Meeting people in Hungarian
How are you, what is your name, where are you from, I like it: the first five minutes. Play the ten Hungarian words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Hungarian phrases in this lesson
- Hogy van?hodj von
- How are you?
- Jól vagyokyohl VOD-yok
- I'm fine, thanks
- És ön?aysh uhn
- And you?
- Hogy hívják?hodj HEEV-yahk
- What's your name?
- A nevem...o NEH-vem
- My name is...
- Honnan jön?HON-non yurn
- Where are you from?
- ...-ból jöttem-bohl YURT-tem
- I'm from...
- TetszikTET-seek
- I like it
- GyönyörűDYUR-nyuh-rew
- It's beautiful
- ÜdvözöljükEWD-vuh-zurl-yewk
- Welcome
The formal form, used with anyone you address as "Ön" (the formal you). In Hungary, formality with strangers and elders is expected; using the informal with an older person before being invited to do so can cause offence.
"Jól" is well or fine. The full polite exchange: "Köszönöm, jól vagyok. És Ön?" (Thank you, I am well. And you?). Hungarians tend toward directness; if something is not fine, they may say so, unlike cultures where "fine" is always the expected answer.
The formal "and you". The casual version is "És te?" (aysh teh). Always return the question; not doing so reads as disinterest. Hungarian conversational culture values reciprocity in social exchanges.
Polite form. Casual: "hogy hívnak?".
Polite form. Casual: "honnan jössz?".
"Kanadából jöttem", I'm from Canada.
Literally "it pleases".
Literally "we greet you".