Hungarian (magyar) is a Uralic, non-Indo European linguistic island spoken in Central Europe found mainly in Hungary but also in parts of Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia. It is surrounded by, but not related to, Germanic, Romance and Slavic languages, from which it borrows heavily (the ö, the ü and the knack for combining two-words-in-one from German, the soft sign from Slavs). Its closest relatives are Khanty and Mansi, both spoken in the Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug of Russia. Two of Hungarian's distant relatives, both spoken in Europe, are Finnish and Estonian. It shares the following properties with them:

• There is no grammatical gender.
• The first syllable is almost always stressed (including in borrow words).
• Vowel and consonant length are distinctive; i.e., the meanings of words change when they are altered.
• Words are marked by case endings ("suffixes") which take on vowels similar to those in the words (e.g., a vonat Budára vagy Pestre közlekedik = the train goes to Buda or Pest). This feature makes Hungarian an agglutinative language.
• The importance of the similarity of vowels is a common aspect among languages which share a feature known as vowel harmony. The rules of vowel harmony are quite complex, but it basically consists of "front" vowels being placed with "front" vowels and "back" vowels placed with "back".

Remember, one difference in pronunciation or vowel length can lead to misinterpretation.

Understand

English-speakers tend to find most everything about the written language tough going, including a number of unusual sounds like gy (often pronounced like the d in "during" in British English and ű (vaguely like a long English e as in me with rounded lips), as well as agglutinative grammar that leads to fearsome-looking words like eltéveszthetetlen (unmistakable) and viszontlátásra (goodbye).

Also, the letters can very well be pronounced differently than in English: the "s" always has a "sh" sound, the "sz" has the "s" sound, and the "c" is pronounced like the English "ts", to name a few. On the upside, it is written with the familiar Roman alphabet (though one adorned with lots of accents), and — unlike English — it has almost totally phonetic orthography. This means that if you learn how to pronounce the 44 letters of the alphabet and the digraphs, you will be able to pronounce almost every Hungarian word properly.

The stress always falls on the first syllable of any word, so all the goodies on top of the vowels are pronunciation cues, and not indicators of stress. Diphthongs are almost nonexistent in Hungarian (except in adopted foreign words). Just one of many profound grammatical differences from most European languages is that Hungarian does not have or need the verb "to have" in the sense of possession - the indicator of possession is attached to the possessed noun and not the possessor, e.g. Kutya = dog, Kutyám = my dog, Van egy kutyám = I have a dog, or literally "Is one dog-my".

Hungarian has a very specific case system, both grammatical, locative, oblique, and the less productive; for example a noun used as the subject has no suffix, while when used as an direct object, the letter "t" is attached as a suffix, with a vowel if necessary. One simplifying aspect of Hungarian is that there is no grammatical gender, even with the pronouns "he" or "she", which are both "ő", so one does not have to worry about the random Der, Die, Das sort of thing that occurs in German; "the" is simply "a", or "az" if the following noun starts with a vowel. In Hungarian, family name precedes given name, as in some Asian languages. And the list of differences goes on and on, such as the definite and indefinite conjugational system, vowel harmony, etc. Attempting anything beyond the very basics will gain you a great deal of respect since so few non-native Hungarians ever attempt to learn any of this difficult but fascinating language.

Pronunciation guide

Vowels

Vowel length is indicated by the acute accent. Words are often distinguished only by vowel length: e.g., kór "disease" vs. kor "age".

a

like 'o' in "oat" (a very deep "o") → [SYMBOL: å]

á

like 'a' in "father" → [SYMBOL: a]

e

like 'e' in "let" → [SYMBOL: e]

é

like 'a' in "say" → [SYMBOL: ey]

i

like i in "machine", but shorter → [SYMBOL: i]

í

like 'ee' in "seem" → [SYMBOL: ee]

o

like 'o' in "or" → [SYMBOL: o]

ó

like 'o' in "so" → [SYMBOL: oa]

ö

like 'ö' in German "schön" or English "shun" (with rounded lips) → [SYMBOL: ø]

ő

like 'ö' but longer → [SYMBOL: ø̱]

u

like 'u' in "Luke" → [SYMBOL: ou]

ú

like 'oo' in "moon" → [SYMBOL: oo]

ü

like 'ü' in German "über" (like "ee" with rounded lips) → [SYMBOL: ů]

ű

like "ü" but longer → [SYMBOL: ů̱]

Consonants

Only the consonants having sounds different from those in English are noted here. Consonant length is distinctive: tizenegyedik "eleventh" vs. tizennegyedik "fourteenth". Consonants written with two letters are doubled by doubling the first letter: asszony "woman". Exception: tizennyolc is tizen-nyolc. Think of pronouncing 'Ben Nevis' with the two n's pronounced separately, with a split-second pause between them.

c

like 'ts' in hats → [SYMBOL: ts]

cs

like 'ch' in chair → [SYMBOL: ch]

dzs

like 'dg' in badge → [SYMBOL: j]

gy

like 'd' in duty or 'de y' in made your → [SYMBOL: dj]

j

like 'y' in yes → [SYMBOL: y]

ly

same as j; except at the end of a word, where it is a palatised l

ny

as in canyon or 'ñ' in señor → [SYMBOL: ny]

r

always rolled like as in Spanish "María: less guttural than German

s

as in sugar → [SYMBOL: sh]. It is easy to confuse this with sz!

sz

like 's' in see → [SYMBOL: s]

ty

like the t in tube [SYMBOL: ty]

zs

like 'g' in genre or 's' in pleasure → [SYMBOL: zh]

Grammar

Unless you are seriously considering mastering Hungarian, learning Hungarian grammar on your trip is not realistic. But it can help to at least recognize that the following verb conjugations and noun/adjective declensions are used. Perhaps the most difficult feature of Hungarian is the presence of 18 Grammatical Cases. Hungarian usually follows a Subject-Object-Verb word syntax, and like most Uralic languages, is an agglutinative language.

Case System

• Nominative: The subject of the sentence, usually no ending.
• Accusative: Showing possession of the direct object.
• Illative: When the subject goes into something.
• Inessive: When the subject goes in something.
• Elative: When the subject goes out of or out from something.
• Sublative: When the subject goes onto the object.
• Suppressive: When the subject goes on or at a particular object.
• Delative: When the subject goes off, from or about the object.
• Allative: Towards the object.
• Adessive: Near, at the object.
• Ablative: (away) from an object.
• Dative: to, for an object.
• Instrumental: With/By an object.
• Translative: (turning) into
• Causal-Final: for the purpose of doing something
• Essive-Formal: As
• Terminative: Up/Until To
• Distributive: Per, each.

Phrase list

Basics

Common signs OPEN Nyitva CLOSED Zárva ENTRANCE Bejárat EXIT Kijárat PUSH Tolni PULL Húzni TOILET Mosdó MEN Férfi WOMEN Nő FORBIDDEN Tilos

Hello.

Szervusz. (SER-voos)

Hello. (informal)

Szia. (SEE-å) [like English "See ya!", (what a coincidence!)]

How are you?

Hogy vagy? (hodj vådj)

Fine, thank you.

Köszönöm, jól. (KØ-sø-nøm, yoal)

What is your name?

Hogy hívják? (hodj HEEV-yak?)

My name is ______ .

______ vagyok. ( _____ VÅ-djok.)

Nice to meet you.

Örvendek. (ØR-ven-dek)

Please.

Kérem. (KEY-rem)

Thank you.

Köszönöm. (KØ-sø-nøm)

You're welcome.

Szívesen. (SEE-ve-shen)

Yes.

Igen. (EE-gen)

No.

Nem. (nem)

Excuse me. (getting attention)

Elnézést. (EL-ney-zeysht)

Excuse me. (begging pardon)

Bocsánatot kérek. (BO-cha-nå-tot KEY-rek)

I'm sorry.

Bocsánat. (BO-cha-nåt)

Goodbye

Viszontlátásra. (VEE-sont-la-tash-rå)

Goodbye (informal)

Viszlát/Szia. (VEES-lat/SEE-å)

I can't speak Hungarian [well].

Nem tudok [jól] magyarul. (nem TOU-dok MÅ-djå-roul)

Do you speak English?

Beszél angolul? (BE-seyl ÅN-go-loul?)

Is there someone here who speaks English?

Beszél itt valaki angolul? (BE-seyl it VÅ-lå-ki ÅN-go-loul)

Help!

Segítség! (SHE-geet-sheyg!)

Look out!

Vigyázz! (VEE-djaz)

Good morning. (before around 9 AM)

Jó reggelt! (yoa REG-gelt)

Good morning. (after 9 AM)

Jó napot! (yoa NÅ-pot)

Good afternoon.

Jó napot! (yoa NÅ-pot)

Good evening.

Jó estét! (yoa ESH-teyt)

Good night.

Jó éjt! or Jó éjszakát! (yoa eyt / yoa EY-så-kat)

I don't understand.

Nem értem. (nem EYR-tem)

Where is the toilet?

Hol van a mosdó? (hol vån å MOSH-doa?)

Problems

Leave me alone.

Hagyj békén! (hådʸ BEY-keyn)

Don't touch me!

Ne érj hozzám! (ne eyrʸ)

I'll call the police.

Hívom a rendőrséget. (HEE-vom å REN-dø̱r-shey-get)

Police!

Rendőrség! (REN-dø̱r-sheyg)

Stop! Thief!

Megállj! Tolvaj! (ME-"guy" Thol-vay)

I need your help.

Segítened kell. (SHE-gee-te-ned kel)

It's an emergency.

Vészhelyzet van. (VEYS-hey-zet vån)

I'm lost.

Eltévedtem. (EL-tey-ved-tem)

I lost my bag.

Elveszett a táskám. (EL-ve-set å TASH-kam)

I lost my wallet.

Elveszett a tárcám. (EL-ve-set å TAR-tsam)

I'm sick.

Rosszul vagyok. (RO-soul VÅ-djok)

I've been injured.

Megsérültem. (MEG-shey-růl-tem)

I need a doctor.

Szükségem van egy orvosra. (SŮK-shey-gem vån edj Or-vosh-rå)

Can I use your phone?

Használhatom a telefonját? (HÅS-nal-hå-tom å TE-le-fon-yat)

Numbers

1

egy (edj)

2

kettő (KET[kApter])

3

három (HA-rom)

4

négy (neydj)

5

öt (øt)

6

hat (håt)

7

hét (heyt)

8

nyolc (nyolts)

9

kilenc (KEE-lents)

10

tíz (teez)

11

tizenegy (TEEZ-en-edj)

12

tizenkettő (TEEZ-en-ket-tø̱)

13

tizenhárom (TEEZ-en-ha-rom)

14

tizennégy (TEEZ-en-neyj)

15

tizenöt (TEEZ-en-øt)

16

tizenhat (TEEZ-en-håt)

17

tizenhét (TEEZ-en-heyt)

18

tizennyolc (TEEZ-en-nyolts)

19

tizenkilenc (TEEZ-en-ki-lents)

20

húsz (hoos)

21

huszonegy (HOOS-on-edj)

22

huszonkettő (HOOS-on-ket-tø̱)

23

huszonhárom (HOOS-on-ha-rom)

30

harminc (HÅR-mints)

40

negyven (NEDJ-ven)

50

ötven (ØT-ven)

60

hatvan (HÅT-vån)

70

hetven (HET-ven)

80

nyolcvan (NYOLTS-vån)

90

kilencven (KEE-lents-ven)

100

száz (saz)

200

kétszáz (KEYT-saz)

300

háromszáz (HA-rom-saz)

400

négyszáz (NEYDJ-saz)

500

ötszáz (ØT-saz)

600

hatszáz (HÅT-saz)

700

hétszáz (HET-szaz)

800

nyolcszáz (NYOLTS-saz)

900

kilencszáz (KEE-lent-saz)

1000

ezer (E-zer)

2000

kétezer (KEYT-e-zer)

1,000,000

millió (MIL-li-oa)

1,000,000,000

milliárd (MIL-li-ard)

1,000,000,000,000

billió (BI-li-oa)

number _____ (train, bus, etc.)

szám _____ (sam)

half

fél (feyl)

less

kevesebb (KE-ve-sheb)

more

több (tøb)

Time

now

most (mosht)

later

később (KEY-shø̱b)

before

előbb (E-lø̱b)

early morning (before sunrise)

hajnal (HÅY-nål)

early morning (after sunrise but before around 9 a.m.)

reggel (REG-gel)

morning

délelőtt (DEY-le-lø̱t)

afternoon

délután (DEY-lou-tan)

evening

este (ESH-te)

night

éjszaka/éjjel (EY-så-kå/EY-yel)

Clock time

one o'clock AM

hajnali egy óra (HÅY-nål-i edj OA-rå)

two o'clock AM

hajnali két óra (HÅY-nål-i keyt OA-rå)

nine o'clock AM

kilenc óra (KI-lents OA-rå)

noon

dél (deyl)

one o'clock PM

délután egy óra (DEY-lou-tan edj OA-rå)

two o'clock PM

délután két óra (DEY-lou-tan keyt OA-rå)

nine o'clock PM

este kilenc óra (ESH-te KI-lents OA-rå)

midnight

éjfél (EY-feyl)

Duration

_____ minute(s)

_____ perc (perts)

_____ hour(s)

_____ óra (OA-rå)

_____ day(s)

_____ nap (nåp)

_____ week(s)

_____ hét (heyt)

_____ month(s)

_____ hónap (HOA-nåp)

_____ year(s)

_____ év (eyv)

Days

today

ma (må)

yesterday

tegnap (TEG-nåp)

tomorrow

holnap (HOL-nåp)

this week

ezen a héten (E-zen å HEY-ten)

last week

múlt héten (moolt HEY-ten)

next week

jövő héten (YØ-vø̱ HEY-ten)

Sunday

vasárnap (VÅ-shar-nåp)

Monday

hétfő (HEYT-fø̱)

Tuesday

kedd (ked)

Wednesday

szerda (SER-da)

Thursday

csütörtök (CHŮT-ør-tøk)

Friday

péntek (PEYN-tek)

Saturday

szombat (SOM-båt)

Months

January

január (YÅ-nou-ar)

February

február (FEB-rou-ar)

March

március (MAR-tsi-oush)

April

április (A-pri-lish)

May

május (MAY-oush)

June

június (YOO-ni-oush)

July

július (YOO-li-oush)

August

augusztus (Å-ou-goust-oush­­)

September

szeptember (SEP-tem-ber)

October

október (OK-toa-ber)

November

november (NO-vem-ber)

December

december (DE-tsem-ber)

Writing time and date

26/12/2005

2005. 12. 26.

26th December 2005

2005. december 26.

Colors

black

fekete (FE-ke-te)

white

fehér (FE-heyr)

gray

szürke (SŮR-ke)

red

piros (PI-rosh), vörös (VØ-røsh)

blue

kék (keyk)

yellow

sárga (SHAR-gå)

green

zöld (zøld)

orange

narancssárga (NÅ-rånch-shar-gå)

purple

lila (LI-lå)

brown

barna (BÅR-nå)

Transportation

Bus and train

How much is a ticket to _____?

Mennyibe kerül egy jegy _____-ba/-be? (MEN-nyi-be KE-růl edj yedj _____ -bå/-be)

One ticket to _____, please.

Kérek egy jegyet _____-ba/-be. (KEY-rek edj yedj _____ -bå/-be)

Where does this train/bus go?

Hová megy ez a vonat/busz? (HO-va medj ez å VO-nåt/bous)

Where is the train/bus to _____?

Hol van a _____-ba/-be induló vonat/busz? (hol vån å _____ -bå/-be)

Does this train/bus stop in _____?

Megáll ez a vonat/busz _____-ban/-ben? (MEG-al ez å VO-nåt/bous _____-bån/-ben)

When does the train/bus for _____ leave?

Mikor indul a vonat/busz _____-ba/-be/-ra/-re? (MI-kor IN-doul å VO-nåt/bous _____-bå/-be/-rå/-re)

When will this train/bus arrive in _____?

Mikor érkezik meg ez a vonat/busz _____-ba/-be? (MI-kor EYR-ke-zik meg ez å VO-nåt/bous _____-bå/-be)

Directions

How do I get to _____ ?

Hogy jutok el _____-ba/-be/-ra/-re/-hoz/-hez/-höz ? (hodj YOU-tok el _____-bå/-be/-rå/-re/-hoz/-hez/-høz)

...the train station?

...a pályaudvarra/vasútállomásra? (å PA-yå-oud-vår-rå/VÅ-shoot-al-lo-mash-rå)

...the bus station?

...a buszpályaudvarra? (å bous-PA-yå-oud-vår-rå)

...the airport?

...a repülőtérre? (å RE-pů-lø̱-teyr-re)

...downtown?

...a belvárosba? (å BEL-va-rosh-bå)

...the youth hostel?

...az ifjúsági szállóba? (åz IF-yoo-sha-gi SAL-lo-bå)

...the _____ hotel?

...a _____ szállodába? (å _____ SAL-lo-da-bå)

...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate?

...az amerikai/kanadai/ausztrál/brit nagykövetségre? (åz Å-me-ri-kå-i/KÅ-nå-då-i/Å-oust-ral/brit NÅDJ-køv-et-sheyg-re)

Where are there a lot of...

Merre van sok... (MER-re vån shok)

...hotels?

...hotel? (HO-tel)

...restaurants?

...étterem? (EYT-ter-em)

...bars?

...bár? (“bar”)

...sites to see?

...látnivaló? (LAT-ni-vå-loa)

Can you show me on the map?

Megmutatnád a térképen? (MEG-mou-tåt-nad å TEYR-key-pen)

street

utca (OUT-tså)

Turn left.

Fordulj balra. (FOR-doulʸ BÅL-rå)

Turn right.

Fordulj jobbra. (FOR-doulʸ YOB-brå)

left

bal (bål)

right

jobb (yob)

straight ahead

egyenesen (E-dje-ne-shen)

towards the _____

_____ felé (FE-ley)

past the _____

_____-on túl (on tool)

before the _____

a(z) _____ előtt (å(z) _____ EL-ø̱t)

Watch for the _____.

Figyelj a _____-ra/-re. (FI-djelʸ å _____-rå/-re)

intersection

kereszteződés (KE-res-tez-ø̱-deysh)

north

észak (EY-såk)

south

dél (deyl)

east

kelet (KE-let)

west

nyugat (NYOU-gåt)

uphill

emelkedő (E-mel-ke-dø̱)

downhill

lejtő (LEY-tø̱)

Taxi

Taxi!

Taxi! (“taxi”)

Take me to _____, please.

Vigyen kérem a _____-ra/-re. (VI-djen KEY-rem å _____-rå/-re)

How much does it cost to get to _____?

Mennyibe kerül eljutni _____-ba/-be? (MEN-nyi-be KE-růl EL-yout-ni)

Take me there, please.

Vigyen oda, kérem. (VI-djen O-då, KEY-rem)

Lodging

Do you have any rooms available?

Van szabad szobájuk? (vån SÅ-båd SO-ba-youk)

How much is a room for one person/two people?

Mennyibe kerül egy szoba egy személyre/két személyre? (MEN-nyi-be KE-růl edj SO-bå edj SE-mey-re/keyt SE-mey-re)

Does the room come with...

Jár a szobához... (YAR å SO-ba-hoz)

...bedsheets?

...lepedő? (LE-pe-dø̱)

...a bathroom?

...fürdőszoba? (FŮR-dø̱-so-bå)

...a telephone?

...telefon? (TE-le-fon)

...a TV?

...TV? (TEY-vey)

May I see the room first?

Előbb megnézhetem a szobát? (E-lø̱b MEG-neyz-he-tem å SO-bat)

Do you have anything quieter?

Van valami csendesebb? (vån VÅ-lå-mi CHEN-de-sheb)

...bigger?

...nagyobb? (NÅDJ-ob)

...cleaner?

...tisztább? (TIS-tab)

...cheaper?

...olcsóbb? (OL-choab)

OK, I'll take it.

Rendben, kiveszem. (REND-ben, KI-ve-sem)

I will stay for _____ night(s).

_____ éjszakát maradok. (EY-så-kat MÅ-rå-dok)

Can you suggest another hotel?

Tudna javasolni egy másik hotelt? (TOUD-nå YÅ-vå-shol-ni edj MA-shik HO-telt)

Do you have a safe?

Van széfjük? (vån SEYF-yůk)

...lockers?

...zárható szekrényük? (ZAR-hå-toa SE-krey-nyůk)

Is breakfast/supper included?

Tartalmazza az ár a reggelit/vacsorát? (TÅR-tål-måz-zå åz ar å REG-ge-lit/VÅ-cho-rat)

What time is breakfast/supper?

Mikor van reggeli/vacsora? (MI-kor vån REG-ge-li/VÅ-cho-rå)

Please clean my room.

Takarítást kérek. (TÅ-kå-ree-tasht KEY-rek)

Can you wake me at _____?

Tudna _____-kor ébreszteni? (TOUD-nå _____-kor EY-bre-ste-ni)

I want to check out.

Kijelentkeznék. (KI-ye-lent-kez-neyk)

Money

Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars?

Elfogadnak amerikai/ausztrál/kanadai dollárt? (EL-fo-gåd-nåk Å-me-ri-kå-i/Å-oust-ral/KÅ-nå-då-i DOL-lart)

Do you accept British pounds?

Elfogadnak angol fontot? (EL-fo-gåd-nåk ÅN-gol FONT-ot)

Do you accept Euros?

Elfogadnak eurót? (EL-fo-gåd-nåk YOU-rot)

Do you accept credit cards?

Elfogadnak hitelkártyát? (EL-fo-gåd-nåk HI-tel-kart-yat)

Can you change money for me?

Válthatok Önnél pénzt? (VALT-hå-tok ØN-neyl peynzt)

Where can I get money changed?

Hol válthatok pénzt? (hol VALT-hå-tok peynzt)

Can you change a traveler's check for me?

Be tudna váltani utazási csekket a számomra? (be TOUD-nå VALT-å-ni OU-tå-za-shi CHEK-ket å SA-mom-rå)

Where can I get a traveler's check changed?

Hol tudok beváltani utazási csekket? (hol TOU-dok BE-valt-å-ni OU-tå-za-shi CHEK-ket)

What is the exchange rate?

Mi az árfolyam? (mi åz AR-fo-yåm)

Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)?

Hol van bankautomata (ATM)? (hol vån BÅNK-å-ou-to-må-tå (AAH-teeh-em))

Eating

A table for one person/two people, please.

Egy ember/két ember számára kérek asztalt. (edj EM-ber/keyt EM-ber SA-ma-rå KEY-rek ÅS-tålt)

May I see the menu, please?

Megnézhetném a menüt, kérem? (MEG-neyz-het-neym å ME-nůt, KEY-rem)

Can I look in the kitchen?

Benézhetek a konyhába? (BE-neyz-he-tek å KONʸ-ha-bå)

Is there a house specialty?

Van házi specialitásuk? (vån HA-zi SPE-tsi-al-i-ta-shouk)

Is there a local specialty?

Van helyi specialitásuk? (vån HEY-i SPE-tsi-al-i-ta-shouk)

I'm a vegetarian.

Vegetárius/vegetáriánus vagyok. (VE-ge-tar-i-oush/VE-ge-tar-i-a-noush)

I don't eat pork.

Nem eszem disznóhúst. (nem E-sem DIS-noa-hoosht)

I don't eat beef.

Nem eszem marhahúst. (nem E-sem MÅR-hå-hoosht)

I only eat kosher food.

Csak kóser ételt eszem. (chåk KO-sher EY-telt E-sem)

Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter/lard)

El tudja készíteni "könnyűnek"? (kevesebb olajjal/vajjal/zsírral) (el TOUD-yå KEY-see-te-ni KØN-nyů̱-nek (KE-ve-sheb- O-låy-yål/VÅY-yål/ZHEER-rål))

fixed-price meal

kötöttáras/fix áras fogás (KØ-tøt-ta-råsh/fiks A-rås FO-gash)

à la carte

à la carte (a la kart)

breakfast

reggeli (REG-ge-li)

lunch

ebéd (E-beyd)

tea (meal)

uzsonna (OU-zhon-nå)

supper

vacsora (VÅ-cho-rå)

I want _____.

Kérek _____-t. (KEY-rek _____ -t)

I want a dish containing _____.

Egy olyan fogást kérek, amiben van _____. (edj O-yån FO-gasht KEY-rek, Å-mi-ben vån _____)

chicken

csirkehús (CHIR-ke-hoosh)

beef

marhahús (MÅR-hå-hoosh)

fish

hal (hål)

ham

sonka (SHON-kå)

sausage

virsli/kolbász (VIRSH-li/KOL-bas)

cheese

sajt (shåyt)

eggs

tojás (TO-yash)

salad

saláta (SHÅ-la-tå)

(fresh) vegetables

(friss) zöldség (frish ZØLD-sheyg)

(fresh) fruit

(friss) gyümölcs (frish DJŮ-mølch)

bread

kenyér (KEN-yeyr)

toast

pirítós (PI-ree-toash)

noodles

galuska/nudli (GÅ-loush-kå/NOUD-li)

rice

rizs (reezh)

beans

bab (båb)

May I have a glass of _____?

Kaphatok egy pohár _____-t? (KÅP-hå-tok edj PO-har)

May I have a cup of _____?

Kaphatok egy csésze _____-t? (KÅP-hå-tok edj CHEY-se)

May I have a bottle of _____?

Kaphatok egy üveg _____-t? (KÅP-hå-tok edj Ů-veg)

coffee

kávé (KA-vey)

tea (drink)

tea (TE-å)

juice

gyümölcslé (DJŮ-mølch-ley)

(bubbly) water

(szénsavas/buborékos) víz ((SEYN-shå-våsh/BOU-bo-rey-kosh) veez)

water

víz (veez)

beer

sör (shør)

red/white wine

vörös/fehér bor (VØ-røsh/FE-heyr bor)

May I have some _____?

Kaphatok egy kevés _____-t? (KÅP-hå-tok edj KE-veysh _____ -t)

salt

só (shoa)

black pepper

feketebors (FE-ke-te-borsh)

butter

vaj (våy)

Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server)

Pincér, kérem! (PIN-tseyr, KEY-rem)

I'm finished.

Végeztem. (VEY-gez-tem)

It was delicious.

Nagyon finom volt. (NÅ-djon FI-nom volt)

Please clear the plates.

Kérem, törölje el a tányérokat. (KEY-rem TØR-øl-ye el å TA-nyeyr-o-kåt)

The check, please.

A számlát, kérem. (å SAM-lat, KEY-rem)

Bars

Do you serve alcohol?

Felszolgálnak alkoholt? (FEL-sol-gal-nåk ÅL-ko-holt)

Is there table service?

Biztosítanak evőeszközöket? (BIZ-to-shee-tå-nåk EV-ø̱-es-kø-zø-ket)

A beer/two beers, please.

Egy sört/két sört, kérek. (edj shørt/keyt shørt, KEY-rek)

A glass of red/white wine, please.

Egy pohár vörös/fehér bort, kérek. (edj PO-har VØ-røsh/FE-heyr bort, KEY-rek)

A pint, please.

Egy korsóval, kérek. (edj KOR-shoa-vål, KEY-rek)

A bottle, please.

Egy üveggel, kérek. (edj Ů-veg-gel, KEY-rek)

_____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), kérek.

((MIK-sør), KEY-rek)

whiskey

whiskey (VI-skee)

vodka

vodka (VOD-kå)

rum

rum (rom)

water

víz (veez)

soda

szóda (SOA-då)

tonic water

tonik (TO-nik)

orange juice

narancslé (NÅ-rånch-ley)

Coke

cola (KO-la)

Do you have any bar snacks?

Van valami ropogtatnivalójuk? (vån VÅ-lå-mi RO-pog-tåt-ni-vål-oa-youk)

One more, please.

Még egyet, kérek. (meyg E-djet, KEY-rek)

Another round, please.

Még egy kört, kérek. (meyg edj kørt, KEY-rek)

When is closing time?

Mikor zárnak? (MI-kor ZAR-nåk)

Shopping

Do you have this in my size?

Van ez az én méretemben? (vån ez åz eyn MEY-re-tem-ben)

How much is this?

Mennyibe kerül (ez)? (MEN-nyi-be KE-růl (ez))

That's too expensive.

Az túl drága. (åz tool DRA-gå)

expensive

drága (DRA-gå)

cheap

olcsó (OL-choa)

I can't afford it.

Ezt nem engedhetem meg magamnak. (ezt nem EN-ged-he-tem meg MÅ-gåm-nåk)

I don't want it.

Ez nem tetszik. (ez nem TET-sik)

You're cheating me.

Maga átver engem. (MÅ-gå AT-ver EN-gem)

I'm just looking/browsing.

Csak nézelődöm. (chåk NE-ze-lø̱-døm)

OK, I'll take it.

Rendben, elviszem. (REND-ben, EL-vis-em)

Can I have a bag?

Kaphatok egy zacskót? (KÅP-hå-tok edj ZÅCH-koat)

Do you ship (overseas)?

Vállalnak házhozszállítást (a tengerentúlra)? (VAL-lål-nåk HAZ-hozh-zal-lee-tasht (å TEN-ge-ren-tool-rå))

I need ___

___ van szükségem. (___ vån SŮK-shey-gem)

...toothpaste.

Fogkrémre... (FOG-kreym-re)

...a toothbrush.

Fogkefére... (FOG-ke-fey-re)

...tampons.

Tamponra... (TÅM-pon-rå)

...soap.

Szappanra... (SÅP-pån-rå)

...shampoo.

Samponra... (SHAM-pon-rå)

...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen)

Fájdalomcsillapítóra (például aszpirinre vagy ibuprofenre)... (FAY-då-lom-chil-lå-pee-toa-rå (PEL-da-oul ÅS-pi-rin-re vådj I-bou-pro-fen-re))

...cold medicine.

Meghűlés/megfázás elleni gyógyszerre... (MEG-hů̱-leys/MEG-fa-zash EL-le-ni DJOADJ-ser-re)

...stomach medicine.

Hasfogóra... (HÅSH-fo-goa-rå)

...a razor.

Borotvára... (BO-rot-va-rå)

...an umbrella.

Esernyőre... (E-sher-nyø̱-re)

...sunblock lotion.

Erős naptejre... (E-rø̱sh NÅP-tey-re)

...a postcard.

Képeslapra... (KEY-pesh-låp-rå)

...postage stamps.

Bélyegre... (BEY-⁽ʸ⁾eg-re)

...batteries.

Elemre... (E-lem-re)

...writing paper.

Üres papírra... (Ů-resh PÅ-peer-rå)

...a pen.

Tollra... (TOL-rå)

...English-language books.

Angol nyelvű könyvre... (ÅN-gol NYELV-ů̱ KØNʸ-vre)

...English-language magazines.

Angol nyelvű lapra/magazinra... (ÅN-gol NYELV-ů̱ LÅP-rå/MÅ-gå-zin-rå)

...an English-language newspaper.

Angol nyelvű újságra... (ÅN-gol NYELV-ů̱ OOY-shag-rå)

...an English-Hungarian dictionary.

Angol-magyar szótárra. (ÅN-gol/MÅ-djår SO-tar-rå)

Driving

I want to rent a car.

Autót szeretnék bérelni. (Å-ou-toat SE-ret-neyk BEY-rel-ni)

Can I get insurance?

Köthetek biztosítást? (KØT-he-tek BIZ-to-shee-tasht)

STOP (on a street sign)

STOP

one way

egyirányú (E-dji-ra-nyoo)

yield

elsőbbségadás kötelező (EL-shø̱b-shey-gå-dash KØ-te-le-zø̱)

no parking

megállni tilos (ME-gal-ni TI-losh)

speed limit

sebességkorlátozás (SHE-besh-sheyg-kor-la-to-zash)

gas (petrol) station

benzinkút (BEN-zin-koot)

petrol

benzin (BEN-zin)

diesel

gázolaj/dízel (GAZ-o-lay/DEE-zel)

Authority

I haven't done anything wrong.

Nem csináltam semmi rosszat. (nem CHIN-al-tåm SHEM-mi RO-såt)

It was a misunderstanding.

Félreértés volt. (FEYL-re-eyr-teysh volt)

Where are you taking me?

Hova visz engem? (HO-vå vis EN-gem)

Am I under arrest?

Le vagyok tartóztatva? (le VÅ-djok TÅR-toaz-tåt-vå)

I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen.

Amerikai/ausztrál/brit/kanadai állampolgár vagyok. (Å-me-ri-kå-i/Å-oust-ral/brit/KÅ-nå-då-i AL-låm-pol-gar VÅ-djok)

I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate.

Az amerikai/ausztrál/brit/kanadai követséggel akarok beszélni. (åz Å-me-ri-kå-i/Å-oust-ral/brit/KÅ-nå-då-i KØ-vet-shey-gel Å-kå-rok BE-seyl-ni)

I want to talk to a lawyer.

Ügyvéddel akarok beszélni. (ŮDJ-veyd-del Å-kå-rok BE-seyl-ni)

Can I just pay a fine now?

Nem lehetne csak büntetést fizetni? (nem LE-het-ne chåk BŮN-te-teysht FI-zet-ni)

Learning more

How do you say (in Hungarian) _____ ?

Hogy mondják (magyarul) _____ ? (hodj MOND-yak (MÅ-djår-oul) _____)

What is this/that called?

Hogy hívják ezt/azt? (hodj HEEV-yak ezt/åzt)