Languages Around the World

A

In hungarian you usually leave out the indefinite article unless you're specifying. This is also the word for one and it is egy.

More Plurals

In hungarian the question word has to be pluralized if the subject is plural.

Who? Ki? Kik?
What? Mi? Mik?
this. these. ez. ezek.
that. those. az. azok.

What are those?
Mik azok?

Pronouns

I - én
you (familiar) - te
he/she/it - ő
you (formal) - ön
you (familiar-formal) - maga

we - mi
you (familiar) - ti
they = ők
you (formal) önök
you (familiar-formal) - maguk

Maga and Maguk are somewhere between ön/önök and te/ti and can be offensive if used incorrectly and it is safer to use ön and önök. Also the plural you's are conjugated for the 3rd, not 2nd person.

Be

Present tense of to be

vagyok
vagy
van

vagunk
vagytok
vannak

It is required to use this verb when you are modifying it with an adverb.

The knife is on the left.
Balra van kés.

The knife is ugly.
Kés csúnya.

Negation

While nem does mean no or not, to negate van you replace it with nincs or nincsen and you replace vannak with nincsenek.

There are no pillows here.
Itt nincsenek parnák.

Here is a pillow.
Itt parnák van.

The girl is not at home.
A lány nincs otthon.

The girl is home.
A lány otthon van.

Word Order

Word order can be quite tricky in hungarian. Usually hungarian is SVO but the so-called focus wordss disrupt this. A focus word can be negation, questions, answers to questionss and emphasized words. When there is a focus word it must precede the verb and the kicked out word must come immediately after the verb.

I am a teacher.
Tanár vagyok.

I am not a teacher.
Nem vagyok tanár.

We are there.
Ott vagyunk.

Are we there?
Vagyunk ott?

We am there.
Mi vagyunk ott.

It is us who's there.
Mi vagyunk ott.

In addition questions asking is/are there almost always start with the verb.

Is there an American boy?
Van itt amerikai fiú?

If it is a yes-no question otherwise it has the same word order as a normal sentence.

Are you fat?
Kövérek vagy?

To Be

There is a verb for to be but it is not used when describing people.

Who is that?
Ki az?
Who that?

She's a teacher too.
Ő is tanár.
She also teacher.

Pronouns

There is one word for both he and she and it is ő. The word for they is ők.

He is American.
Ő amerikai.

Who are they?
Kik ők?

Notice for plurals, everything pluralizes, including question words (see below).

But if the subject is already clear you can even leave out this.

This is the mother.
Is she a muscician?
Ez az anya.
Zenész?
This mother.
Musician?

Adjective Place Names

To say someone is from a certain place zou add an i to the end to form an adjective

Budapesten
budapesti

London dweller
Londoni

However if the word does not end in an i, like angol or finn or magyar it is considered a noun and pluraliyes differently (see below).

Vowel Harmony

Back Vowels: a á o ó u ú
Front Unrounded Vowels: e é i í
Front Rounded Vowels: ö ő ü ű

Words contain only front or back vowels. The front unrounded vowels are considered neuttral vowels. If a word has back and neutral vowels it is a back word and if it contains neutral and/or front rounded vowels it is a front word.

Because of this vowel harmony when adding word endings there are two possible endings depending on if it is a front or back word.

Noun Plurals

For plurals you have an ending on the noun, so there are 3 possible endings, one for each category - while usuallz there are only 2 endings sometimes there are 3.

Back: ok
front unrounded: ek
front rounded: ök

An important note is that choosing between ek and ök is based on the last vowel in the front word, not on the overall definition.

The first set of plurals are those ending in a vowel. If the last vowel is an a then it becomes ák and if it is e then it becomees ék. Otherwise just add a k.

student - students
egyetemista - egyetemisták

cup - cups
csésze - csészék

boat - boats
hajó - hajók

Otherwise you use the previously described word endings.

notebook - notebooks
füzet - füzetek

lawyers - lawyers
jogász - jogászok

acquaintence - acquaintences
ismerős - ismerősök

Adjective Plurals

If it ends in -a or -e then you lengthen it to á and é and add k

black
fekete
feketék

dear
drága
drágák

If it ends in i, ú, or ű then an ak or ek is added.

bostonian
bostoni
bostoniak

simple
egyszerű
egyszerűek

long
hosszú
hosszúak

Adjectives ending in ó or ő are unpredictable.

good
jó
jók

comprehensible
érthető
érthetőek or érthetők

Adjectives ending in consonants add ak or ek.

Position of Is

Is means too, also and it usually comes right after what is being referred to.

Vocabulary

to brush (teeth): putzen
to comb: kämmen
to get dressed: sich anziehen
to shave: rasieren
to wash: waschen (a-->ä)

Dative Reflexive Pronouns

mir
dir
sich
uns
euch
sich

Accusative Reflexive Pronouns

mich
dich
sich
uns
euch
sich

Use of the reflexives

The accusative reflexive is used to say you are doing something to yourself but the dative reflexive is used in certain situations that English doesn't use the reflexive, especially in terms of hygiene.

Example

I wash myself.
Ich wasche mich.

I wash my hair.
Ich wasche mir die Haare.

The difference being if the only object is oneself use the accusative, if the object is you doing something to yourself, use the dative

As you can see to say I wash my hair what you are literally saying is "I wash mysslf the hair(s). When you make a quesstion like are you washing your hair it becomes "Wäschst du dir die Haare?

Note: the an before anziehen, this is seperable, which means that to say I am getting dressed you say Ich ziehe mich an, NOT ich anziehe mich

Vocabulary

ankle: der Fußknöchel (Fußknöchel)
arm: der Arm (Arme)
back: der Rücken
bone: der Knochen - die Knochen
body: der Körper (Körpern)
blond: blond
calf: die Wade (waden)
chest: die Brust
chin: das Kinn
ear: das Ohr (Ohren)
elbow: der Ell(en)bogen (Ell(en)bogen)
eyebrow: das Augenbraue (Augenbrauen)
eyelash: die Wimper (Wimpern)
face: das Gesicht (Gesichter)
finger: der Finger (Finger)
fingernail: der Fingernagel (Fingernägel)
foot: der Fuß - die Füße
forehead: die Stirn
hair: das Haar (Haare)
hand: die Hand (Hände)
head: der Kopf (Köpfe)
healthy: gesund
heel: die Ferse (Fersen)
hip: die Hüfte (Hüften)
joint: das Gelenk - die Gelenke
knee: das Knie - die Knie
leg: das Bein (Beine)
lip: die Lippe (Lippen)
long: lang
mouth: der Mund/Münder (person) - das Maul/Maul(animal)
muscle: der Muskel - die Muskeln
neck: der Hals (Hals)
nose: die Nase (Nasen)
short: kurz
shoulder: die Schulter (Schultern)
sick: krank
skin: die Haut
stomacheache: Bauchschmerzen
thigh: der Oberschenkel (Oberschenkel)
thumb: der Daumen (Daumen)
toe: der Zeh/die Zehe (Zehen)
tooth: der Zahn (Zähne)
toothache: Zahnschmerzen
waist: die Taille (Taillen)
What hurts? Was tut weh?/Was tut dir weh? (more common)
What's bothering you? (medical) Was fehlt dir?
Where does it hurt? Wo tut es Weh?
with: mit
wrist: das Handgelenk (Handgelenke)

Hair

Hair can be singular or plural in all circumstances when we can only use hairs in English when speaking of individual hairs. So to say she has long hair you can say Sie habe langen Haare or Sie habe lange Haar.

Mit

Mit is a preposition meaning with that takes the dative case. Usually body parts use definite articles and not possessive pronouns but not always.

Examples:

You write with the pencil.
Man schreibt mit dem Bleistift.

We see with our eyes.
Wir sehen mit den Augen.

What colour are your eyes?
Welche Farbe haben ihre Augen?

Vocabulary

against for: gegen
all: all - alle
architect: der Architekt (Architekten)
bank teller: der Bankangestellte - die Bankangestellte (Bankangestellten)
bricklayer: der Maurer
broker: der Makler (Makler)
bus driver: der Busfahrer
chef: der Chefkoch - die Chefköchin (Chefköche)
company: die Firma (Firmen)
cook: der Koch - die Köchin (Köche)
doctor: der Arzt - die Ärztin (Ärzte)
employer: der Arbeitgeber
expectation: die Erwartung (Erwartungen)
for: für
forest: der Wald (Wäldern)
headache: die Kopfschmerzen
interview: das Interview (Interviews)
job application: die Bewerbung (Bewerebungen)
journalist: der Journalist
mechanic: der Automechaniker
musician: der Musiker (Musiker)
nurse: der Krankenpfleger - die Krankenschwester (Krankenschwestern)
photographer: der Fotograf (Fotografen)
preposition: die Präposition (die Präpositionen)
programmer: der Programmierer
repair/fix (Cars): reparieren
resume: der Lebenslauf
river: der Fluss (Flüsse)
run a small business: führen einen kleinen Betrieb
secretary: der Sekräter
student: der Schüler (Schüler)
student (college): der Student (Studenten)
teacher: der Lehrer (Lehrer)
through, by: durch
to apply for a job: bewerben (e-->i) dative-pronoun um eine Stelle/einen Job
to be with (company): sein bei
to work at: arbeiten bei
waiter: der Kellner (Kellner)
wall: die Mauer (Mauern)
wind: der Wind
without: ohne
What do you do? Was sind Sie von Beruf?/Was Machen Sie beruflich?/

Feminine Form of Professions

Typically in German the feminine form of professions (and other words to some extent) is the suffix -in but there are exceptions.

Articles

In English you say "I am a student" or "She is a teacher" but in German when talking about professions you only use the indefinite article when an adjective is used with the noun, as in I am a good student "Ich bin eine gute Studentin."

Accusative Prepositions

Accussative prepositions are those that are followed by articles in the accusative case.

durch - through, by
through the city, through the forest, (caused) by the wind
durch die Stadt, durch den Wald, durch den Wind

entlang - along, down (NOTE: goes AFTER its object)
down the street, along the river, go down this path
die Straße entlang, den Fluss entlang, Gehen Sie diesen Weg entlang

für - for
for the book, for him, for me
für das Buch, für ihn, für mich

gegen - against, for
against all expectations, against the wall, for a headache, against me
gegen alle Erwartungen, gegen die Mauer, gegen Kopfschmerzen, gegen mich

ohne - without
without the car, without him, without me
ohne den Wagen, ohne ihn, ohne mich

um - around, for, at
around the lake, for a job, at ten o'clock
um den See, um eine Stelle, um zehn Uhr

Accusative Pronouns

mich
dich
ihn/sie/es
uns
euch
sie
Sie

Da-commands

Durch, für, and gegen form da-commands, or prepositioal phrases for non-people.

Examples:

through it
dadurch

through them
durch sie

for it
dafür

for me
für mich

against it
dagegen

against you
gegen dich

for that reason
darum

Vocabulary

almot everything: fast alles
baker: der Bäcker
beef: das Rindfleisch
beer: das Bier
beverage: getränke
beverage shop: Getränkemarkt (Getränkemärkte)
bottle: die Flasche - die Flaschen
bread: das Brot
bread roll: das Brötchen (Brötchen)
butchershop: die Fleischerei (n. germany)/die Metzgerei (s. germany)
but: aber
can: die Dose - die Dosen
cheese: der Käse
coffee: der Kaffee (Kaffees)
container: der Behälter (Behälter)
cornermarket: der Tante-Emma-Laden
cucumber: die Gurke - die Gurken
cup: die Tasse (Tassen)
cutlery: das Besteck
fish: der Fisch - die Fische
fork: die Gabel (Gabeln)
fowl: das Geflügel
fruit: das Obst
gas station: die Tankstelle
glass: das Glas
groceries: die Lebensmittel
ham: der Schinken
kitchen: die Küche
knife: das Messer (Messer)
meat: das Fleisch
milk: die Milch
mug: der Becher
napkin: die Serviette - die Serviettes
other: anderer
pitcher: der Krug (Krüge)
plate: der Teller (Teller)
pop: die Limonade
pork: das Schweinefleisch
pot: der Topf (Töpfe)
potato: die Kartoffel (Kartoffeln)
saucer: die Untertasse (Untertassen)
sausage: die Wurst (Würste)
spoon: der Löffel (Löffel)
tablespooon: der Esslöffel (Esslöffel)
tea: der Tee
teaspoon: der Teelöffel (Teelöffel)
veal: das Kalbfleisch
wine: der Wein (Weine)
vegetables: das Gemüse

A X of...Y

To say you have a cup/mug/etc of something you say ein(e) X Y so a bottle of beer is eine Flasche Bier

Vocabulary

april: der April
august: der August
autumn: der Herbst
autumnal: herbstlich
(day) after next: übernächsten
deadline: der Termin (Termine)
december: der Dezember
every: jeden (declined)
every other day: jeden zweite (Tag)
february: der februar
friday: der Freitag
january: der Januar
july: der Juli (Julei)
june: der Juni
last: letzten
march: der März
may: der Mai
monday: der Montag
month: der Monat (Monate)
november: der November
october: der Oktober
season: die Jahreszeit (Jahreszeiten)
september: der September
spring: der Frühling, das Frühjahr
spring-like: frühlingshaft
saturday: der Samstag, der Sonnabend
summer: der Sommer
summery: sommerlich
sunday: der Sonntag
this: kommenden (declined)
thursday: der Donnerstag
tuesday: der Dienstag
Wednesday: der Mittwoch
week: die Woche (Wochen)
winter: der Winter
wintery: winterlich

Saturday

The word for Saturday in German is regional. In eastern Germany and north of Münster (Hamburg, Rostock, Leipzig, and Berlin) they use Sonnabend and elsewhere (Vienna, Cologne, Frankfurt, or Munich) Samstag is used.

On

To say you're going to do something on someday, you say am + day. Am is a contraction of an + dem (dative masculine).

To pluralize, just add an s to the end of the day. You don't need the an with plural days.


Dative Case

The dative case is used in combination with certain prepositions and as the indirect object of a verb. An+dem-->am (on the), in+dem-->im (in the)

Effect of the Accusative and Dative on Articles


N/A/D
der/den/dem
die/die/der
das/das/dem

Seasons

To say in the (season) you say im (Jahreszeit). When talking about a season in general the article is used, for example Spring is my favourite season is Der Frühling ist meine Lieblingsjahreszeit.

To say in a month you say im (Monat), to say on a certain date you say, am ordinal+en monat.

In June
Im Juni

On March 28th
Am achtundzwanzigsten März (but usually write am 28. März)