Have you ever left a group conversation without saying anything? It was pretty awkward, right?
Knowing the best parting words for a given situation is a crucial aspect of smooth communication in any language. To give you a hand, today we’re going to show you several different ways to say goodbye in Hungarian. With enough study and practice, you’ll never be at a loss for words again!
The key to success is establishing the basics, and HungarianPod101.com is the perfect companion for this task. If you read our articles on How to Say Hello in Hungarian and How to Introduce Yourself in Hungarian, you’re already off to a great start. Within this article lies the final link you need to have a complete conversation! Start with a bonus, and download the Must-Know Beginner Vocabulary PDF for FREE!(Logged-In Member Only)
Table of Contents
- Before We Begin…
- The Most Common Ways to Say Goodbye in Hungarian
- Specific Ways to Say Goodbye
- How HungarianPod101.com Will Help You Master Your Hungarian
1. Before We Begin…
Farewell phrases in Hungarian can take many forms, depending on the person you’re speaking with and how formal the situation is. Just like the French use ‘tutoyer’ and ‘vouvoyer,’ Hungarians also distinguish between formal speech (used with strangers and the elderly) and informal speech (used with friends and family). We’ll talk more about this later.
All of the Hungarian goodbye phrases in this article are ones you can use in everyday situations while visiting Hungary—from talking with a stranger at the bakery to parting ways with your new besties. Trust us, locals will appreciate your efforts and be more welcoming of you. It’s always good to know one or two words and phrases in the local language of your travel destination.
Ready? Let’s start, shall we?
2. The Most Common Ways to Say Goodbye in Hungarian
There are numerous ways to say goodbye in the Hungarian language. Knowing which words and phrases are most appropriate will take practice, but there are a few factors you should consider:
- Your relationship with the person you’re speaking to.
- How many people you’re speaking to.
- How formal or informal the situation is.
- Whether your words fit in the context.
To make things simple for you, we’ve divided the words and phrases below into Informal and Formal categories. As long as you use them accordingly, you should be just fine. 😉
A- Informal
We’ll start with some informal phrases, and show you how easy they are! Each of these words and phrases can be used to mean both hello and goodbye in Hungarian. Yep, how nice is that?
| Szia! | Use szia when you’re talking to one person. |
| Sziasztok! | Use sziasztok when you’re talking to two or more people. The suffixes at the end indicate that you’re talking to more than one person. |
| Helló! | Helló, taken from English, is a very informal way to say hello and goodbye in Hungarian slang. Use it with close friends and maybe even family, but never your boss or strangers! |
| Csá(ó)! | This is the Hungarian version of the Italian greeting. |
| Cső! | Okay, this one is funny. Cső means “tube” or “pipe” in Hungarian. To say it to multiple people, you can use csősztök (but you don’t necessarily have to)! |
| Csőtészta! | Can you guess what csőtészta means? It means “macaroni,” but it’s commonly used as an informal farewell. |
| Csokoládés csőtészta! | And this one? “Chocolatey macaroni”! |
Note that the last four informal goodbyes don’t necessarily have to match the number of people you’re talking to. They can be used as-are whether you’re talking to one person or a group of people.
B- Formal
There aren’t very many ways to say goodbye in a formal environment. Here are two common ones:
| Viszontlátásra! (“Goodbye!”) | This is the most polite way to tell someone goodbye. |
| Viszlát! (“Bye!”) | This Hungarian word for goodbye is a shortened version of the one above. It’s still polite, but a little less formal. |
Note that you can use both of these phrases as they are; they don’t need to be changed according to the number of people.
3. Specific Ways to Say Goodbye
If you want to truly become fluent in Hungarian, you’ll need to go a step further. In this section, we’ll cover several ways to say goodbye in more specific situations! Memorize these, and your speech will sound so much more natural.
| Szia és sok sikert! | “Goodbye and good luck.” |
| You can use this phrase when you’re parting ways with a friend who’s about to take a big exam or go for a job interview. It’s interesting to note that Hungarians wish someone “lots of” luck, instead of “good” luck. | |
| Szép délutánt!Jó estét!Jó éjszakát! | “Good afternoon.” “Good evening.” “Goodnight.” |
| These three phrases are a good way to wish someone goodbye depending on the time of day. Note that in each phrase, you can use either szép (“nice”) or jó (“good”). | |
| Szép álmokat!Aludj jól! | “Sweet dreams.” “Sleep well.” |
| You can use these two phrases when you’re saying goodbye late in the evening or at night. Note that Hungarians use the word szép (“nice”) again, instead of édes (“sweet”) in the first phrase. | |
| Később találkozunk. Holnap találkozunk. Ebédnél találkozunk. Tíz órakor találkozunk. | “See you later.” “See you tomorrow.” “See you at lunch.” “See you at ten o’clock.” |
| Each of these phrases is generally used together with a basic goodbye phrase (such as szia or viszlát). Do you see the pattern we used here? Találkozunk translates to “we will meet.” To let the other person know when you’ll meet, simply put the correct word in front. Check out the following vocabulary lists to get the vocabulary you need to make your own unique sentences: | |
| Vigyázz magadra!Légy óvatos! | “Take care.” “Be careful.” |
You can use these phrases to let the other person know that you care for their wellbeing. Here are some quick language notes:
| |
| Mennem kell. Szaladok. / Futok. Rohanok. | “I have to go.” “I’m running.” “I’m rushing.” |
| You can use these Hungarian goodbye phrases to let someone know you need to leave in a hurry. Note that the second and third phrases are very informal, so you should only use them with close friends and family (and never your teacher or boss, for instance). A quick language note:
| |
| Legyen szép napod! Legyen szép napja! | “Have a nice day.” [Informal] “Have a nice day.” [Formal] |
| This is something you’re likely to hear after shopping for groceries. You could use the first phrase toward people your own age or younger, and the second phrase toward people older than you or of higher status. | |
| Tartsuk a kapcsolatot! | “Let’s keep in touch.” |
Hungarians don’t “keep in touch.” Instead, they “maintain the relationship.”
| |
| Találkozzunk még! | “Let’s meet some other time, too.” |
You can use this phrase if you would like to continue seeing someone regularly.
| |
| Majd felhívlak. | “I’ll give you a call.” |
| Hungarians don’t “give” you a call; they “call you.” For this reason, Majd felhívlak literally means “I will call you (at some point).” | |
4. How HungarianPod101.com Will Help You Master Your Hungarian
Well, it’s time to say goodbye…
Once you’ve learned these farewell phrases in Hungarian, we guarantee that you’ll have no problems saying goodbye, nor will you ever be at a loss for words.
Now that you’re familiar with the most common ways to say goodbye in Hungarian, you’re one step closer to actually visiting the country. You know both formal and informal ways to say bye in Hungarian, and you also know the best phrases for any situation.
But if you feel like you need more, you’re welcome to join the HungarianPod101 family. We offer you the opportunity to practice what you’ve just learned, as well as access to many other useful articles that you can actually benefit from before visiting the beautiful country of Hungary.
Join us now and study with hundreds of other students who share the same ambition as you.
We’re here to help you along on your language-learning journey, and to assist you should you encounter any difficulties.
Do you remember what csokoládés csőtészta means? Let us know in the comments!
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