Language/Hungarian/Grammar/Adjectives-and-adverbs
As a Hungarian language teacher with 20 years of experience, I am excited to teach you about Hungarian adjectives and adverbs. Adjectives and adverbs are essential parts of speech that describe and modify nouns and verbs respectively. Understanding them is key to having descriptive and meaningful conversations in Hungarian.
Adjectives in Hungarian
Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns. In Hungarian, adjectives come before the noun they modify and agree with the noun in number (singular or plural) and case (nominative, accusative, dative, etc.).
For example:
| Hungarian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| szép ház | /seːp haːz/ | beautiful house |
| nagy kutya | /nɒɟ kutyɒ/ | big dog |
| piros alma | /piroʃ ɒlmɒ/ | red apple |
Note that in Hungarian, adjectives do not change form depending on the gender of the noun they modify.
There are some special cases when adjectives are placed after the noun they modify, but these are usually for stylistic reasons and can be ignored for beginners.
Comparison of adjectives
Just like in English, Hungarian adjectives also have comparative and superlative forms to indicate degrees of comparison. To form the comparative, add the suffix "-bb" to the basic form of the adjective. For the superlative, add the suffix "-leg" before the basic form.
For example:
| Hungarian | Pronunciation | English | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| magas | /mɒɡɒʃ/ | tall | magasabb | /mɒɡɒʃɒbː/ | taller | legmagasabb | /lɛɡmɒɡɒʃɒbː/ | tallest |
It is important to remember that comparative and superlative forms must also agree with the noun they modify in number and case.
Adverbs in Hungarian
Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. In Hungarian, adverbs usually end in "-an" or "-en" and are formed from an adjective by adding the suffix "-n". For some adjectives, however, the suffix "-ul" is used instead.
For example:
| Hungarian | Pronunciation | English | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gyors | /dʒɔrʃ/ | fast | gyorsan | /dʒɔrʃɒn/ | quickly |
| finom | /finom/ | fine, delicate | finoman | /finomɒn/ | delicately |
Note that, unlike adjectives, adverbs do not agree with the verb they modify.
Comparison of adverbs
In Hungarian, just like in English, adverbs also have comparative and superlative forms to indicate degrees of comparison. These are formed by adding the suffix "-bb" and "-leg" respectively, to the basic form of the adverb.
For example:
| Hungarian | Pronunciation | English | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| lassan | /lɒʃɒn/ | slowly | lassabb | /lɒʃɒbː/ | more slowly | leglassabb | /lɛɡlɒʃɒbː/ | slowest |
Conclusion
Adjectives and adverbs are crucial in describing and modifying nouns and verbs respectively. In this lesson, we have learned the basic rules for using adjectives and adverbs in Hungarian, as well as their comparative and superlative forms. Keep practicing and soon you'll be mastering the beautiful and complex language that is Hungarian!
Sources
Videos
HUNGARIAN LESSON Nr. 3 - ADVERBS - ADJECTIVES - YouTube
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