language, Hungarian is considered one of the most difficult languages. For example, foreigners usually find pronunciation the most challenging. However, with a few tips, you can even sound like a native Hungarian!

Hungarian is an agglutinating language

Something that makes the Hungarian language unique is agglutination, writes catchbudapest.com. As the word suggests, agglutination means the process of sticking prefixes and suffixes to the beginnings and endings of the words. English, however, is an analytic language, which uses helper words to give extra meaning to words such as time or place. If you really want to sound like a native Hungarian, you should look out for its agglutinating nature. For example, instead of saying in our house, Hungarians say it with one word, házunkban.

The ‘gy’ sound

Sound such as gy are very tricky and foreigners usually do not know how to pronuance these correctly. Although in English, people would say that g and y are two different letters, in Hungarian, it is one. It might help that the Hungarian gy sounds the same a soft j sound in English. Therefore, you might pronounce the word magyar as moh-jar.

‘s’ or ‘sz’

Again, if we compare the Hungarian language with the English, we can spot a difference in the s sound, too. While in English, s is pronounced in different ways, the Hungarian has two different letters for the two different pronunciations. The Hungarian s is actually a sh sound and it appears in words like Budapest. Meanwhile, you may pronounce the sz sound as ess, such as in the word szia meaning hello.

The Hungarian ‘c’ sound

Another tricky sound is the c in Hungarian, beacuse Hungarians say it completely differently than English people would. As theculturetrip.com writes, the Hungarian c sounds like a ts sound in hats. You should think of it as a subtle t in front of a soft c. If you get the c sound right, you are considered an honorary Hungarian citizen!

The Hungarian word order

If you have mastered the Hungarian pronunciation, new challenges await you with the Hungarian word order. The Hungarian language has a topic-prominent sentence structure, which means that word order is not defined by regular sentence constituents. Instead, it is defined by the speaker’s communicative intentions. In English, you can only say I’m going to the doctor (Subject-Verb-Object), or else the sentence would be incorrect. In Hungarian, you have various possibilites: Én megyek az orvoshoz.” (I’m going to the doctor.); Az orvoshoz megyek én.” (It’s the doctor I’m going to.); Én az orvoshoz megyek.” (I am going to the doctor (… and where are you going?)); ect.

Read alsoThe most beautiful Hungarian words II.

Brand new graduation rules concerning all university students in Hungary accepted today

Exam ELTE Hungary university

The Hungarian parliament voted today about the modification of the higher education law. The lawmakers green-light the exclusion of the compulsory B2 (intermediate) language exam from the prerequisites of graduation in Hungary. That would mean significant relief for many Hungarian and foreign learners. However, the modification entitles universities to prescribe a language exam as a graduation requirement. Below you may read the details.

The parliament voted on the new Hungarian higher education law today afternoon, telex.hu wrote. The lawmakers of the Fidesz-KDNP supermajority accepted the modifications with 135 Yeses against 41 Nays and 15 neutral votes. Deputy prime minister Zsolt Semjén submitted the relevant bill allowing the universities to decide whether they would prescribe a language exam for their graduates.

Furthermore, higher education institutions will be responsible to organise all relevant training programmes and classes. That means language requirements will vary between the universities, so if you plan to continue your studies in Hungary, you should check out those requirements, too.

The new measures will be introduced in an ascending line. However, students not acquiring a degree due to the lack of a language certificate will be exempted from that rule after the new rule enters into effect. Thus, many people will get their diplomas in Hungary, provided the universities abolish or ease that requirement.

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Moreover, students applying to doctoral programs will not be expected to have a certificate of a successful language exam. Instead, they would need active language knowledge. Before, knowing at least two languages was necessary for the given area of study. Now the universities will define the language requirements for their students.

Before, Tamás Légrádi, the chairman of an association of Hungarian language schools, called the proposal harmful. Mr Légrádi believes the government did not want to solve the problem of the graduates without a language exam.

Furthermore, Mr Semjén’s bill will help foreign physicians to join fields of the Hungarian healthcare system struggling with a labour shortage. Moreover, based on the new rules, university professors above 70 will be able to continue to teach. From 1 February 2023, there will be a new university in Hungary. The Gábor Dénes College will become Gábor Dénes University, a university of applied sciences, telex.hu said.

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What languages have influenced the Hungarian language?

Hungarian flag

The origins of the Hungarian language and related languages are not easy to determine. Throughout history, Hungarians are likely to have met ancient Turkic, ancient Iranian, and other languages. And how do we know this? Many words have melted into the Hungarian language, and are still used by its native speakers.

Turkish words

The Hungarian language has a lot of Turkic vocabulary even before the Ottoman Rule, writes hungaryforyou.wordpress.com. Actually, there were two main periods when Turkic languages influenced Hungarians. First, before Hungarians arrived in today’s Hungary, and second, in the 16th century under Ottoman Rule. Among the Hungarian words of Turkish origin are nyak, nyár, hook, and harang (neck, summer, sand, bell). In addition, thanks to the Ottomans, the letter “dzs” appeared in our alphabet (pronounced as the letter ‘j’ in “jump” in English), writes fromhungarywithlove.wordpress.com.

Words of German origin in Hungarian

In the Old Hungarian Period, one of the most important events in history was the Carpathian Basin’s conquest. After the conquest, the Hungarians met the Germans quite early, who greatly influenced Hungarians. Some of the early German foreign words refer to military and court life, such as páncél (armour), ostrom (siege), or tánc (dance). These then remained in the Hungarian language.

Slavic languages

Expressions linked to agriculture and animals were borrowed mainly from Slavic languages, writes mek.oszk.hu. Hungarian native speakers often find familiar words when they start learning Slovak, Serbian, or Croatian, to name just a few of the Slavic languages similar to Hungarian. These are the following: gabona, rozs, szalma, borona, kasza, bab, őszibarack, sárgarépa, juh, anyajuh, kakas, galamb, iga, holtág, széna és pásztor (grain, rye, straw, harrow, scythe, bean, peach, carrot, sheep, ewe, rooster, pigeon, yoke, oxbow, hay and shepherd).

Moreover, Hungarian nouns attached to trades, like cooper, smith, weaver, miller, and dammer, are of Slavic origin. There are also many Slav loan words in connection with religion, such as kereszt, keresztény, szerzetes, apáca, szent, csoda (cross, Christian, monk, nun, saint, miracle).

The most beautiful Hungarian words II.

In the second part of our series of articles about the most beautiful Hungarian words, we will share what some newspapers and a Hungarian linguist consider as the prettiest-sounding words in the Hungarian language.

If you are interested in the topic, read our first article about the most beautiful Hungarian words!

The most beautiful words according to Pál Fábián

Pál Fábián, known as a linguist and stylist, mentioned twenty-one “pleasant-sounding” words, writes anyanyelvcsavar.blog.hu. According to him, these words are the following: alamizsna (alms), álom (dream), bazsalikom (basil), lant (lute), csillámlik (shimmer), költő (poet), zeng (ring), balzsam (balm), mosoly (smile), remény (hope), kellemes (pleasant), kandalló (fireplace), cimbalom (cymbal), malom (mill), lomb (foliage), pázsit (lawn), fülemüle (nightingale), délibáb (mirage), alélt (fainted), szellő (breeze), csemege (snack).

The ten most beautiful Hungarian words collected by a newspaper

In the 60s, the weekly Füles newspaper also collected the ten most beautiful Hungarian words, writes tanulasjatek.hu. Interestingly, this collection of the prettiest-sounding words includes words that mean something beautiful, too. This might not be a coincidence. Fábián also emphasised that whether a word sounds pleasant or unpleasant largely depends on individual opinion. In addition, people tend to find words that have a nice meaning also nice-sounding. The newspaper collected the following words: szerelem (love), béke (peace), szeretet (love), szabadság (freedom), szellő (breeze), édesanya (mother), haza (homeland), szív (heart), élet (life), csillag (star).

What do teenagers think?

Mária Laczkó conducted a survey of all four grades (among 15-18-year-olds) in a vocational secondary school on the outskirts of Budapest. She found that the teenagers believe the most beautiful Hungarian words are szerelem (love), család (family), szeretet (love), gyönyörű (beautiful), szép (pretty), szeretlek (I love you), virág (flower), barátság (friendship), anya (mother), csodálatos (wonderful), kedves (nice, kind).

Hungarian tradition folk dance language
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The funniest Hungarian expressions

Locsolás Watering Hungarian Easter Tradition Magyar Húsvéti Szokás

If we compare the expressions and idioms of different nationalities, we can find some real gems as back-translation can lead to some pretty amusing results. Read this article and check out the funniest Hungarian expressions!

Hungarians are “as happy as a monkey about its tail”

As matadornetwork.com writes, Hungarians express their happiness in a very funny way. Instead of jumping for joy, people in Hungary are “as happy as a monkey about its tail” (Örül, mint majom a farkának). Although this might sound extremely amusing for foreigners, this is a totally common Hungarian idiom.

“Why are you giving drinks to the mice?”

This Hungarian expression is also among the funniest ones. Instead of “Why are you crying?”, Hungarians ask, “Miért itatod az egereket?”, meaning, “Why are you giving drinks to the mice?”

“You can’t make bacon out of a dog”

If you found the previous examples amusing, you will definitely like this one. While the English would say “A leopard can’t change its spots”, the Hungarian equivalent is “You cannot make bacon out of a dog” (Kutyából nem lesz szalonna). Although expressed differently, both proverbs mean that it is impossible for one to change their character, even if they try very hard. However, the Hungarian expression sounds probably funnier.

“Far, far away”  or “behind God’s back”?

In Hungary, Christianity has a very large community of believers. In addition, Christianity has always been part of Hungarians’ life, beginning with Hungary’s first king, Saint Stephen I, who took up Western Christianity in the 11th century. Therefore, these religious roots can be found in some Hungarian expressions. For example, while “behind God’s back” (Isten háta mögött) meaning “far, far away” might sound weird to foreigners, this expression’s origin is actually deep-rooted.

“You can spread him on bread”!

While in some cases there are explanations for the Hungarian idioms, there is no excuse for this strange expression. If you are not familiar with this idiom, it is really hard to guess its meaning. “You can spread him on bread” (Kenyérre lehet kenni) is actually used for good-hearted people. If you think someone is very nice, you may say that you can spread them on bread!

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PHOTOS: famous Hungarian poet Sándor Petőfi celebrated in India

India Petőfi event

On 11th October, 2022, on the occasion of the ensuing birth bicentenary of Sándor Petőfi, the Hungarian revolutionary, freedom icon and poet, a lecture with music and songs was held at Delhi. The event titled ‘Celebrating Sándor Petőfi’ was organised by Hungarian Visiting Lecturer Network and Poetry Across Cultures India. The venue was Gargi College, a leading women’s college of Delhi University.

The function was inaugurated by Dr. Margit Köves, Visiting Lecturer of Hungarian Language at University of Delhi. She introduced János Háy, Tamás “Rye” Rozs and Dr. Rita Malhotra to the audience.

Dr. Rita Malhotra is the Founder President of Poetry Across Cultures India. She is a mathematician, poet, essayist, poetry critic and translator. She spoke about the life and times of legendary Petőfi and his poems. She recited a few poems of Petőfi and highlighted the poetic nuances.

India Petőfi event
Dr. Margit Köves. Photo: Gopalan Rajamani

The main lecture was by János Háy, a prominent contemporary Hungarian author, poet and playwright. He formulated the importance of Petőfi as follows:

“In Hungary, Petőfi is synonymous with the word poet and the profession of poet. He becomes part of a Hungarian baby’s basic vocabulary after the words for mother, father,food and drink. We talk about him, we cite his poems, and we study and celebrate his life and work.”

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India Petőfi event
Photo: Gopalan Rajamani
India Petőfi event
Photo: Gopalan Rajamani

Tamás “Rye” Rozs is a Hungarian musician, composer, teacher and singer. He studied Hungarian literature and studied jazz music with János Gonda. He has curated literary evenings of Hungarian poets on the stage and regularly participates in plays. He holds music therapy sessions in universities and schools. He has set to music many poems of Petőfi.

Audience enjoyed the musical presentation of Petőfi poems by Tamás and János. A full house was regaled by the super performance by the Hungarian duo. János also displayed his singing talent. Hundreds of students and others enjoyed the event.

India Petőfi event
Photo: Gopalan Rajamani
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After the amazing lecture and songs session, a few Petőfi poems translated into Hindi were sung and a beautiful dance was performed. This was done by the groups Nazaakat and Samranjini.

It was a wonderful afternoon of a talk on Petőfi poems, music, songs and dance.

Hungarian government to tell the truth about Hungary in new podcast

Illustration podcast

Zoltán Kovács, the state secretary for international communications and relations, has launched a podcast for audiences abroad who are interested in Hungary.

The Bold Truth About Hungary podcast invites guests to discuss Hungarian policies in a way that transcends traditional government communications, Kovács said on Facebook and Twitter on Saturday.

Topics for discussion will include EU funding, domestic politics, and the war in Ukraine, among others.

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Kovács told MTI that attempts had been made over the past 12 years to covey how Hungarians feel and think about the world and politics. “Yet so many pretend they don’t understand,” he said.

“So we’re now telling foreigners, as foreigners, [all about this] on a new platform,” he said, adding that from now on no one would be able to say that they do not understand “what we are talking about and how we think about the world”.

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The history of the Hungarian language

Hungarian tradition folk dance language

The Hungarian language is approximately 3,000 years old. However, over the centuries, it has changed a lot. Read this article to discover the history of the Hungarian language!

Language Family

The Hungarian (magyar) language is a member of the Finno-Ugric group of the Uralic language family. In addition, Hungarian belongs to the Ugric branch of Finno-Ugric. Although Hungarian is spoken mainly in Hungary, people living in for example Slovakia, Romania, Austria, Croatia and Slovenia use it, too.

The history of the Hungarian language consists of different phases:

  • Early Hungarian period: from around 1000 BC – 896 AD
  • Old Hungarian period: 896 – 1526
  • Middle Hungarian period: 1526 – 1772
  • Modern Hungarian period: from 1772 to the present

The Pre-Hungarian Period

Before Hungarian became an independent language, there was a so-called Pre-Hungarian period. The earliest words used for fishing and hunting show Finno-Ugric origin, writes mek.oszk.hu. The words for horse, halter, saddle and dog also originate from this era. Furthermore, family relations must have been important as already in this period, Hungarians used words for mother, daughter, etc.

The Early Hungarian Period

Starting with the separation from the Ugric language community, this period ended with the conquest of the Carpathian Basin. For this period, the enrichment of vocabulary is characteristic. Hungarian ancestors are likely to have met ancient Turkic, ancient Iranian and other languages. This is proven by Turkish (nyak, nyár, homok, harang) (neck, summer, sand, bell), Iranian (tehén, tej, tíz) (cow, milk, ten) and words of unknown origin (ápol, gyámol, csen, gyanú) (care, guardian, lure, suspicion), writes arcanum.com.

The Old Hungarian Period

This period begins with the conquest of the Carpathian Basin and ends in 1526. After the conquest, the Hungarians met the Germans quite early. The relations with the Germans were the result of court relations, marriages, conscripted knights, and converting priests. Thus, some of the early German foreign words refer to military and court life. These include words like páncél (armour), ostrom (siege), or tánc (dance). The first coherent longer textual memory, the Sermon on the Dead, was created at the end of the 1100s: a sermon delivered at a funeral.

Middle Hungarian Period

The Middle Hungarian Period lasted until the Age of Enlightenment. Not only the rapid spread of printing but also the Reformation happened during this era. As for the Hungarian language, the most well-known of the phonetic changes is the ly->j transformation, writes arcanum.com. Word formations also played a big role in the development of the Hungarian language. Many words were formed by subtraction or they were re-formed.

Modern Hungarian Period

Every Hungarian is familiar with Kazinczy, who became famous for his activity in the language renewal movement in 1805. The most spectacular result of the language renewal was in the field of creating new words. Old, already forgotten words (dísz, év, hon, iker, kegy, szobor, terem, verseny) (decoration, year, home, twin, favor, statue, hall, competition) were revived, some of which were given new meanings.

Of course, the renewal of the Hungarian language is not over yet, the language still changes a lot. These new trends, however, will one day become history, too!

Romanian mayor had the Hungarian sign covered with a Romanian flag – VIDEO

The Romanian mayor covered the Hungarian sign

At the Chestnut Festival in Nagybánya, a Hungarian chimney cake seller’s Hungarian sign provoked anger. After Cătălin Cherecheș, the Romanian mayor had it covered with a Romanian flag, the deputy mayor took it down and got fired. 

“What the Romanians do not understand, must be covered”

The Chestnut Festival in Nagybánya was held this year between 23-25 September. Every year, numerous stalls await visitors while the mayor makes sure everything goes according to plan. However, this time, one of the stalls displayed the words “kürtős kalács” (chimney cake) in Hungarian, reports foter.ro. “I have a request. Get me a tricolour and put it up nicely.”, said the mayor when he caught sight of the writing. “Where we [Romanians] do not understand what it says, we put a Romanian tricolour.” The tricolours were not placed over the Hungarian writings, in fact, but on the front of the stall. On both sides of the façade, the word kürtős was covered with a sign that read cozonac (sweet bread in Romanian).

The vendors should receive an apology

As hvg.hu reports, Adrian Szelmenczi, journalist and human rights activist, had commented on the issue. He believes a sensible politician should have removed the Romanian writings and apologised to the vendors who were subjects of discrimination due to their origin. In addition, the RMDSZ of Nagybánya (Romanian Hungarian Democratic Association) has also reacted. Deputy mayor István Pap Zsolt described the mayor’s action as incomprehensible and unacceptable and ordered the removal of the flags. “Until now, there have been no examples of this kind of occurrence in Nagybánya. We consider it regrettable that the city’s mayor has resorted to such behaviour. We are convinced that such actions do not serve peaceful coexistence and, moreover, deepen the differences between the city’s Romanian and Hungarian communities. And this should not be in anyone’s interest.” – wrote the deputy mayor.

The deputy mayor has been fired

Meanwhile, the mayor has reacted to the incident. He said that it was a big enough gesture that they accepted the Hungarian name Nagybánya for the city, when in fact it was called Baia Mare in Romanian. Furthermore, he defended the Romanian language. According to him, if a baker did not put the word pâine on the sign, but the word kenyér (bread), “he, the Romanian” could not enter the bakery. The mayor added that since Pap Zsolt István removed the Romanian flags, his services as deputy mayor would no longer be needed.

Watch the video here:

Long night of literatures with a renowned Hungarian author in India

Hungarian author India literature

On 23rd September 2022 a Long Night of Literatures was held at New Delhi, India in which authors from ten European nations participated.

The event was under the aegis of EUNIC, – European Union National Institutes for Culture – is the European network of organisations engaging in cultural relations. EUNIC members engage in cultural and related activities beyond their national borders. The purpose of EUNIC is to create effective partnerships and networks between the participating organisations, to improve and promote cultural diversity and understanding between European societies, and to strengthen international dialogue and co-operation with countries outside Europe.

The venue of the function was Cervantes Institute, Spanish Cultural Centre, New Delhi which has the necessary infrastructure in the form of a big auditorium for inauguration, and sufficient classrooms which are used for authors and participants interaction. Young and enthusiastic student volunteers did the needful with smiles.

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Hungary was ably represented in the Long Night of Literatures 2022 by Péter Szűcs. He is an author, independent journalist, travel writer and photographer.

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Péter Szűcs. Photo: Gopalan Rajamani

Peter, who was born in 1976, studied literature as well as cultural anthropology at ELTE University, Budapest where he earned a degree in Hungarian Literature and Linguistics. His stories,articles and photos were published by international magazines like Forbes,Elle, Marie Clare and National Geographic. You can find out more about him and his work at his website www.petersplanet.travel.

In the Long Night of Literatures Peter spoke about his first novel, titled Dharma, written in Hungarian and published in 2021 which was one of the best selling books of the year. The novel Dharma according to its subtitle is a family fictional story, stretching from Tisza River, Hungary to the great river of India, Ganges. It is a saga that spans across three generations of an an extended family.

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Peter said that his debut novel Dharma was inspired by his travel experiences and that his first trip to India has changed his life. He further said that “I never felt that soulful uniqueness before what I felt in India. My novel was also inspired by Indian people and Indian cities like Mumbai and Varanasi. Truly happy to come back to feel, to be inspired and meet with India again in 2022.”

Audience was thrilled to hear him read excerpts from the novel Dharma first in Hungarian and then in English. They asked several questions about the novel Dharma which were answered by Peter in an interesting and convincing manner.

On behalf of Hungary, the Long Night of Literatures 2022 was coordinated by Dr. Marianne Erdő, Director of Liszt Institute-Hungarian Cultural Centre Delhi.

The most beautiful Hungarian words

Whether someone likes the Hungarian language or not, they have to acknowledge that there are some fascinating words and phrases. We have collected some of the most beautiful Hungarian words and what they mean.

Dezső Kosztolányi and his favourite words

Dezső Kosztolányi was a famous Hungarian writer and poet and lived between 1885 and 1936. According to him, the 10 most beautiful Hungarian words are láng [flame], gyöngy [pearl], anya [mother], ősz [Autumn], szűz [virgin], kard [sword], csók [kiss], vér [blood], szív [heart], sír [grave, cry]. In addition, he also pointed out that the list compiled by Paul Valéry sounds good in Hungarian, too, writes hungarianlesson.blog.hu. Paul Valéry’s list was the following: pur, jour, or, lac, pic, seul, onde, feuille, mouille, flûte. The Hungarian equivalents of these words are tiszta [pure, clean], nap [day, sun], arany [gold], tó [lake], hegyfok [promonitory, headland], egyedül [alone], hullám [wave], levél [leaf, letter], csermely [rivulet], fuvola [flute].

What do foreigners think?

According to femina.hu, in the early 2000s, an international speech contest was held. At this event, volunteers who did not speak the given language selected the most beautiful-sounding words of different languages. The participants proclaimed cipőfűző [shoelace] as the most beautiful Hungarian word. In another competitition, they searched for the funniest Hungarian words, and based on the opinion of tourists, cipőfűző [shoelace] was popular in this category as well. Futhermore, foreigners selected the Hungarian word bocsi [sorry] as one of the funniest words.

In which language does I love you sound best?

According to a story (that may or may not be true), a famous Hungarian poet and linguist tricked people at an international speech contest. As népszava.hu writes, the contest focused on the question “In which language does I love you sound best?” Since it was not easy to compete with the French “je t’aime” or the English “I love you”, Frigyes Karinthy decided to avoid saying “szeretlek”, the Hungarian aquivalent of “I love you”. Instead, he thought fülolaj sounds better and tricked the foreigners by saying this means “I love you”. In reality, fülolaj means ear oil. However, as the company did not understad the word, they voted for the Hungarian word as the most beautiful one.

English words that are derived from the Hungarian language — Part II

The Hungarians have adopted many things from other countries throughout history. However, the opposite is true as well. The countries and cultures of the world owe a lot to the Hungarians. In addition to many foods, customs and inventions, there are several words in the English language that derive from Hungarian.

This article is the second in this series. If you are curious about more English words that derive from Hungarian, check out our previous article here.

Coach

Kocs is a village near Tata. The museum here houses the coach (German: kutsche) that revolutionised long-distance transport in the 1500s. The vehicle made here was more comfortable and safer than the ones that came before. The horse-drawn vehicle with steel suspension quickly became popular. Hence, the word coach in English. Later, the word came to mean not only the vehicle but also the driving and steering.

Goulash

There are several famous Hungarian dishes. Perhaps, one of the most famous Hungarian dishes is goulash or goulash soup. Goulash soup has been a Hungaricum since 2017. Goulash is based on onions, peppers and beef. The dish originates from the shepherd’s bread of the lowlands.

Sabre

A sabre is a single-edged sword with a curved blade. The weapon itself originates from China. However, the name is derived from the Hungarian word ‘sablya’, with French interpolation. In Hungary, it spread during the migration of the people, but in medieval Hungary, the use of double-edged swords declined.

Pusta

The Hungarian puszta is a kind of steppe. It is most typical of temperate climates.

Shako

From csákó süveg, peaked cap, a stiff military hat with a high crown and plume.

Puli, vizsla, kuvasz, komondor

Hungarians are famous not only for their food but also for their dog breeds. Poodle, vizsla, kuvasz and komondor are also known by these names in English.

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English words that are derived from the Hungarian language

Kováts Mihály Hussar

Many Hungarian words are taken from different languages. There are also words of French, Turkish and German origin. Of course, many Hungarian words have English origins. But is there a reverse way, are there words in English with Hungarian origins? The answer is yes, and in this article we present some of them.

Biro

László József Bíró lived between 1899 and 1985. He was a Hungarian journalist, painter and inventor. His best-known invention was the ballpoint pen. Others had experimented earlier, but László Bíró was responsible for the spread and development of the modern instrument. Bíró recognised that the ink used to print newspapers dried faster and remained on the paper without smudging. Thus Bíró’s name became synonymous with the ballpoint pen.

Czardas

The Csárdás is a traditional Hungarian folk dance. The name comes from the word csárda, meaning tavern. The Csárdás is the most characteristic Hungarian dance style. The dance originated in Hungary but quickly became popular in the surrounding regions. The origin of the dance dates back to the 18th century. The Csárdás is characterised by the alternation of rhythm. After a slow tempo start comes the fast, happy part. The musical themes of the couples’ dance were used in the music of Ferenc Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Johannes Brams and others.

Hussar

This form of light cavalry armoury developed in Hungary in the 15th century. The lightly armed hussars struck the first blow at their opponents by breaking out of the ring of shields. Many believe it derives from the Hungarian word ‘húsz’. In the time of King Matthias, twenty to twenty serfs were required to add one soldier to the king’s army. However, linguists deny this.

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Itsy-bitsy

Several linguistic sources confirm that the Hungarian term ici-pici became the English itsy-bitsy. It is said to have been popularised by members of the Hungarian film crew in Hollywood in the 1930s.

Paprika

Everyone knows the famous Hungarian paprika. Paprika is of great importance in Hungarian gastronomy. There are a few similarities between paprika and chilli. In many languages, there is no distinction between pepper and paprika. In Hungary, it began to be used in the Middle Ages instead of the expensive pepper. The word pepper comes from the South Slavic word papar, paparka, then paprika, which became paparka with the diminutive. It also became the starting point for international usage.

Read alsoEnglish words that are derived from the Hungarian language — Part II