Language/Hungarian/Grammar/Asking-Questions

Hungarian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Questions and Negation → Asking Questions

As a Hungarian language teacher with 20 years of experience, I understand the importance of mastering question formation in Hungarian. Asking questions is a gateway to communication, and it is crucial for students to be able to ask and understand questions when communicating with native Hungarian speakers. In this lesson, we will learn how to form questions in Hungarian using question words, such as "what," "where," and "when." We will also practice forming questions in different contexts.

Basic Question Formation

In Hungarian, the word order of a sentence changes when asking a question. The word order for a basic sentence in Hungarian is subject, verb, object. However, when asking a question, the word order becomes question word, verb, subject, object. For example:

Regular sentence: A macska eszik egy halat. (The cat is eating a fish.) Question: Mit eszik a macska? (What is the cat eating?)

As you can see, the word "mit" (what) which is the question word, comes at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the verb "eszik" (is eating), then the subject "a macska" (the cat), and finally the object "egy halat" (a fish).

Notice that when we ask a question in Hungarian, we only use "egy" (a/an) when we want to ask how many of something there is. For example, "Hány macska van?" (How many cats are there?).

It is important to note that when a sentence begins with a question word, it automatically becomes a question. So, it is not necessary to use a question mark at the end of the sentence.

Common Question Words

Here are some of the most common question words in Hungarian:

• Mi? (What?)
• Ki? (Who?)
• Hol? (Where?)
• Mikor? (When?)
• Miért? (Why?)
• Mennyi? (How much?)
• Hány? (How many?)

Let's look at some examples:

• Mi az neved? (What is your name?)
• Ki játszik a parkban? (Who is playing in the park?)
• Hol van a bolt? (Where is the store?)
• Mikor érkezel? (When are you arriving?)
• Miért nem jössz velünk? (Why aren't you coming with us?)
• Mennyi időbe telik odaérni a repülőtérre? (How long does it take to get to the airport?)
• Hány órát dolgozol ma? (How many hours do you work today?)

Asking Negative Questions

When asking a negative question, we add the word "nem" (not) before the verb. For example:

Regular sentence: A kutya ugat. (The dog barks.) Negative question: Nem ugat a kutya? (Isn't the dog barking?)

Notice that in this negative question we add "nem" before "ugat."

Let's look at some more examples:

• Nem tanulsz magyarul? (Don't you study Hungarian?)
• Nem laktok Tiszántúlon? (Don't you guys live in Tiszántúl?)
• Nem jössz velünk moziba? (Aren't you coming with us to the movies?)

Forming Special Questions

There are two types of special questions in Hungarian: questions with "hogy" (how) and questions without a question word.

Questions with "Hogy"

When asking about the manner in which something is done, we use the word "hogy" (how). For example:

• Hogy vagy? (How are you?)
• Hogy értesz angolul? (How do you speak English?)

Notice that in these questions we use "hogy" as the question word, which means "how" in English.

Questions Without a Question Word

When asking questions without a question word, we add a common Hungarian word called a "vagy" at the end of the sentence. This word is used to indicate that we are asking a question. Let's look at some examples:

• Jó ez neked? (Is this good for you?)
• Megérted? (Do you understand?)
• Látott már ilyet? (Have you ever seen this before?)

Notice that in these sentences we don't have a question word, but we add the word "vagy" at the end to indicate that we are asking a question.

Practice Exercise

Let's practice forming questions in Hungarian using the following sentences. Rewrite each sentence as a question, following the correct word order and using the appropriate question word, if necessary.

1. A baba alszik. (The baby is sleeping.) 2. A tanár ad egy dolgozatot. (The teacher is giving a test.) 3. Az orvos betegeket gyógyít. (The doctor is healing patients.)

Answers:

1. Mit csinál a baba? (What is the baby doing?) 2. Melyik tanár ad dolgozatot? (Which teacher is giving a test?) 3. Hány beteg van az orvosnál? (How many patients does the doctor have?)

Conclusion

Asking questions is an essential part of communication in any language. In Hungarian, forming questions may seem tricky at first, but with practice, you will be able to ask and understand questions with ease. In this lesson, we have learned how to form questions using question words, how to ask negative questions, and how to form special questions. Keep practicing and incorporating these skills into your conversations in order to become a master of Hungarian.

Table of Contents - Hungarian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Pronouns and Verb Conjugation

• Personal Pronouns
• Present Tense Verb Conjugation

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Telling Time

  ---

Questions and Negation

• Asking Questions
• Negation

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Descriptive Adjectives
• Adverbs of Time and Frequency

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Foods and Drinks
• Ordering at a Restaurant

  ---

Prepositions and Location

• Common Prepositions
• Expressing Location

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Asking for Directions

  ---

Hungarian Customs and Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Traditional Foods

  ---

Possessive Pronouns and Plurals

• Possessive Pronouns
• Forming Plurals

  ---

Hobbies and Leisure Activities

• Common Hobbies
• Discussing Interests

  ---

Hungarian History and Geography

• Important Historical Events
• Geography of Hungary

Related Lessons

• Negation
• Descriptive Adjectives
• Nouns
• Nouns and cases
• Complex sentence structures
• Forming Plurals
• Expressing Location
• Adverbs of Time and Frequency
• Possessed object