Yes, even beginners can quickly learn conversational Hungarian well enough to carry on real conversations with native speakers. Of course, beginners won’t be able to carry a conversation the same way they could in their native language. But, just knowing a few tips like which questions to ask to keep a conversation going are all you need to speak and interact with real native speakers! But before we get to specific suggestions, let’s first take a closer look at how having real Hungarian conversations is so vital to your mastery of the language.
Learning to Carry a Conversation is Vital to Mastery of Any Language
Communicating with other people is the very point of language and conversation is almost second nature in our native tongue. For beginners or anyone learning a new language, conversations aren’t easy at all and even simple Hungarian greetings can be intimidating and awkward.
Avoid Awkward Silences: Nothing kills a conversation faster than long periods of awkward silence, so you need practice and specific strategies to avoid them.
Improve the Flow of Conversation to Make a Better Impression: When you know what to say to keep a conversation going, communication becomes much easier and you make a better impression on your listener.
Master the Language Faster: Nothing will help you learn to speak Hungarian faster and truly master the language than having real conversations with native speakers. Conversations quickly expose you to slang, cultural expressions, and vocabulary that force you to absorb and assimilate information faster than any educational setting—and that’s a great thing!
But how can you possibly have real conversations with real Hungarian people if you are just starting out?
3 Conversation Strategies for Beginners
1. Ask Questions to Keep a Conversation Going
For beginners and even more advanced speakers, the key is to learn to ask questions to keep a conversation going. Of course, they can’t be just random questions or else you may confuse the listener. But, by memorizing a few key questions and the appropriate time to use them, you can easily carry a conversation with minimal vocabulary or experience. And remember, the more Hungarian conversations you have, the quicker you will learn and master the language!
2. Learn Core Vocabulary Terms as Quickly as Possible
You don’t need to memorize 10,000’s of words to learn conversational Hungarian. In fact, with just a couple hundred Hungarian words you could have a very basic Hungarian conversation. And by learning maybe 1,000-2,000 words, you could carry a conversation with a native speaker about current events, ordering in restaurants, and even getting directions.
3. Study Videos or Audio Lessons that You Can Play and Replay Again and Again
If you want to know how to carry a conversation in Hungarian, then you need exposure to native speakers—and the more the better. Ideally, studying video or audio lessons is ideal because they provide contextualized learning in your native language and you can play them again and again until mastery.
HungarianPod101 Makes it Easier and More Convenient Than Ever to Learn Conversational Hungarian
For more than 10 years, HungarianPod101 has been helping students learn to speak Hungarian by creating the world’s most advanced online language learning system. Here are just a few of the specific features that will help you learn conversational Hungarian fast using our proven system:
The Largest Collection of HD Video & Audio Lessons from Real Hungarian Instructors:HungarianPod101 instructors have created hundreds of video and audio lessons that you can play again and again. And the best part is: They don’t just teach you Hungarian vocabulary and grammar, they are designed to help you learn to speak Hungarian and teach you practical everyday topics like shopping, ordering, etc!
Pronunciation Tools: Use this feature to record and compare yourself with native speakers to quickly improve your pronunciation and fluency!
2000 Common Hungarian Words: Also known as our Core List, these 2,000 words are all you need to learn to speak fluently and carry a conversation with a native speaker!
In all, more than 20 advanced learning tools help you quickly build vocabulary and learn how to carry a conversation with native speakers—starting with your very first lesson.
Conclusion
Although it may seem intimidating for a beginner, the truth is that it is very easy to learn conversational Hungarian. By learning a few core vocabulary terms and which questions to ask to keep a conversation going, just a little practice and exposure to real Hungarian conversations or lessons is all it really takes. HungarianPod101 has created the world’s largest online collection of video and audio lessons by real instructors plus loads of advanced tools to help you learn to speak Hungarian and carry a conversation quickly.
Act now and we’ll also include a list of the most commonly used questions to keep a conversation going so you can literally get started immediately!
Today, classrooms are no longer the only or even best place to learn a new language like Hungarian. More and more people are finding that they can easily learn a language just about anywhere they have a few minutes of spare time, including their daily commute to work. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average American spends over 50 minutes a day commuting to and from work, or over 300 hours a year.
Rethinking Your Daily Commute to Work
But rather than simply sitting in traffic and wasting the time, you can instead use your daily commute to literally learn Hungarian in just a few short months! HungarianPod101 has developed specialized learning tools that you can use on your commute to work (and home again) to master the language in your spare time. Keep reading to learn how to get your free audiobook to use on your next commute so you can see for yourself how easy it is to transform “dead time” into realizing your dream of learning a new language!
But before we look at how to transform your commute home into a mini-classroom, let’s take a closer look at 4 reasons why traditional classroom settings just aren’t the best option for most people in today’s fast-paced world.
Difficulty Getting to and From Class
Learning on Someone Else’s Schedule
Very Expensive and May Cost $1,000’s to Complete
Can Take Years to Finally Complete Classes and Learn the Language
The simple truth is that traditional classroom instruction is simply not a viable option for most people in today’s very fast-paced, time-starved world. Now let’s examine how you can learn a language faster, more easily, and at far less expense than traditional classes—all during your commute to work and back home again!
3 Reasons Your Daily Commute Can Help You Master a Language
1. The Average Commute Time is More than 300 Hours Per Year
Between the commute to work and getting back home again, over 6 hours a week is completely wasted and not helping you reach any goals or objectives. But thanks to online language learning platforms with audiobooks and other resources that you can access during your commute, you can easily transform wasted time into tangible progress towards learning a new language. With over 300 hours available annually, your daily commute could provide you with enough time to literally master a new language each and every year!
2. Increase Your Earning Potential While Commuting to Work
How would you like to transform all those spare commuting hours each week into more money for a new car, house, or even a dream vacation? According to research, someone making $30,000 per year can boost their annual income by $600 or more per year by learning a second language. Added up over the course of a lifetime, you can boost your total earnings by $70,000 or more while achieving your dream of learning a new language during your daily commute!
How? From work-at-home translation jobs to working overseas, there are many ways to leverage your second language into more money in your bank account! So instead of wasting your precious time, you can make your commute more productive and profitable and the more languages you learn, the higher your income potential.
3. Repetition is Key to Mastering a New Language
Not sure if it’s practical to learn another language while commuting to and from work each day? Well not only is it possible—learning in your car on the way to and from work each day can actually help you learn and master Hungarian or any language much faster! The simple truth is that repetition is absolutely vital to truly internalizing and mastering any language. So, if you listen to audiobooks or even audio lessons on your commute to work and then repeat the same lesson on your commute home, the information is more likely to be “locked-in” to your long-term memory!
5 Ways HungarianPod101 Makes It Easy to Learn a Language On Your Commute
HungarianPod101 has been helping people just like yourself learn and master Hungarian in the comfort of their home, during their daily commute, or any place they have a few minutes of spare time. Here are five features provided by HungarianPod101 that make it easy to learn a new language while commuting to and from work:
1. The Largest Collection of Audio Lessons on Planet by Native Speaking Instructors
Every single week, HungarianPod101 creates new audio lessons by native speaking instructors. All lessons are short, to the point, and guaranteed to improve your mastery of Hungarian.
2. Word of the Day
Simply exposing yourself to new information and vocabulary terms helps increase your fluency and mastery of Hungarian. So every single day, HungarianPod101 adds a new Word of the Day for you to learn and memorize during your commute.
3. Daily Dose Mini-Lessons
Have a short commute to work but still want to make progress towards learning and mastering Hungarian? Not a problem! Our Daily Dose Mini-Lessons are 1-minute or less and designed to improve your grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
4. All Content Available on a Convenient Mobile App
You don’t need a PC or tablet to learn Hungarian during your daily commute. At HungarianPod101, all of our lessons, tools, and resources are available 24/7 via our Mobile App. That means you can access all of our audio lessons and other tools during your commute to work or any time you have a few spare moments!
5. Audiobooks and Other Supplemental Resources
In addition to the world’s largest online collection of HD audio lessons, HungarianPod101 has also created several audiobooks to enhance your understanding and make it more convenient than ever to learn a language during your commute!
Conclusion
The average commute time of most Americans is over 300 hours each year and it’s the perfect opportunity to learn and master a new language. In fact, you can use the “dead time” during your daily commute to learn a new language and potentially boost your lifetime earnings by up to $70,000 or more! Whatever your motivation, HungarianPod101 has the tools and resources necessary to help you learn a new language each year during your commute to and from work. Act now and we’ll even provide you with a free audiobook to try out on your next commute!
Whether you’re just visiting the country or you’re planning to stay a bit longer, learning how to say hello in Hungarian will definitely improve your first impression! And we at the HungarianPod101.com family believe in the power of first impressions! Did you know it’s made in less than five seconds? That’s exactly how long it takes to say a proper greeting! Don’t worry though; this How to Say Hello in Hungarian guide will definitely help you out on your journey ahead!
How to say hello in Hungarian is one of the first things that students learn when they start learning Hungarian. This most basic greeting is very important in every country and culture. The HungarianPod101 family is here to teach you how to say hello in Hungarian, along with other greetings. If you’re interested in hearing the pronunciation of hello in Hungarian, you can check out our collection at HungarianPod101.com, which includes hello in Hungarian audio!
In this article, you’ll learn the basic word for “hello,” in Hungarian, including how to write hello in Hungarian and the most commonly used hello in Hungarian slang.
In European cultures, people tend to pay a lot of attention to proper greetings. The amount of respect you show while greeting someone is going to tell a great deal about your manners in Hungary. And trust us, there’s no better way to charm someone than to master greetings in Hungarian! Are you up for the task?
How you say hello in Hungarian largely depends on who you’re talking to, and where.
As we mentioned above, Hungarian can be a very formal language, especially when you have to face someone in a work environment, someone older than you, or someone in a higher rank than you. People also start with formal greetings if they don’t know each other yet. “How do I say hello in Hungarian then?” you may ask. But don’t worry; we’re revealing the secret right now!
Similarly to other European languages, the greetings will vary based on which part of the day it is. How do you say “Hello, good morning,” in Hungarian? How about “good afternoon” in Hungarian? These time-based phrases are very important ways to say hello in the Hungarian language. Here are the most common ways to say hello in Hungarian for each time of day:
“Good morning!” = Jó reggelt kívánok!
“Good day!” = Jó napot kívánok!
“Good evening!” = Jó estét kívánok!
“Good night!” = Jó éjszakát kívánok!
“Kiss on your hands.” = Kezét csókolom! or Kezit csókolom!
“Goodbye!” (Until the next time we see each other.) = Viszontlátásra! or Viszlát!
Kezét csókolom! or Kezit csókolom! is an old-fashioned way to greet older ladies in Hungarian culture. It’s a very polite, very well-mannered way of greeting someone. You should use this phrase in situations when, for example, you greet an elderly woman at the local market. It literally means “to kiss one’s hand.” For context, this old expression was used long ago when men still greeted ladies with hand-kisses. Just say this to an older lady at the local market, and she’ll grow fond of you immediately.
Did you notice the common endings of kívánok? It literally means “I wish you.” Using this is going to make you sound amazingly polite and thorough, but you can also use these expressions by skipping that part. This way, they’ll sound like this:
“Good morning!” = Jó reggelt!
“Good day!” = Jó napot!
“Good evening!”= Jó estét!
“Good night!” = Jó éjszakát! or Jó éjt!
These forms are also correct! Please note that saying “good morning” and “good night” is also very common among friends, families, or spouses, not only in official environments. Therefore, whenever you wake up and meet someone for the first time that day, say Jó reggelt! Preferably, you’ll use this phrase before four o’clock in the afternoon, although if you say “good morning” at four, it will clearly indicate that you just woke up and is therefore also correct. (But only say good morning that late to your friends, family, or spouse, otherwise people will think you’re silly.)
The same way, you can use the expressions Jó éjt! or Jó éjszakát! as the proper ways of saying goodbye at a late hour. You might consider using these phrases:
Whenever you say goodbye to your friends after drinking a fröccs.
At the end of a night-long phone call with your Hungarian significant other.
When you’re going to sleep with your Hungarian spouse.
2. Informal Greetings
Now, let’s look at how to say an informal hello in Hungarian.
Hungarians can be very friendly, and among friends, family, and lovers, you have to use the informal language. Please note that if you meet your Hungarian spouse’s family for the first time, it shows a higher manner to speak formally until they offer you to speak informally. Don’t start with a casual hello!
But if you’re just around friends (for example, at a party, get-together, or bumping into each other on the street), here’s how to say hello in Hungarian language:
“Hi/Hello/Bye” = Szia!
“Hi guys/Bye guys” [Plural] = Sziasztok!
How to say hello in Hungarian is very easy and simple when you’re doing so in an informal environment. Szia! sounds almost exactly like Seeya’, just with a silent y, so more like a See-a’. Note that the second phrase is a way to say “Hello, everyone,” in Hungarian.
This is how you say both hello and goodbye in Hungarian to your friends, schoolmates, family, and spouse. Additionally, you can use Jó reggelt! and Jó éjt! as we mentioned in the previous section.
We highly suggest that you listen to many audio lessons and videos in Hungarian to get the pronunciation right. It’s one of the most difficult aspects of the language, so we think it’s worth putting more attention into.
3. Useful Second Thoughts
And last, but not least, after you say hello in Hungarian, you also need to introduce yourself. We collected a few essentials for you to begin strengthening that great first impression you just made on the person you’re talking to. Now it’s time to move forward!
There are many ways to say “Nice to meet you!” in Hungarian:
Örülök, hogy megismertem!
“I’m pleased to meet you.” [Formal]
Örülök, hogy megismertelek!
“I’m pleased to meet you.” [Informal]
Örvendek!
“I’m happy.” [Formal & Short.] This is commonly used.
Örülök!
“I’m happy.” [Informal & Short.] This is not used commonly.
And here are the essentials for self-introductions:
Én [name] vagyok.
“I am [name].” Én is the pronoun for “I.”
You can use this as a way of saying “Hello, my name is,” in Hungarian.
Hogy hívják?
“What’s your name?” [Formal]
Hogy hívnak?
“What’s your name?” [Informal]
Hogy van?
“How are you?” [Formal]
Hogy vagy?
“How are you?” [Informal]
If you would like to master your introduction and go deeper into the topic, check out our self-introduction video on our YouTube channel! You can find several videos on Hungarian grammar and useful phrases, so feel free to check out other videos as well! We’ve prepared for you some two- to three-minute-long ones, as well as some that are eight hours long (so that you can listen to our lessons while you’re sleeping)! How amazing is that!
If you’re interested in learning beginner daily conversations in Hungarian, you can find a lot of materials on our website to dig deeper. We hope that you’ll master this beautiful language and share our interest in language-learning!
4. How HungarianPod101.com Helps You Master Hungarian
By now you should have a better idea of how to say hello in the Hungarian language. After all, how difficult does it seem to say hello in Hungarian?
We really hope that we intrigued you into learning Hungarian, because it’s indeed one of the most difficult yet beautiful languages in the world. If you’re looking for a unique language to learn, Hungarian is definitely your thing! If you’re moving to the country for an exchange year, it’s also very useful to get familiar with a few basic expressions. Anyway, learning the basic greeting phrases is essential in mastering any language.
Do you know how to say hello in Hungarian now? What’s the difference between greeting an old lady at the local market and saying hello to your friends at school? Don’t forget to let us know in the comment section below!
Would you like to learn more about the Hungarian language? The HungarianPod101 family is always happy to help you out! We have tons of materials in every language, so if you’ve enjoyed your first Hungarian lessons, now you’re ready to continue! If you would like to extend your vocabulary, check out the 100 core Hungarian words or this list of the 10 most common conversational phrases in Hungarian!
Most everyone is familiar with this day, as it is celebrated nearly everywhere the world. Yet, when exactly is April Fools’ Day? And where did April Fools come from? April Fools’ Day is observed on April 1st every year. This day of jokes and pranks is believed to have stemmed from the 16th-century calendar change in France, when New Year’s Day was moved from April 1 to January 1. This action was taken due to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar.
However, a few people were resistant to the calendar change, so they continued to observe New Year’s Day on April 1st, rather than the new date. They were referred to as the “April Fools”, and others started playing mocking tricks on them. This custom endured, and is practiced to this day around the world!
1. Top One Million Words You Need to Know for April Fools’ Day
Do you want to know how to say April Fools’ Day in Hungarian? Well, there are millions of ways and words, but here are the top one million Hungarian words you really need to know! Simply click this link. Here are some of them you will find useful:
joke – viccel
funny – vicces
deceptive – megtévesztő
April 1st – április elseje
surprise – meglep
sneaky – sunyi
prankster – kópé
prank – csíny
play a joke – megtréfál
lie – hazudik
humor – humor
fool – bolond
2. Hungarian Phrases You Can Use on April Fools’ Day
Don’t limit yourself to practical jokes – use these April Fools’ phrases in Hungarian to prank your favorite Hungarian friend or colleague!
I learned Hungarian in 1 month.
Egy hónap alatt tanultam meg magyarul.
All classes for today got canceled.
Ma minden tanítási óra elmarad.
I’m sorry, but I’ve just broken your favorite pair of glasses.
Ne haragudj, de épp most törtem el a kedvenc szemüvegedet.
Someone has just hit your car.
Épp most törték össze a kocsidat!
I’m getting married.
Megházasodok.
You won a free ticket.
Nyertél egy ingyen jegyet!
I saw your car being towed.
Láttam, ahogy elvontatták a kocsidat.
They’re giving away free gift cards in front of the building.
Az épület előtt ingyen ajándékutalványokat osztogatnak.
A handsome guy is waiting for you outside.
Egy jóképű srác vár rád odakint.
A beautiful lady asked me to give this phone number to you.
Egy gyönyörű nő megkért rá, hogy adjam át ezt a telefonszámot neked.
Can you come downstairs? I have something special for you.
Le tudnál jönni? Valami különlegeset tartogatok a számodra.
Thank you for your love letter this morning. I never could have guessed your feelings.
Köszönöm a ma reggeli szerelmes leveledet. Enélkül sosem tudtam volna meg, mit érzel irántam.
Choose your victims carefully, though; the idea is to get them to laugh with you, not to hurt their feelings or humiliate them in front of others. Be extra careful if you choose to play a prank on your boss – you don’t want to antagonize them with an inappropriate joke.
3. Some of the Coolest April Fools’ Pranks To Play on Anybody
Right, now that you know the top million April Fools’ words in Hungarian, let’s look at some super pranks and tricks to play on friends, colleagues and family. Some April Fools ideas never grow old, while new ones are born every year.
Never joke in such a way that it hurts anyone, or humiliates them badly in front of others – the idea is for everybody to laugh and enjoy the fun! Respect is still key, no matter what day of the year it is.
1- Infestation
This trick is so simple, yet so creepy, it’s almost unbelievable. Take black paper, cut out the silhouette of a giant cockroach, a spider or another insect, and stick it inside the lampshade of a table lamp. When the lamp is switched on, it will look like a monstrous insect is sitting inside the lampshade. Or, get a whole lot of realistic-looking plastic insects, and spread them over a colleague’s desk and chair, or, at home, over the kids’ beds etc. Creep-factor: stellar.
2- Which One Doesn’t Fit?
Put the photo of a celebrity or a notorious politician in a frame, and take it to work on April Fools’ Day. Hang the photo on the staff picture wall, and wait. You’ll be surprised how long it can take for people to notice that one picture doesn’t fit.
3- Something Weird in the Restroom
At work, replace the air freshener in the restroom with something noxious like insect killer, oven cleaner or your own odious mixture in a spray bottle. Be sure to cover the bottle’s body so no one suspects a swap.
Or paint a bar of soap with clear nail polish, and leave it at the hand wash basin. It will not lather.
Or, if your workplace’s restroom has partitioned toilets with short doors, arrange jeans or trousers and shoes on all but one of the toilet covers, so it looks like every stall is occupied. Now wait for complaints, and see how long it takes for someone to figure out the April Fools’ Day prank. You’ll probably wish you had a camera inside the restroom. But, unless you don’t mind getting fired, don’t put your own recording device in there!
4- Call Me Funny
Prepare and print out a few posters with the following instructions: Lion Roar Challenge! Call this number – 123-456-7890 – and leave your best lion’s roar as voicemail! Best roarer will be announced April 10 in the cafeteria. Prize: $100. (Lion’s roar is just an example; you can use any animal call, or even a movie character’s unique sound, such as Chewbacca from Star Wars. The weirder, the funnier. Obviously!) Put the posters up in the office where most of the staff is likely to see them. Now wait for the owner of the number to visit you with murderous intent. Have a conciliatory gift ready that’s not a prank.
5- Minty Cookies
This is another simple but hugely effective prank – simply separate iced cookies, scrape off the icing, and replace it with toothpaste. Serve during lunch or tea break at work, or put in your family’s lunch boxes. Be sure to take photos of your victim’s faces when they first bite into your April Fools’ cookies.
6- Wild Shopping
At your local grocer, place a realistic-looking plastic snake or spider among the fresh vegetables. Now wait around the corner for the first yell.
7- The Oldest Trick in the Book
Don’t forget probably the oldest, yet very effective April Fools’ joke in the book – smearing hand cream or Vaseline on a door handle that most staff, family or friends are likely to use. Yuck to the max!
8- Sneeze On Me
Another golden oldie is also gross, yet harmless and utterly satisfying as a prank. Fill a small spray bottle that you can easily conceal with water. Walk past a friend, colleague or one of your kids, and fake a sneeze while simultaneously spraying them with a bit of water. Expect to be called a totally disgusting person. Add a drop of lovely smelling essential oil to the water for extra confusion.
9- Word Play Repairs
Put a fresh leek in the hand wash basin at home or work, and then tell your housemates or colleagues this: “There’s a huge leak in the restroom/bathroom basin, it’s really serious. Please can someone go have a look?!” Expect exasperation and smiles all around. Note that this prank is only likely to work where people understand English well.
10- Scary Face
Print out a very scary face on an A4 sheet of paper, and place it in a colleague’s, or one of your kid’s drawers, so it’s the first thing they see when they open the drawer. You may not be very popular for a while.
11- Wake Up To Madness
Put foamy shaving cream, or real whipped cream on your hand, and wake your kid up by tickling their nose with it. As long as they get the joke, this could be a wonderful and fun way to start April Fools’ Day.
12- Computer Prank
This one’s fabulous, if you have a bit of time to fiddle with a colleague, friend or your kid’s computer. It is most effective on a computer where most of the icons they use are on the desktop background itself (as opposed to on the bottom task bar).
Take and save a screenshot of their desktop with the icons. Set this screenshot as their background image. Now delete all the working icons. When they return to their computer, wait for the curses when no amount of clicking on the icons works.
13- Monster Under the Cup
This one will also work well anywhere people meet. Take a paper cup, and write the following on it in black pen: “Danger! Don’t lift, big spider underneath.” Place it upside-down on prominent flat surface, such as a kitchen counter, a colleague’s desk or a restaurant table. Expect some truly interesting responses.
14- Prank Door
Write in large letters on a large and noticeable piece of paper: PUSH. Tape this notice on a door that should be pulled to open, and watch the hilarious struggle of those clever souls who actually read signs.
4. How Can HungarianPod101 Make Your April Fools’ Day Special?
If you happen to visit Hungary, or if you work for any Hungarian company, knowing the above Hungarian prankster phrases can really lighten up your day. Showing you have a sense of humor can go a long way to cement good relationships in any situation. These phrases are at your disposal for free, as well as are these 100 core Hungarian words, which you will learn how to pronounce perfectly.
Also, don’t stop at learning April Fools’ phrases in Hungarian – bone up your Hungarian language skills with these FREE key phrases. Yes, HungarianPod101 doesn’t joke when it comes to effective, fun and easy learning.
Now, as a bonus, test our super-learning technology, and learn the Top 1000 most useful phrases in Hungarian below! But that’s not all. Read on to learn how you can be eligible for large enrollment discounts at HungarianPod101.
5. Top 1000 Most Useful Phrases in Hungarian – testing new technology
Help us by being a language guinea pig! Listen to this video above with embedded cutting-edge, frequency-based learning technology that enables you to learn large amounts of data in record time.
Note: This technology is in beta-phase of development, and we invite your input for fine-tuning.
To participate: Watch the video for instructions, and leave a comment to rate it. Your comment will make you eligible for large enrollment-fee discounts. To watch the video, please click the play button.
Thank you for helping HungarianPod101! We’re serious about making learning Hungarian fun.
Learn all the Hungarian New Year wishes online, in your own time, on any device! Join HungarianPod101 for a special Hungarian New Year celebration!
Can you relate to the year passing something like this: “January, February, March – December!”? Many people do! Quantum physics teaches us that time is relative, and few experiences illustrate this principle as perfectly as when we reach the end of a year. To most of us, it feels like the old one has passed in the blink of an eye, while the new year lies ahead like a very long journey! However, New Year is also a time to celebrate beginnings, and to say goodbye to what has passed. This is true in every culture, no matter when New Year is celebrated.
So, how do you say Happy New Year in Hungarian? Let a native teach you! At HungarianPod101, you will learn how to correctly greet your friends over New Year, and wish them well with these Hungarian New Year wishes!
Let’s discuss a few examples of Hungarian traditions and rituals related to New Year’s Eve, called the Day of Sylvester or szilveszter. This is a time of relaxation after the intimate Christmas holiday, which is usually celebrated within the family. Do you have the chilled bubbly in the fridge? Is the traditional lentil soup ready? Ok, then let’s get on with it!
While we’re on the topic of lentils, do you know the answer to this question?
What is the secret behind the tradition of eating lentils – lencse on New Year’s Day?
If you don’t already know, you’ll find out a bit later. Keep reading.
December 31 is the last day of the year, and in Hungary, it is the name-day of people called Sylvester. People start preparations during the afternoon of the 31st for the New Year’s Eve celebrations that are held that night. Trumpets, horns, confetti and fireworks vendors all line the streets, making it quite the festive atmosphere. Most people go to house parties, but lots of restaurants also offer New Year’s parties as well. When the clock strikes 12, everybody remains quiet and stands at attention while listening to the Hungarian National Anthem, in Hungarian Magyar Himnusz.
Moving on from the modern New Year’s parties of the cities, let’s take a look at what goes on in the countryside to learn something about traditional customs aimed at bringing good health, wealth, happiness and good luck to the next year. On New Year’s Day in Hungary, one is not allowed to eat poultry and fish. This is because of the local belief that chickens bury our good luck and fish will swim away with it. In contrast, pigs dig the luck out, so eating pork on New Year’s is thought to bring you good luck for the rest of the year. Taking out or throwing anything from the house away is also thought to bring bad luck, because wealth and good luck are believed to leave the house along with it. Even throwing out trash is forbidden! Strudel or rétes is typically baked as well, because the dish is associated with a life as long as the stretched sheets of strudel dough.
When it comes to good luck and happiness for the new year, Hungarians do not leave anything to chance. Another thing they do for the sake of good luck is give small gifts to each other that are thought to bring good luck to the receiver of the gift. Four-leaf clovers are well-known as charms for good luck, as well as the so called “good-luck piglet.” Chimney-sweepers are also believed to sweep bad luck out of one’s life. If one has done all the above-mentioned tasks, there is nothing left to stop the coming of a perfect New Year! In Hungarian, I wish you Happy New Year is Boldog új évet kívánok! – or as abbreviated in Hungarian, “B.ú.é.k.!”
But beware! In Hungary, use of fireworks, or tűzijátékok, and fire crackers, or petárdák, is only permitted during New Year’s Eve; using such devices at any other time is illegal, and heavy penalties may apply!
Now it’s time to answer our quiz question-
What is the secret behind the tradition of eating lentils on New Year’s Day?
The shape of the lentil – in accordance with traditional beliefs – is also the symbol of money. It is thought that the more lentils you eat on New Year’s Day, the richer you will become in the coming year.
Happy New Year!
Boldog új évet!
2. Must-Know Hungarian Words & Phrases for the New Year!
1- Year
év
This is pretty self-explanatory. Most countries follow a Gregorian calendar, which has approximately 365 days in a year, while in some cultures, other year designations are also honored. Therefore, New Year’s day in Hungary could fall on a different day than in your country. When do you celebrate New Year?
2- Midnight
éjfél
The point in time when a day ends and a new one starts. Many New Year celebrants prefer to stay awake till midnight, and greet the new annum as it breaks with fanfare and fireworks!
3- New Year’s Day
újév
In most countries, the new year is celebrated for one whole day. On the Gregorian calendar, this falls on January 1st. On this day, different cultures engage in festive activities, like parties, parades, big meals with families and many more.
4- Party
buli
A party is most people’s favorite way to end the old year, and charge festively into the new one! We celebrate all we accomplished in the old year, and joyfully anticipate what lies ahead.
5- Dancing
táncolás
Usually, when the clock strikes midnight and the New Year officially begins, people break out in dance! It is a jolly way to express a celebratory mood with good expectations for the year ahead. Also, perhaps, that the old year with its problems has finally passed! Dance parties are also a popular way to spend New Year’s Eve in many places.
6- Champagne
pezsgő
Originating in France, champagne is a bubbly, alcoholic drink that is often used to toast something or someone during celebrations.
7- Fireworks
tűzijáték
These are explosives that cause spectacular effects when ignited. They are popular for announcing the start of the new year with loud noises and colorful displays! In some countries, fireworks are set off to scare away evil spirits. In others, the use of fireworks is forbidden in urban areas due to their harmful effect on pets. Most animals’ hearing is much more sensitive than humans’, so this noisy display can be very frightful and traumatising to them.
8- Countdown
visszaszámlálás
This countdown refers to New Year celebrants counting the seconds, usually backward, till midnight, when New Year starts – a great group activity that doesn’t scare animals, and involves a lot of joyful shouting when the clock strikes midnight!
9- New Year’s Holiday
Újévi ünnep
In many countries, New Year’s Day is a public holiday – to recuperate from the party the previous night, perhaps! Families also like to meet on this day to enjoy a meal and spend time together.
10- Confetti
konfetti
In most Western countries, confetti is traditionally associated with weddings, but often it is used as a party decoration. Some prefer to throw it in the air at the strike of midnight on New Year’s Eve.
11- New Year’s Eve
Szilveszter
This is the evening before New Year breaks at midnight! Often, friends and family meet for a party or meal the evening before, sometimes engaging in year-end rituals. How are you planning to give your New Year greetings in 2018?
12- Toast
pohárköszöntő
A toast is a type of group-salutation that involves raising your glass to drink with others in honor of something or someone. A toast to the new year is definitely in order!
13- Resolution
fogadalom
Those goals or intentions you hope to, but seldom keep in the new year! Many people consider the start of a new year to be the opportune time for making changes or plans. Resolutions are those intentions to change, or the plans. It’s best to keep your resolutions realistic so as not to disappoint yourself!
14- Parade
felvonulás
New Year celebrations are a huge deal in some countries! Parades are held in the streets, often to celebratory music, with colorful costumes and lots of dancing. Parades are like marches, only less formal and way more fun. At HungarianPod101, you can engage in forums with natives who can tell you what Hungarian New Year celebrations are like!
3. Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions
So, you learned the Hungarian word for ‘resolution’. Fabulous! Resolutions are those goals and intentions that we hope to manifest in the year that lies ahead. The beginning of a new year serves as a good marker in time to formalise these. Some like to do it in writing, others only hold these resolutions in their hearts. Here are our Top 10 New Year’s resolutions at HungarianPod101 – what are yours?
Learn these phrases and impress your Hungarian friends with your vocabulary.
1- Read more
Többet olvas.
Reading is a fantastic skill that everyone can benefit from. You’re a business person? Apparently, successful business men and women read up to 60 books a year. This probably excludes fiction, so better scan your library or Amazon for the top business reads if you plan to follow in the footsteps of the successful! Otherwise, why not make it your resolution to read more Hungarian in the new year? You will be surprised by how much this will improve your Hungarian language skills!
2- Spend more time with family
Több időt tölt a családdal.
Former US President George Bush’s wife, Barbara Bush, was quoted as having said this: “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, a parent.” This is very true! Relationships are often what gives life meaning, so this is a worthy resolution for any year.
3- Lose weight
Lefogy.
Hands up, how many of you made this new year’s resolution last year too…?! This is a notoriously difficult goal to keep, as it takes a lot of self discipline not to eat unhealthily. Good luck with this one, and avoid unhealthy fad diets!
4- Save money
Pénzt megtakarít.
Another common and difficult resolution! However, no one has ever been sorry when they saved towards reaching a goal. Make it your resolution to save money to upgrade your subscription to HungarianPod101’s Premium PLUS option in the new year – it will be money well spent!
5- Quit smoking
Abbahagyja a dohányzást.
This is a resolution that you should definitely keep, or your body could punish you severely later! Smoking is a harmful habit with many hazardous effects on your health. Do everything in your power to make this resolution come true in the new year, as your health is your most precious asset.
6- Learn something new
Valamit újat tanul.
Science has proven that learning new skills can help keep brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s at bay! It can even slow down the progression of the disease. So, keep your brain healthy by learning to speak a new language, studying towards a qualification, learning how to sew, or how to play chess – no matter how old you are, the possibilities are infinite!
7- Drink less
Kevesebbet iszik.
This is another health resolution that is good to heed any time of the year. Excessive drinking is associated with many diseases, and its effect can be very detrimental to good relationships too. Alcohol is a poison and harmful for the body in large quantities!
8- Exercise regularly
Rendszeresen mozog.
This resolution goes hand-in-hand with ‘Lose weight’! An inactive body is an unhealthy and often overweight one, so give this resolution priority in the new year.
9- Eat healthy
Egészségesen étkezik.
If you stick with this resolution, you will lose weight and feel better in general. It is a very worthy goal to have!
10- Study Hungarian with HungarianPod101
Magyarul tanulni a HungarianPod101.com oldalával
Of course! You can only benefit from learning Hungarian, especially with us! Learning how to speak Hungarian can keep your brain healthy, it can widen your circle of friends, and improve your chances to land a dream job anywhere in the world. HungarianPod101 makes it easy and enjoyable for you to stick to this resolution.
4. Inspirational New Year Quotes
Everyone knows that it is sometimes very hard to stick to resolutions, and not only over New Year. The reasons for this vary from person to person, but all of us need inspiration every now and then! A good way to remain motivated is to keep inspirational quotes near as reminders that it’s up to us to reach our goals.
Make decorative notes of these in Hungarian, and keep them close! Perhaps you could stick them above your bathroom mirror, or on your study’s wall. This way you not only get to read Hungarian incidentally, but also remain inspired to reach your goals! Imagine feeling like giving up on a goal, but reading this quote when you go to the bathroom: “It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.” What a positive affirmation!
5. Inspirational Language Learning Quotes
Still undecided whether you should enroll with HungarianPod101 to learn a new language? There’s no time like the present to decide! Let the following Language Learning Quotes inspire you with their wisdom.
As legendary President Nelson Mandela once said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” So, learning how to say Happy New Year in Hungarian could well be a way into someone special’s heart for you! Let this year be the one where you to learn how to say Happy New Year, and much more, in Hungarian – it could open many and unexpected doors for you.
6. How To Say Happy New Year in 31 Languages
Here’s a lovely bonus for you! Why stop with Hungarian – learn how to say Happy New Year in 31 other languages too! Watch this video and learn how to pronounce these New Year’s wishes like a native in under two minutes.
7. Why Enrolling with HungarianPod101 Would Be the Perfect New Year’s Gift to Yourself!
If you are unsure how to celebrate the New Year, why not give yourself a huge gift, and enroll to learn Hungarian! With more than 12 years of experience behind us, we know that HungarianPod101 would be the perfect fit for you. There are so many reasons for this!
Custom-tailored Learning Paths: Start learning Hungarian at the level that you are. We have numerous Learning Pathways, and we tailor them just for you based on your goals and interests! What a boon!
Marked Progress and Fresh Learning Material Every Week: We make new lessons available every week, with an option to track your progress. Topics are culturally appropriate and useful, such as “Learning how to deliver negative answers politely to a business partner.” Our aim is to equip you with Hungarian that makes sense!
Multiple Learning Tools: Learn in fun, easy ways with resources such 1,000+ video and audio lessons, flashcards, detailed PDF downloads, and mobile apps suitable for multiple devices!
Fast Track Learning Option: If you’re serious about fast-tracking your learning, Premium Plus would be the perfect way to go! Enjoy perks such as personalised lessons with ongoing guidance from your own, native-speaking teacher, and one-on-one learning on your mobile app! You will not be alone in your learning. Weekly assignments with non-stop feedback, answers and corrections will ensure speedy progress.
Fun and Easy: Keeping the lessons fun and easy-to-learn is our aim, so you will stay motivated by your progress!
Do you know any ways to wish someone a ‘Merry Christmas’ in Hungarian? HungarianPod101 brings you easy-to-learn translations and the correct pronunciation of Hungarian Christmas phrases!
Christmas is the annual commemorative festival of Christ’s birth in the Western Christian Church. It takes place on December 25th and is usually celebrated with much food and fanfare! However, not all cultures celebrate Christmas. In some countries, Christmas is not even a public holiday! However, many countries have adapted Christmas and its religious meaning to tally with their own beliefs, or simply in acknowledgment of the festival’s importance to other cultures. If you want to impress native Hungarian speakers with culturally-appropriate Christmas phrases and vocabulary, HungarianPod101 will teach you the most important ways to wish someone a ‘Merry Christmas’ in Hungarian!
There is no doubt about it, the most significant holiday in Hungary is Christmas, or in Hungarian, karácsony. The holiday is awaited in anticipation by adults and children alike. Some get excited about the gift-giving, and others simply look forward to getting some rest after the intense holiday shopping. Let’s take a look at how Christmas is celebrated in Hungary.
Now, before we get into more detail, do you know the answer to this question?
What is the reason behind the Hungarian custom of eating fish at Christmas, instead of poultry?
If you don’t already know, you’ll find out a bit later. Keep reading.
Unlike several other countries, in Hungary gifts are said to be brought not by Santa Claus, but by the baby Jesus, or Jézuska. December 24 is an official holiday, and on this day everybody is busy preparing for Christmas Eve. Many people rush to buy last-minute gifts, and every member of the family is engaged in preparing the Christmas dinner and the Christmas tree, in Hungarian called karácsonyfa.
After all the preparations are complete, families gather around the dinner table to start the formal Christmas dinner. Fish soup, called halászlé in Hungarian, fried fish, stuffed cabbage and bejgli, a rolled, glazed cake with poppy seed or chestnut filling, are some of the most common dishes. The highlight of the evening is the lighting of the Christmas tree, which announces the arrival of baby Jesus. Depending on the year, the following two days (December 25 and 26) can be official holidays, but even on years when they are not, most people take them off anyway. On Christmas Day, festivities are continued with enormous lunches and dinners, and on December 26th–also known as Boxing Day–people visit members of the family who live further away.
In the countryside, the old Christmas customs of putting on plays representing “Bethlehem”, or betlehemezés, and regölés, which means “to sing folk songs”, are kept alive. During Bethlehem plays, people dressed in appropriate costumes walk from home to home re-enacting the biblical story of the birth of baby Jesus with funny dialogue. In return, members of the visited household give gifts and entertain the actors. The custom of regölésis comprised of men, generally in groups of four, walking through the streets of the village making lots of noise by shaking sticks with chains and blowing bagpipes and recorders. They wish for an abundant harvest and good luck to the farmers, who, in return, offer these men a glass of their best wine and best cake, made by the women of the household.
There is a small Hungarian village named Nagykarácsony, which literally means Large Christmas. This is the home of the Hungarian Santa Claus, called Mikulás. During Christmas this is probably the busiest post office in the country, because postcards posted here are stamped with a special Christmas stamp.
Now it’s time to answer our quiz question-
What is the reason behind the Hungarian custom of eating fish at Christmas, instead of poultry?
In accordance with old traditional folk beliefs, eating poultry at Christmas is not fortuitous because it is said that chickens will bury one’s good luck for the following year, whereas fish and fishing are the traditional Christian symbols of Jesus Christ.
2. Holiday Greetings and Wishes for the Holiday Season
1- Merry Christmas!
Boldog Karácsonyt!
Do you know how to say ‘Merry Christmas’ in Hungarian? Learn here how to pronounce it perfectly! ‘Merry’ means to be joyful, to celebrate and generally be in good spirits. So, with this phrase you are wishing someone a joyful, celebratory remembrance of Christ’s birth!
2- Happy Kwanzaa!
Boldog Kwanzát!
Surprise your African-American, or West African native friends with this phrase over the Christmas holidays! Kwanzaa is a seven-day, non-religious celebration, starting on Dec 26th each year. It has its roots in African American modern history, and many people celebrate both Kwanzaa and Christmas!
3- Have a happy New Year!
Boldog Új Évet!
In countries where Christmas is not officially celebrated, but a Gregorian calendar is observed, this would be a friendly festive-season wish over New Year.
4- Happy Hanukkah!
Boldog Hanukát!
Hanukkah is the beautiful Hebrew festival over November or December each year. It is also called the ‘Festival of Lights’ and is celebrated to commemorate the Jewish freedom of religion.
5- Have a great winter vacation!
Kellemes téli szünetet!
This is a good phrase to keep handy if someone doesn’t observe any religious festival over the Christmas holidays! However, this will only be applicable in the Northern hemisphere, where it is winter over Christmas.
6- See you next year!
Jövőre találkozunk!
Going away on holiday over Christmas season, or saying goodbye to someone about to leave on vacation? This would be a good way to say goodbye to your friends and family.
7- Warm wishes!
Minden jót kívánok!
An informal, friendly phrase to write in Hungarian Christmas cards, especially for secular friends who prefer to observe Christmas celebrations without the religious symbolism. It conveys the warmth of friendship and friendly wishes associated with this time of year.
8- Happy holidays!
Kellemes Karácsonyi Ünnepeket!
If you forget how to say ‘Merry Christmas!’ in Hungarian, this is a safe, generic phrase to use instead.
9- Enjoy the holidays!
Érezd jól magad az ünnepek alatt!
After saying ‘Merry Christmas’ in Hungarian, this would be a good phrase with which to wish Christmas holiday-goers well! It is also good to use for secular friends who don’t celebrate Christmas but take a holiday at this time of the year.
10- Best wishes for the New Year!
Minden jót kívánok az új évre!
This is another way of wishing someone well in the New Year if they observe a Gregorian calendar. New Year’s day would then fall on January 1st.
3. Must-Know Christmas Day Vocabulary
Christmas is associated with many traditions and religious symbols in multiple countries across the world. It originated centuries ago in the West with the birth of Christianity, and the celebrations are often embedded with rich cultural significance. So, by now you know how to say Merry Christmas in Hungarian! Next, learn pertinent vocabulary and phrases pertaining to Christmas, as well as how to pronounce them correctly. At HungarianPod101, we make sure you sound like a native speaker!
1- Christmas
karácsony
This is the Hungarian word for ‘Christmas’. Most happy Christmas wishes in Hungarian will include this word!
2- Snow
hó
In most Northern-hemisphere countries, Christmas is synonymous with snow, and for Christmas, the snowman is often dressed as Santa Claus.
3- Snowflake
hópehely
Snowflakes collectively make up snow. A single snowflake is small, white, light like a feather and icy cold! When put under a microscope, the snowflake reveals itself to have the most beautiful, symmetrical patterns. These patterns have become popular Christmas decorations, especially in Western countries.
4- Snowman
hóember
As you guessed – a snowman is only possible to build if it is snowing! What a fun way to spend Christmas day outside.
5- Turkey
pulyka
Roast turkey is the traditional main dish on thousands of lunch tables on Christmas day, mainly in Western countries. What is your favorite Christmas dish?
6- Wreath
koszorú
Another traditional Western decoration for Christmas, the wreath is an arrangement of flowers, leaves, or stems fastened in a ring. Many families like to hang a Christmas wreath outside on their houses’ front doors.
7- Reindeer
rénszarvas
Reindeer are the animals commonly fabled to pull Santa Claus’ sled across the sky! Western Christmas folklore tells of Father Christmas or Santa Claus doing the rounds with his sled, carrying Christmas presents for children, and dropping them into houses through the chimney. But who is Santa Claus?
8- Santa Claus
Mikulás
Santa Claus is a legendary and jolly figure originating in the Western Christian culture. He is known by many names, but is traditionally depicted as a rotund man wearing a red costume with a pointy hat, and sporting a long, snow-white beard!
9- Elf
manó
An elf is a supernatural creature of folklore with pointy ears, a dainty, humanoid body and a capricious nature. Elves are said to help Santa Claus distribute presents to children over Christmas!
10- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolf a piros orrú rénszarvas
‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ is a Christmas song based on an American children’s story book with the same name. Rudolph is one of Santa’s reindeer. The song became more famous than the book, and can still be heard playing in many shopping malls over Christmas time across the globe!
11- North Pole
Északi-sark
The cold North Pole is where Santa Claus is reputed to live with his reindeer!
12- Sled
szánkó
A sled is a non-motorised land vehicle used to travel over snow in countries where it snows a lot, and is usually pulled by animals such as horses, dogs or reindeer. This one obviously refers to Santa’s sled! Another word for sled is sleigh or sledge.
13- Present
ajándék
Gift or present giving is synonymous with Christmas Eve and the greatest source of joy for children over this festive time! This tradition signifies that Christ’s birth was a gift to mankind, but not all people who hand out presents over Christmas observe the religious meaning.
14- Bell
csengő
On Christmas Day, or Christmas Eve, many religious celebrants enjoy going to church for a special sermon and Christmas rituals. The start of the sermon is often announced with bells or a bell, if the church has one. For this reason, the sound of ringing bells is often associated with Christmas Day.
15- Chimney
kémény
The chimney is the entrance Santa Claus uses to deliver children’s presents on Christmas Day, according to folklore! Wonder how the chubby man and his elves stay clean…?!
16- Fireplace
kandalló
In most countries where it snows, Christmas is synonymous with a fire or burning embers in houses’ fireplaces. Families huddle around its warmth while opening Christmas presents. Also, this is where Santa Claus is reputed to pop out after his journey down the chimney!
17- Christmas Day
Karácsony
This is the official day of commemorative celebration of Christ’s birth, and falls each year on December 25.
18- Decoration
díszítés
Decorations are the colourful trinkets and posters that make their appearance in shops and homes during the Christmas holiday season in many countries! They give the places a celebratory atmosphere in anticipation of the big Christmas celebration. Typical Christmas decorations include colorful photographs and posters, strings of lights, figurines of Santa Claus and the nativity scene, poinsettia flowers, snowflakes and many more.
19- Stocking
harisnya
According to legend, Santa Claus places children’s presents in a red stocking hanging over the fireplace. This has also become a popular decoration, signifying Christmas.
20- Holly
magyal
Holly is a shrub native to the UK, and parts of Europe, Africa and Asia. It is characterised by glossy, spiny-toothed leaves, small, whitish flowers, and red berries. Ironically, its significance for Christmas relates to Christ’s crucifixion and suffering rather than his birth. However, the leaves’ distinctive shape and image have become popular Christmas decorations.
21- Gingerbread house
mézeskalács ház
According to legend, the gingerbread house synonymous with Christmas is related to Christ’s birth place, Bethlehem. Bethlehem literally means ‘House of Bread’. Over centuries, it has become a popular treat over Christmas time in many non-religious households as well.
22- Candy cane
nyalóka
According to folklore, Christmas candy canes made their appearance first in Germany in the 16th century. A choir master gave children the candy canes to suck on in church in order to keep them quiet during the Christmas sermon! Apparently, the candy is shaped like a cane in remembrance of the shepherds who were the first to visit the baby Jesus. Today, like gingerbread houses, they are still a popular sweet over the festive season!
23- Mistletoe
fagyöngy
Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows on certain trees. In the Middle Ages, it was believed that the mistletoe has magical powers, and could protect a household from evil if hung above a door during December. The belief didn’t last but the habit did, and the mistletoe is another popular Christmas decoration!
4. Twelve Days of Christmas
Wow, you’re doing extremely well! You know how to wish someone a Merry Christmas in Hungarian, and you learned pertinent vocabulary too! The Twelve Days of Christmas is not very well known in modern times, so, you’re on your way to becoming an expert in Christmas traditions and rituals. Well done!
The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a traditional festive period of 12 days dedicated to celebrate the nativity of Christ. Christmas Day is, for many who observe Twelvetide, the first day of this period.
‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ is also a popular Christmas song about a series of gifts given on each day of Twelvetide. According to experts, these gifts were created as a coded reference to important symbols in the Christian church. Here is a list of those gifts mentioned in the song! Do you recognise them?
5. Top 10 Christmas Characters in American Culture
This is fantastic, you know how to explain almost everything about Christmas in Hungarian! However, do you know the most popular Christmas characters in American culture? Your knowledge will not be complete without this list.
6. HungarianPod101 Is One Of The Best Online Language Schools Available!
We don’t just say this – we can prove it! Geared to your personal needs and goals, we have several learning paths from which to choose. From Hungarian for Absolute Beginners to Advanced Hungarian, lessons are designed to meet you where you are, and increase your language abilities in fun, easy and interactive lessons! Mastering a new language has never been this easy or enjoyable.
We have over a decade of experience and research behind us, and it shows! With thousands of audio and video lessons, detailed PDF lessons and notes, as well as friendly, knowledgeable hosts, HungarianPod101 is simply unbeatable when it comes to learning correct Hungarian. Plenty of tools and resources are available when you study with us. New lessons are added every week so material remains fresh and relevant. You also have the option to upgrade and enjoy even more personalised guidance and services. This is a sure way to fast-track your learning!
So, this Christmas, why don’t you give yourself a present and enroll in HungarianPod101? Or give an enrollment as a present to a loved one. It will be a gift with benefits for a whole lifetime, not just over Christmas!
In most cultures, it is custom to express gratitude in some way or another. The dictionary defines gratitude as follows: it is “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness”. Giving a sincere, thankful response to someone’s actions or words is often the ‘glue’ that keeps relationships together. This is true in most societies! Doing so in a foreign country also shows your respect and appreciation for the culture. Words have great power – use these ones sincerely and often!
The magical words that can bring a smile to any face. For one day, truly mean it whenever you say these words, and see how this lifts your spirit too!
2- That’s very kind of you.
Ez nagyon kedves tőled.
This phrase is appropriate when someone clearly goes out of their way to give good service, or to offer you a kindness.
3- Thanks for your kind words!
Köszönöm a kedves szavakat!
Someone paid you a compliment and made you feel good? That is kind of him/her, so express your gratitude!
4- Thank you for coming today.
Köszönöm, hogy eljöttek ma.
This welcoming phrase should be part of your arsenal if you’re conducting more formal meetings with Hungarian speakers. If you’re hosting a party, this is also a good phrase when you greet your Hungarian guests!
5- Thank you for your consideration.
Köszönöm a figyelmet.
This is a more formal, almost solemn way to thank someone for their thoughtfulness and sensitivity towards you. It is also suitable to use when a native speaker has to consider something you submit, like a job application, a project or a proposal. You are thanking them, in essence, for time and effort they are about to, or have spent on your submission.
6- Thanks a lot!
Nagyon köszönöm!
This means the same as ‘Thank you’, but with energy and enthusiasm added! It means almost the same as ‘thank you so much’ in Hungarian. Use this in an informal setting with your Hungarian friends or teachers.
7- Teachers like you are not easy to find.
Olyan tanárt, mint te nem könnyű találni.
Some phrases are compliments, which express gratitude by inference. This is one of them. If you’re particularly impressed with your HungarianPod101 teacher, this is an excellent phrase to memorize!
8- Thank you for spending time with us.
Köszönjük az együtt töltött időt.
Any host at a gathering with Hungarian speakers, such as a meeting or a party, should have this under his/her belt! Use it when you’re saying goodbye or busy closing a meeting. It could also be another lovely way to thank your Hungarian language teacher for her time.
9- Thank you for being patient and helping me improve.
Köszönöm, hogy türelmes vagy és segítesz abban, hogy jobb legyek.
This phrase is another sure way to melt any formal or informal Hungarian teacher’s heart! Teaching is not easy, and often a lot of patience is required from the teacher. Thank him/her for it! It’s also a good phrase to use if you work in Hungary, and want to thank your trainer or employer. You will go a long way towards making yourself a popular employee – gratitude is the most attractive trait in any person!
10- You’re the best teacher ever!
Te vagy a legeslegjobb tanár!
This is also an enthusiastic way to thank your teacher by means of a compliment. It could just make their day!
11- Thank you for the gift.
Köszönöm az ajándékot.
This is a good phrase to remember when you’re the lucky recipient of a gift. Show your respect and gratitude with these words.
12- I have learned so much thanks to you.
Hála neked, rengeteget tanultam.
What a wonderful compliment to give a good teacher! It means they have succeeded in their goal, and you’re thankful for it.
2. Video Lesson: Learn to Say ‘Thank You’ in 3 Minutes
Wherever your destination may be, manners are a must! And in this respect, Hungary is no different.
1- Köszönöm.
In Hungarian, “Thank you.” is Köszönöm.
2- Köszönöm szépen.
You can emphasize köszönöm by adding szépen, which means literally “nicely, well.” You could say Köszönömszépen, which would be equivalent to “Thanks a lot.” a more polite expression than just köszönöm. In Hungarian, there are other ways to express one’s gratitude, but they are all variations using köszönöm, which is a verb, and the adverb szépen, which can make the construction more formal to mean “thank you very much.”
3- Nagyon szépen köszönöm.
There will be occasions where you will really want to show your appreciation and politeness. During occasions such as these, you can use the adverbs nagyon and szépen. “Thank you very much” in Hungarian is Nagyon szépen köszönöm. The first word nagyon, “very,” is used to make the phrase very formal. This is followed by szépen köszönöm, which literally means something like “thanking you in a nice way.”
Cultural Insights
Quick Tip 1
By far, köszönöm is the most common way to say “Thank you.” Use the most formal version nagyon szépen köszönöm sparingly, only in very formal situations, like when extending your visa or handling some other kind of official problem in a government office. Remember: when in doubt, keeping it simple is always your safest bet. You don’t have to worry about formal or informal situations; köszönöm can be used with just about anyone, anywhere, and anytime. You say köszönöm when the waiter brings your food or drinks; when the clerk in the hotel takes your luggage to your room (of course, throwing in a tip won’t hurt either!); and when somebody welcomes you, or congratulates you. No matter his/her profession or age; köszönöm or köszönömszépen will always be an appropriate response.
Quick Tip 2
If you are around friends, you might hear shorter versions of köszönöm, like köszi, or even kösz. Both of these mean “thanks” or “cheers”; they are very informal. If you know the people well enough, feel free to throw one of these in—your knowledge of informal Hungarian will surely be appreciated.
On the run to Hungary? Wait! You can’t go without some basic language phrases under your belt! Especially if you’re heading to meet your prospective employer! Either in person or online, knowing how to say ‘Thank you’ in the Hungarian language will only improve their impression of you! HungarianPod101 saves you time with this short lesson that nevertheless packs a punch. Learn to say ‘Thank you’ in Hungarian in no time!
3. Audio Lesson: Survival Phrases – Thank You
Perhaps you think it’s unimportant that you don’t know what ‘Thank you’ is in Hungarian, or that it’s too difficult a language to learn. Yet, as a traveler or visitor, you will be surprised at how far you can go using a little bit of Hungarian in Hungary!
At HungarianPod101, we offer you a few ways of saying ‘Thank you’ in Hungarian that you have no excuse not knowing, as they’re so simple and easy to learn. The lesson is geared to aid your ‘survival’ in formal and informal situations in Hungary, so don’t wait! You will never have to google ‘How do you say thanks in Hungarian’ again…!
4. ‘Thank You’ in 31 Languages
For the global traveler in a hurry, here are 31 ways to say ‘Thank you’! These are the first words you need to learn in any foreign language – it is sure to smooth your way with native speakers by showing your gratitude for services rendered, and your respect for their culture! Learn and know how to correctly say ‘Thank you’ in 31 different languages in this short video.
5. Why would HungarianPod101 be the perfect choice to learn Hungarian?
However, you need not stop at ‘Thank you’ in Hungarian – why not learn to speak the language?! You have absolutely nothing to lose. Research has shown that learning a new language increases intelligence and combats brain-aging. Also, the ability to communicate with native speakers in their own language is an instant way to make friends and win respect! Or imagine you know how to write ‘Thank you’ to that special Hungarian friend after a date…he/she will be so impressed!
HungarianPod101 Has Special Lessons, Tools and Resources to Teach You How to Say Thank You and Other Key Phrases
With more than a decade of experience behind us, we have taught thousands of satisfied users to speak foreign languages. How do we do this? First, we take the pain out of learning! At HungarianPod101, students are assisted as they master vocabulary, pronunciation, and conversation through state-of-the-art and fun online learning methods. A library replete with learning resources allows for you to learn at your own pace and in your own space! Resources include thousands of video and audio recordings, downloadable PDF lessons and plenty of learning apps for your mobile devices. Each month, we add benefits with FREE bonuses and gifts to improve your experience.
We accommodate all levels and types of learners, from Absolute Beginner to Advanced, and HungarianPod101 is free for anyone to sign up. However, you can choose to fast track your fluency with lesson customization and increased interactive learning and practicing. Upgrade to Premium, or Premium PLUS to enhance your experience and greatly expedite your learning. With this type of assistance, and pleasurable effort on your part, you will speak Hungarian in a very short period of time!
Best of all is that you’re never alone! We believe that practice is the holy grail of learning any new language, and we gear our courses to ensure lots of it. Enroll with us, and you gain immediate access to our lively forum where we meet and greet, and discuss your burning questions. Our certified teachers are friendly and helpful, and you are very likely to practice your first ‘Thanks!’ in Hungarian on him/her, AND mean it! Hurry up, and sign up now – you will thank us for it.
Learn 4 tools and techniques to stop translating in your head and start thinking in Hungarian
Going through Hungarian lessons is enough to get by and learn the basics of Hungarian, but to truly become fluent you need to be able to think in Hungarian. This will allow you to have conversations with ease, read smoothly, and comprehensively understand natives. To do this, you need to go beyond just completing daily or weekly lessons.
We naturally translate in our heads because it’s viewed as the easiest way to learn the definitions needed when learning a language. This way of learning can actually hinder your skills and fluency later on. If your brain has to make neural connections between the word you’re learning, what it means in your native tongue, and the physical object the connection will not be nearly as strong. When you bypass the original translation between Hungarian and your native language then there is a more basic and strong connection between just the Hungarian vocabulary word and the tangible object.
In this blog post, you will learn the 4 important techniques to easily and naturally begin to speculate about the daily occurrences in your life. The best part is all of these techniques are supported and can be achieved through HungarianPod101.com.
Create Your Free Lifetime Account and Start Learning the whole Hungarian Language from the Beginning!
1. Surround yourself with Hungarian
By surrounding yourself with Hungarian constantly you will completely immerse yourself in the language. Without realizing it you’ll be learning pronunciation, sentence structures, grammar, and new vocabulary. You can play music in the background while you’re cooking or have a Hungarian radio station on while you study. Immersion is a key factor with this learning process because it is one of the easiest things to do, but very effective. Even if you are not giving the program your full attention you will be learning.
One great feature of HungarianPod101.com is the endless podcasts that are available to you. You can even download and listen to them on the go. These podcasts are interesting and are perfect for the intention of immersion, they are easy to listen to as background noise and are interesting enough to give your full attention. Many of them contain stories that you follow as you go through the lessons which push you to keep going.
2. Learn through observation
Learning through observation is the most natural way to learn. Observation is how we all learned our native languages as infants and it’s a wonder why we stop learning this way. If you have patience and learn through observation then Hungarian words will have their own meanings rather than meanings in reference to your native language. Ideally, you should skip the bilingual dictionary and just buy a dictionary in Hungarian.
HungarianPod101.com also offers the materials to learn this way. We have numerous video lessons which present situational usage of each word or phrase instead of just a direct translation. This holds true for many of our videos and how we teach Hungarian.
3. Speak out loud to yourself
Speaking to yourself in Hungarian not only gets you in the mindset of Hungarian, but also makes you listen to how you speak. It forces you to correct any errors with pronunciation and makes it easy to spot grammar mistakes. When you speak out loud talk about what you did that day and what you plan to do the next day. Your goal is to be the most comfortable speaking out loud and to easily create sentences. Once you feel comfortable talking to yourself start consciously thinking in your head about your daily activities and what is going on around you throughout the day.
With HungarianPod101.com you start speaking right away, not only this, but they have you repeat words and conversations after a native Hungarian speaker. This makes your pronunciation very accurate! With this help, you are on the fast path to making clear and complex sentences and then actively thinking about your day.
4. Practice daily
If you don’t practice daily then your progress will be greatly slowed. Many people are tempted to take the 20-30 minutes they should be practicing a day and practice 120 in one day and skip the other days. This isn’t nearly as effective because everyday you practice you are reinforcing the skills and knowledge you have learned. If you practice all in one day you don’t retain the information because the brain can realistically only focus for 30 minutes at most. If you’re studying for 120 minutes on the same subject little of the information will be absorbed. Studying everyday allows you to review material that you went over previous days and absorb a small amount of information at a time.
It’s tough to find motivation to study everyday, but HungarianPod101.com can help. It’s easy to stay motivated with HungarianPod101.com because we give you a set learning path, with this path we show how much progress you’ve made. This makes you stick to your goals and keep going!
Conclusion
Following the steps and having patience is the hardest part to achieving your goals, it’s not easy learning a new language. You are essentially teaching your brain to categorize the world in a completely new way. Stick with it and you can do it just remember the 4 tools I taught you today! With them, conversations, reading, and understanding will become much easier. The most important thing to remember is to use the tools that HungarianPod101.com provides and you will be on your way to being fluent!
Your Learning, Streamlined – The New Lesson Interface
Your learning is about to get a whole lot easier.
More than ever, learners are choosing mobile as the platform to study Hungarian. Mobile has always been a part of our DNA. We began our life on your iPod, and have remained by your side ever since.
In our 11th year, we’re returning to our roots as a way to learn Hungarian on-the-go. How? With a brand-new lesson interface just for you.
It’s built from the ground-up to be a great experience on your phone, tablet, and computer.
You don’t have to compromise anymore.
Take the whole lesson experience with you wherever you go.
Our lessons are the heart of our learning system and now they’re the heart of the interface as well. Just tap the big play button to start learning right away.
(example taken from japanesepod101.com)
As you scroll through the lesson contents, the player sticks with you at the bottom of your screen.
Pause, rewind or adjust your speed and volume without losing your place.
(example taken from japanesepod101.com)
Navigation is also just a tap away.
Quickly jump to the dialogue, vocabulary, or lesson notes with our new lesson navigation bar. Available at the top of your screen wherever you are.
(example taken from japanesepod101.com)
And for the first time ever, you don’t need to download a PDF or jump between tabs to read the lesson notes and transcript. Read it all on your mobile browser as you listen.
(example taken from japanesepod101.com)
There are many more small improvements but the end result is this: a drastically improved lesson experience on mobile and desktop.
Spend less time squinting at your screen and more time reaching your Hungarian goals.
The new lesson interface will launch in beta this month.
We can’t wait to hear what you think. Keep on studying!
Sneak peek! And if you take advantage of our upcoming 25% OFF All Access Pass Sale, you secure full access to this new update! You unlock our complete Hungarian learning program – ALL Audio/Video Courses from Beginner to Advanced, Premium Study Tools, Bonus Apps and much more!
P.S. Get 25% OFF ANY Plan! Master Hungarian with YOUR All-Access Pass!
Want to learn Hungarian fast with an ALL-ACCESS PASS to our entire learning system?Get 25% OFF Basic, Premium and Premium PLUSand unlock ALL audio/video lessons, study tools and exclusive apps that you’ll ever need. And with Premium PLUS, you get your own teacher! Just $3 a month & up to $137 in savings. Ends March 31st, 2017.
Have you ever returned to HungarianPod101 lessons you’ve completed?
Accessing a lesson once is enough to learn more Hungarian. But to master what you’ve learned, to understand Hungarian the second you hear it, to read with just a quick glance, and to speak smoothly, without thinking… you need to review.
In this blog post, you’ll learn the 5 review tactics and learning tools that will truly sharpen your Hungarian (all of which I’ve been able to resources for on HungarianPod101.com).
One of the best ways to learn Hungarian (or any language) is to listen to native speakers over and over again until you understand what they are saying. By listening closely and often, you start to pick up the rhythm of a language and pronunciation from a native speaker. It’s not surprising, then, that Innovative Language offers a great line-by-line feature that lets you listen (and read along!) as many times as you’d like. I really recommend taking advantage of this feature— aside from moving to Hungary, it is the best way to immerse yourself in the language.
2. Use a voice-recording tool to perfect pronunciation.
No one likes to hear themselves recorded, but it is a great way to perfect your pronunciation! Record yourself and compare against a fluent speaker. If you sound different, repeat after the fluent speaker until your pronunciation matches. Innovative Language has a great voice-recording feature that makes recording super easy. Never hesitate or be shy about your pronunciation again.
3. Master recorded conversations.
Another excellent way to review your Hungarian is to record conversations and go over them again and again until you have the entire conversation mastered and can repeat it line by line. Now, it might be kind of awkward trying to explain to someone why you are recording them speak so it is fortunate that Innovative Language has dialogues available for download right off of their website. I found these also come with transcripts of the entire conversation, which is great if you don’t want to spend tons of time translating the conversation yourself.
4. Use mobile devices to reinforce previously learned conversations.
It might sound redundant at this point, but constant review is the best, and only, way to perfect Hungarian. In that spirit, I strongly recommend downloading the recorded dialogue to your mobile device and incorporating it into your music playlist. You’ll be amazed how effectively quick reviews throughout a day can reinforce what you’ve learned.
The guaranteed accurate transcript of the recorded dialogues is one of the most useful features Innovative Language offers. You can read along with a fluent speaker to really master pronunciation and natural conversation. You should start slow at first, then slowly increase the speed with each pass through. Every time you read through, your pronunciation will become more intuitive and your ability to understand fluent speakers will greatly increase.
Imagine a child who just learned how to read. At first, they slowly struggle through a sentence, but on the second try, they know what the most of the words sound like and so they read a bit faster and easier and on the third try, they read that sentence at normal, native speed.
Using these five simple review techniques the most challenging parts of learning Hungarian will become your areas of comfort. Conversations will no longer be excruciating and embarrassing, but rather offer a chance to show off your new skills and communicate with someone from a different culture in their natural language. You will be able to casually listen to Hungarian and understand everything. Reading, too, will become natural and enjoyable.
Learning any language takes time and dedication. With the right focus, however, you can ensure the maximum impact of your efforts. Consistently listening to fluent speakers, recording your own voice and comparing it against fluent speakers, mastering conversations, listening to them on go, and following along with written transcripts will put you on the path to becoming fluent in Hungarian. Learn from the mistakes that so many have made, myself included, don’t let what you’ve already learned slip away.
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