Language/Hungarian/Grammar/Adjectives

Hungarian Grammar - Adjectives

Hi Hungarian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about adjectives in Hungarian. Adjectives are words that describe or modify a noun or a pronoun.

Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Give your Opinion, Introduction to Hungarian Grammar: Verbs and tenses, Descriptive Adjectives & Possessed object.

Basics

In Hungarian, adjectives are usually placed after the noun they modify. However, if we want to emphasize the adjective, we can place it before the noun.

Example:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English Translation
a nagy ház	/ɒ nɒɟ haːz/	the big house

Here, "nagy" (big) is the adjective and "ház" (house) is the noun. We can see that the adjective comes after the noun.

Adjectives in Hungarian also have different forms depending on the gender, number, and case of the noun they modify.

Gender

In Hungarian, there are three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. The gender of the noun determines the form of the adjective.

Example:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English Translation
az asztal	/ɒz ɒstɒl/	the table (masculine)
a szék	/ɒ seːk/	the chair (feminine)
a toll	/ɒ toɫ/	the pen (neuter)

In the above example, we can see that the adjective "asztal" (table) changes to "asztali" when modifying a feminine noun ("a szék") or "asztalai" when modifying a neuter noun ("a toll").

Number

In Hungarian, there are two numbers: singular and plural. The number of the noun also affects the form of the adjective.

Example:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English Translation
a nagy ház	/ɒ nɒɟ haːz/	the big house (singular)
a nagy házak	/ɒ nɒɟ haːzɒk/	the big houses (plural)

In this example, the adjective "nagy" (big) does not change when modifying a singular noun ("a nagy ház") but it adds "-k" when modifying a plural noun ("a nagy házak").

Case

In Hungarian, there are 18 cases, which means the form of the adjective will change depending on the case of the noun. However, there are no specific rules for adjectives, as the changes can be rather unpredictable. Therefore, it is important to memorize the correct forms of the adjectives when used in different cases.

Example:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English Translation
a nagy házban	/ɒ nɒɟ haːzban/	in the big house (inessive case)

In this example, the adjective "nagy" (big) changes to "nagyban" when used in the inessive case ("a nagy házban").

Comparison

In Hungarian, adjectives have comparative and superlative forms. The comparative form is used to make a comparison between two objects, while the superlative form is used to express the highest degree of something.

To form the comparative, we add "-bb" to the end of the adjective. To form the superlative, we add "-leg" to the end of the adjective.

Example:

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English Translation
nagy	/nɒɟ/	big
nagyobb	/nɒɟobː/	bigger
legnagyobb	/lɛɡnɒɟobː/	biggest

In this example, we can see that the comparative form of "nagy" (big) is "nagyobb" (bigger) and the superlative form is "legnagyobb" (biggest).

Examples

Let's see some examples of adjectives in context:

Dialogue:

• Person 1: Szeretném kérni a __nagy__ táskádat. (__I would like to ask for your big bag.__)
• Person 2: Természetesen, itt van. (__Of course, here it is.__)
• Person 1: Köszönöm szépen. Ez a tábor __nagyszerű__ volt. (__Thank you very much. This camp was great.__)
• Person 2: Örülök, hogy tetszett. Az __új__ táborunk még __jobb__ lesz. (__I'm glad you liked it. Our new camp will be even better.__)

In this dialogue, we can see different adjectives being used to describe a bag ("nagy"), a camp ("nagyszerű" and "új"), and comparing the new camp with the previous one ("jobb").

Conclusion

Adjectives are an essential part of language, as they allow us to describe and modify nouns and pronouns. In Hungarian, adjectives have different forms depending on gender, number, and case, and also have comparative and superlative forms. Practice these forms with native speakers on Polyglot Club and improve your [1]] Grammar! Don't forget to ask any questions if you have any. 😊

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Finished this lesson? Check out these related lessons: Future Tense, Intermediate Hungarian grammar: Conditional and Subjunctive Moods, Forming Plurals & Conditional Mood.

Other Lessons

• Plurals
• Gender
• Conditional Mood
• Negation
• Possessed object
• Nouns
• How to Use Have
• Cardinal Numbers
• Questions
• How to Use Be

Sources

• Adjectives in Hungarian [HungarianReference.com > Grammar ...
• Hungarian grammar - Wikipedia
• Absolute adjectives in Hungarian - Grammar