Language/Hungarian/Grammar/Negation

Hungarian Grammar - Negation

Hi Hungarian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about negation in the Hungarian language. Negation is an important part of any language, and it is essential to understand how to use it correctly in order to communicate effectively. We will look at the different ways to express negation in Hungarian, as well as some examples of how to use them. Let's get started!

Basics of Negation

Negation in Hungarian is expressed using the word 'nem', which means 'no' or 'not'. This word can be used in a variety of ways, depending on the context. It can be used to negate a verb, an adjective, or even a whole sentence. Let's look at some examples:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English Translation
Nem szeretem a csokoládét.	nehm seh-reh-tehm ah choh-koh-lah-deh-teht	I don't like chocolate.
Nem vagyok szomorú.	nehm vah-gyohk shoh-moh-roo	I'm not sad.
Nem tudom.	nehm too-dohm	I don't know.
Nem értem.	nehm eh-reh-tehm	I don't understand.
Nem igaz.	nehm ee-gahz	It's not true.

As you can see, the word 'nem' is used to express negation in all of these examples. It is important to note that the word 'nem' must always come before the verb or adjective that it is negating.

Double Negation

In Hungarian, double negation is also possible. This means that two negative words can be used together to express a stronger degree of negation. For example:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English Translation
Nem nem szeretem a csokoládét.	nehm nehm seh-reh-tehm ah choh-koh-lah-deh-teht	I really don't like chocolate.
Nem nem tudom.	nehm nehm too-dohm	I really don't know.
Nem nem értem.	nehm nehm eh-reh-tehm	I really don't understand.
Nem nem igaz.	nehm nehm ee-gahz	It's really not true.

As you can see, the double negation is formed by repeating the word 'nem'. This is a very common way to express a stronger degree of negation in Hungarian.

Other Ways to Express Negation

In addition to using the word 'nem', there are other ways to express negation in Hungarian. For example, the word 'semmi' can be used to mean 'nothing'. This can be used to negate a noun, as in the following example:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English Translation
Semmi könyv.	sehm-mee kuh-nyuhv	No book.

The word 'semmi' can also be used to negate a verb, as in the following example:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English Translation
Nem semmi olvasni.	nehm sehm-mee ohl-vah-snee	I don't read anything.

Finally, the word 'sehol' can be used to mean 'nowhere'. This can be used to negate a location, as in the following example:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English Translation
Nem sehol.	nehm seh-hohl	Nowhere.

These are just a few of the ways to express negation in Hungarian. As you can see, there are many different ways to do so, and it is important to understand them in order to communicate effectively.

Conclusion

In conclusion, negation is an important part of the Hungarian language. The word 'nem' is the most commonly used word for expressing negation, but there are other words and phrases that can also be used. It is important to understand how to use these words and phrases correctly in order to communicate effectively.

---

➡ 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. 😎

Related Lessons

• How to form the feminine
• Cardinal Numbers
• Nouns
• Conditional Mood
• Future Tense
• Possessor
• Adjectives
• Plurals
• Gender
• Questions