Learn how to use the be- ("in") prefix
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Simone:Hi everyone and welcome back to HungarianPod101.com. This is Upper Beginner, season 1, lesson 17 - Getting “Kicked In” by Hungarian Alcohol. I am Simone. |
| Gergő:And I am Gergő. Sziasztok! |
| Simone:In this lesson you’ll learn a couple of verbs with the be- prefix. |
| Gergő:The conversation takes place in a pub. |
| Simone:It’s between Jenny and Tibi. |
| Gergő:They are friends, so they’re using informal language. |
| Simone:Let's listen to the conversation. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Simone:Unicum is one of those things I could never get into in Hungary. |
| Gergő:I'm not surprised. It takes a mature person with a refined taste. |
| Simone:Hey! |
| Gergő:Well, okay, I will give it to you, it's not that easy to love, but it does grow on you. It is a bitter brandy and it's often served lukewarm. |
| Simone:Ugh. |
| Gergő:Try to think of it as a medicine, not a drink. Which is, by the way, pretty much what it is. It's full of herbs which makes it great for the stomach. |
| Simone:Still ugh. |
| Gergő:Think of all the history, then. It is centuries old, has a secret recipe and only one company can make it. |
| Simone:Well... I'm still gonna say no, but nice try Gergő. |
| Gergő:All right then. Let's move on to the vocab. |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Simone:Let’s take a closer look at some of the words and phrases from this lesson. What is the first item on the list? |
| Gergő:Végül is at the beginning of a sentence means that you reluctantly agree to do something, or agree with someone else's point. |
| Simone:What’s an example? |
| Gergő:Rendben, megyek aludni. Végül is holnap korán kelek. |
| Simone:“All right, all right, I'm off to bed. After all I get up early tomorrow.” |
| Gergő:The next one we wanted to talk about is this: Mi baj lehet? |
| Simone:This expression can be roughly translated as “what can go wrong?”. |
| Gergő:Hungarians often use it sarcastically or before doing something that is considered luxurious or in some way harmful. |
| Simone:Let's hear one. |
| Gergő:Eszem még egy sütit. Mi baj lehet? |
| Simone:“I'll have another cookie. What can go wrong?” Gergő, what's wrong with eating another cookie? |
| Gergő:Well, nothing, but it might not be great for your diet. |
| Simone:Ok, repeat the sentences, please? |
| Gergő:Eszem még egy sütit. Mi baj lehet? |
| Simone:Anything else? |
| Gergő:Unicum, spelled U-N-I-C-U-M is a brand name and we have already talked about it. On the other hand, spelled with a k it means “unique object.” |
| Simone:Let's give an example. |
| Gergő:Ez a hely egy igazi unikum. Olcsó és finom. |
| Simone:“This place is really unique. Cheap and tasty.” |
| Gergő:The translation is good, but in Hungarian, unikum is a noun. But I'll say the sentence anyway. Ez a hely egy igazi unikum. Olcsó és finom. |
| Simone:All right, let's see the grammar now! |
| GRAMMAR POINT |
| Simone:In this lesson, you’ll learn a few verbs with the be- prefix. What’s the key sentence from the dialogue? |
| Gergő:Nem akarok berúgni. |
| Simone:“I don't want to get drunk.” |
| Gergő:Nem akarok berúgni. |
| Simone:Really? Prefixes again? |
| Gergő:Prefixes again. We can't overdo them. Most Hungarian sentences with a verb in them will also have prefixes. |
| Simone:Many prefixes just mean the direction or the state of the action – those meanings can be guessed from the base verb. Some, on the other hand, have abstract meanings that are not easy to guess, or to come up with. Without professional help, anyway. |
| Gergő:Right. Berúg is one of these. Berúg is a compound of rúg, or “kick” and be- or “in.” You can talk about kicking a door in too - Berúgtam az ajtót. |
| Simone:“I kicked the door in.” |
| Gergő:Berúgtam az ajtót. But you will most likely hear this word in a pub environment, where it means “to get drunk.” |
| Simone:Can we have an example sentence? |
| Gergő:Tegnap este berúgtam. |
| Simone:“I got drunk last night.” |
| Gergő:Tegnap este berúgtam. This is not slang, and you're free to use it in any environment, |
| Simone:What else was in there? |
| Gergő:Csak berezeltem. |
| Simone:“I'm just scared stiff.” |
| Gergő:Csak berezeltem. This expression is also quite commonplace. Berezelni, or “to do the copper” means to get scared, to be afraid of something. |
| Simone:We don't want to get into the etymology of the word, but in modern Hungarian it is a completely appropriate verb to use, without any sort of bad connotation. All right, what else is there? |
| Gergő:“Getting afraid” or “getting scared by something” can be expressed in several ways in Hungarian, many of which have the be- prefix. Consider this sentence: Tegnap nagyon beparáztam a vizsgától. |
| Simone:“Last night I felt really scared by the exam.” |
| Gergő:Tegnap nagyon beparáztam a vizsgától. Parázni means to be afraid. Beparázni means “to get afraid, to start being afraid.” This is slang. |
| Simone:But nothing dirty, right? |
| Gergő:Not at all. You just sound younger when you say it. |
| Simone:All right, any parting thoughts? |
| Gergő:Be- as a prefix often means that the action or the state prefixed has just started, or refers to the beginning of a new circumstance. |
| Simone:So the examples we just gave don't really mean “be afraid” but “start being afraid.” Ok, and with that, it’s time to go. As always, remember to check the lesson notes to reinforce what you’ve learned in this leson. |
| Gergő:And we’ll see you next time. Sziasztok! |
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