Language/Hungarian/Grammar/Nouns

Hungarian Grammar - Nouns

Hi Hungarian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on the grammar of nouns in Hungarian. Hungarian grammar can be a bit challenging, but don't worry! By the end of this lesson, you will have a better understanding of how Hungarian nouns work.

Introduction

In Hungarian, nouns have different cases depending on their function in the sentence. The good news is that there are only 18 possible endings that you need to learn! Moreover, Hungarian nouns have no articles (no definite or indefinite). Instead, the context usually indicates what the speaker means. Let's dive into the different cases and endings!

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Give your Opinion, Introduction to Hungarian Grammar: Verbs and tenses, Adjectives & Imperative and gerund forms.

The Cases of Hungarian Nouns

There are 6 cases in Hungarian: nominative (alanyeset), accusative (tárgyeset), dative (részes eset), instrumental (eszközhatározó eset), causal-final (ok-okozati eset) and translative (állapotváltozás esete).

Nominative (alanyeset)

This is the basic form of the noun. It is used when the noun is the subject of the sentence.

For example:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English
kutya	[kuːcɑ]	dog
macska	[mɑtʃkɑ]	cat
alma	[ɑlmɑ]	apple

• Person 1: A kutya ugat. ([The] dog barks.)
• Person 2: Milyen kutya? ([What] kind of dog?)

Accusative (tárgyeset)

The accusative is used when the noun is the direct object of the verb or when it follows a preposition that requires the accusative case. The endings are "-t" and "-ot/-et" depending on vowel harmony, and the final letter of the word.

For example:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English
kutyát	[kuːcɑːt]	[the] dog (acc.)
macskát	[mɑtʃkɑːt]	[the] cat (acc.)
almát	[ɑlmɑːt]	[the] apple (acc.)

• Person 1: Látod a kutyát? (Do you see [the] dog?)
• Person 2: Igen, látom a fehér kutyát. (Yes, I see [the] white dog.)

Dative (részes eset)

This is the case used after the prepositions "to", "into", "for", "at", "from", and "with", showing direction, purpose, location or possession. The endings are "-nak/-nek" depending on vowel harmony.

For example:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English
kutyának	[kuːcɑ̈ːnɑ̈k]	[to/for the] dog (dat.)
macskának	[mɑtʃkɑːnɑ̈k]	[to/for the] cat (dat.)
almának	[ɑlmɑ̈ːnɑ̈k]	[to/for the] apple (dat.)

• Person 1: Adok egy almát a kutyának. ([I] give an apple [to the] dog.)
• Person 2: Az almának jó hatása van az egészségre. ([The] apple has a good impact on [the] health.)

Instrumental (eszközhatározó eset)

This expresses the means or tool by which something is done. The endings are "-val/-vel" depending on vowel harmony.

For example:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English
kutyával	[kuːcɑːvɑl]	[with/by means of] the dog (inst.)
macskával	[mɑtʃkɑːvɑl]	[with/by means of] the cat (inst.)
almával	[ɑlmɑːvɑl]	[with/by means of] the apple (inst.)

• Person 1: Húzd fel az ablakot a kutyával. ([You] pull up [the] window with/by means of the dog.)
• Person 2: Az almával könnyebb az éhgyomor ellen harcolni. ([With/by means of] [the] apple, it is easier to fight against hunger.)

Causal-Final (ok-okozati eset)

This is used to express the cause or purpose of an action. It is usually introduced by "miatt", "ért", "helyett", "köszönhetően", "vonzásában", etc... endings are "-ért", "-nak/-nek", "-ért/-áért".

For example:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English
kutyáért	[kuːcɑːe̝rt]	[because of/for the] dog (caus.-final)
macskáért	[mɑtʃkɑːe̝rt]	[because of/for the] cat (caus.-final)
almaért	[ɑlmɑːe̝rt]	[because of/for the] apple (caus.-final)

• Person 1: Kérek még egy almát, mert az almáért jöttem. ([I] ask for [an] other apple [because] I came [for the sake of] the apple.)
• Person 2: A kutyáért mindent megtenne. ([He/She] would do everything [because of/for the sake of] the dog.)

Translative (állapotváltozás esete)

It expresses the change in the state or nature of an object. In English, one would use prepositions such as "into" to express the idea of a change of state, or "as" to indicate a role or identity assumed by the object. Endings are "-vá/-vé".

For example:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English
kutyává	[kuːcɑːvɑː]	[into a/an] dog (transl.)
macskává	[mɑtʃkɑːvɑː]	[into a/an] cat (transl.)
almává	[ɑlmɑːvɑː]	[into an] apple (transl.)

• Person 1: Az alma mézből lesz almává. (The apple turns into [an] apple [by means of] honey.)
• Person 2: A kutyarrá változik az egértámadt macska. ([The] cat attacked by a rat changes into [a] dog. )

Plural Nouns

Hungarian has two plural forms, with the endings "-k" and "-ok/-ek".

For example:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English
kutyák	[kuːcɑːk]	dogs
macskák	[mɑtʃkɑːk]	cats
almák	[ɑlmɑːk]	apples

• Person 1: Láttál sok macskát az utcán? (Have you seen many cats in the street?)
• Person 2: Igen, több mint tíz macskát láttam. (Yes, I saw more than ten cats.)

Exceptions

Some Hungarian nouns behave differently than others.

• Nouns ending in a consonant have "-ot/-et" ending in the accusative case. (e.g. kávé - kávét, cseresznye - cseresznyét)
• Some two-syllabic words have an "-ot/-et" ending in the accusative case, even if their last syllable contains a vowel. (e.g. Csaba - Csabát, zene - zenét)
• Some nouns have an irregular ending in some cases, they have to be learned one by one. (e.g. apa - apát, szó - szót)

Summary

Nouns in Hungarian have six cases, each with its own ending. Be aware of the exceptions listed above, and practice with the examples given before. To improve your Hungarian grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources

• Hungarian noun cases [HungarianReference.com > Grammar ...
• Hungarian noun phrase - Wikipedia
• Simplified Grammar of the Hungarian Language/Nouns - Wikisource ...

Other Lessons

• Plurals
• Possessor
• Questions
• Possessed object
• Plural
• How to Use Have
• Negation
• Give your Opinion
• Adjectives