Hungarian (Magyar) is spoken by around 13 million people in Hungary and neighbouring countries. A Uralic language unrelated to Romance, Slavic or Germanic tongues, it puzzles and fascinates in equal measure. With this kit, you have the bare essentials for Budapest, Lake Balaton or the villages of the Puszta plain.
Hungarian (Magyar) has long puzzled European linguists: the only major Uralic language in Central Europe, it shares distant kinship with Finnish and Estonian rather than with the Czech, Serbian or German tongues that surround it. Thirteen million speakers use it in Hungary, Romania (Transylvania), Slovakia, Serbia (Vojvodina), Ukraine and Austria. Its agglutinative structure, fourteen vowels distinguished by length, fifteen grammatical cases and vowel harmony make it a rewarding challenge. The language reads the way it is written once the rules are learned: sz reads like English s, s like sh, gy like a softened d, ly like y, cs like ch. Beyond the language, travelling in Hungary means discovering the art-nouveau architecture of Budapest, the Ottoman and Habsburg thermal baths, the Tokaj vineyards, the great Puszta plain with its csikos horsemen, the paprika-rich cuisine and Vienna-inspired pastries. This kit gathers the bare essentials to handle an arrival at Ferenc Liszt airport, a Budapest metro ride, an order at a csarda, a medical emergency and a smooth departure. You will find greetings adapted to formal Hungarian address, phrases for finding your way, key words for eating and sleeping, plus cultural tips to avoid faux pas. Memorise these expressions before leaving and you will gain confidence from the very first hours on site.
Here is how these phrases play out in real life. Each scene sets the stage and gathers the useful expressions.
You land at Ferenc Liszt airport in Budapest in the early evening. An agent meets your gaze, you greet him according to the time of day, thank him and ask for directions.
The taxi driver loads your suitcase and asks for your destination. You give the address, you want to check the price, then ask him to stop right in front of the hotel.
You enter a historic Budapest cafe in late afternoon. The waiter seats you and hands you the menu. You order coffee, a glass of water, then ask for the bill and warmly say thank you.
You feel sick after a meal and you need help. You ask where the hospital is, you explain that you do not understand and ask if anyone speaks English.
On the morning of departure, you want to catch a taxi to the airport. You greet the hotel staff one last time, warmly thank them and take your formal leave.
What you need to know before travelling to a hungarian-speaking country.
Hungarian uses a very formal address with the pronoun Ön and the third person singular. With strangers or shopkeepers, this level of respect is expected. Targumi always uses formal address.
In Hungarian the order of family name and first name is reversed: people say Kovács János where a Frenchman would say Jean Kovács. Pay attention when your own name is announced in Hungarian style.
Hungarians rarely toast with beer. Tradition traces back to 1849 when Austrians allegedly celebrated the crushing of the revolution with beer: a century of symbolic self-imposed ban followed. Go for wine or palinka instead.
Paprika is the soul of Hungarian cuisine: sweet or hot, it colours goulash, porkolt and paprikash. The covered markets of Budapest (Nagy Vásárcsarnok) overflow with varieties worth packing home.
Thermal baths (Szechenyi, Gellert, Rudas) are a social institution, not just a tourist attraction. Bring your swimsuit, plan two to three hours and observe local rituals: hot-cold alternation, chess games in the water.
Restaurant tipping is around ten percent, given directly to the waiter by stating the total you wish to pay (never left on the table). Check the bill to see if service is already included, otherwise you pay twice.
Hungarian is an agglutinative language: one word can stack multiple suffixes to express what an entire sentence conveys in English. Megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért contains seven suffixes: this is normal, do not panic.
Mentioning Liszt Ferenc, Bartók Béla, the mathematician Erdős Pál or the poet Petőfi Sándor is always welcomed: Hungarians take pride in their disproportionate share of inventors and Nobel laureates per capita.
Preview. The full glossary (30 words) and all the phrases are in the PDF.
Igen
EE-ghen
Yes
Nem
NEM
No
Köszönöm
KEU-seu-neum
Thank you
Kérem
KAY-rem
Please
Víz
VEEZ
Water
Kenyér
KEN-yair
Bread
Tej
TEY
Milk
Hús
HOOSH
Meat
Hal
HOL
Fish
Kávé
KA-vay
Coffee
A hundred words, thirty key phrases, as a printable PDF. Instant download, also sent by e-mail.
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Every translation is cross-checked against at least two concordant sources among the references below.
All Targumi resources for this language.
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