Putting It Together
Hungarian Grammar 3
Chapter 10 · Putting It Together
🎯 One Verb, Every Form — Minden egy helyen
Nine chapters have given you the parts: the verb map, the indefinite and definite past, the irregular pasts, the future and helper verbs, the conditional, the imperative, the subjunctive and the compound tenses. This chapter puts them side by side, gives you a short procedure for choosing a form, and then tests it with an error-spotting clinic.
1. The whole map: one verb, every form
Here is olvas (read) with its definite partner. Each row is one idea; the Chapter column says where to look.
| Idea | Indefinite (I) | Definite (I … it) | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | olvasok | olvasom | 1 |
| Past | olvastam | olvastam | 2, 3 |
| Future | fogok olvasni | fogom olvasni | 5 |
| Conditional | olvasnék | olvasnám | 6 |
| Imperative (you) | olvass | olvasd | 7 |
| Subjunctive | hogy olvassak | hogy olvassam | 8 |
| May, can (-hat) | olvashatok | olvashatom | 8 |
| Past conditional | olvastam volna | olvastam volna | 6, 9 |
| Must (personal infinitive) | olvasnom kell | olvasnom kell | 5 |
| Should have | olvasnom kellett volna | olvasnom kellett volna | 9 |
Where both columns show the same form, the object makes no difference: the 1sg past -tam serves both sets, and volna and the personal infinitive never change. In other persons the past does differ (olvastál against olvastad).
2. A short decision procedure
- Pick the time or mood. Did it happen (past), will it (future), would it (conditional), is it an order (imperative), is it wanted or required of another person (subjunctive), is it permitted (-hat/-het)?
- Find the stem. Is the verb regular, an -ik verb, a sibilant stem, or one of the irregulars (megy, jön, van, tesz, vesz, visz, hisz, eszik, iszik)? Check the irregular lists in Chapters 4 and 7.
- Choose the harmony. Back (-nak, -tam, -hat), front (-nek, -tem, -het) or rounded (-ött, -öm), following Hungarian Grammar 1.
- Decide indefinite or definite. Is there a definite object (a könyvet, ezt, őt, a possessed noun, a proper name)? If yes, use the definite set. Remember the special -lak/-lek for "I … you" (Chapter 3).
- Add the person ending from the paradigm you chose, and place the extra words: volna after the past form, ne before an imperative, hogy before the subjunctive, fog before an infinitive.
3. The person carries the form: one word, one place
| Structure | Where the person shows | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Past + volna | on the past verb | Olvastunk volna. |
| fog + infinitive | on fog | Fogunk olvasni. |
| Helper + infinitive | on the helper | Akarunk olvasni. |
| kell + personal infinitive | on the infinitive | Olvasnunk kell. |
| hogy + subjunctive | on the subjunctive verb | Azt akarja, hogy olvassunk. |
4. Error-spotting clinic
Each sentence below has one mistake. Find it, then click.
1. Fogok olvasom a könyvet. (I will read the book.)
Show answer
Fogom olvasni a könyvet. The helper takes the definite ending and the main verb is an infinitive (Chapter 5).
2. Nem menj olvasd! (Don't read it!)
Show answer
Ne olvasd! Commands are negated with ne and one verb (Chapter 7).
3. Azt akarom, hogy jössz. (I want you to come.)
Show answer
Azt akarom, hogy gyere. After akar with a different subject the verb is the subjunctive (Chapter 8).
4. Mennem kellünk. (We have to go.)
Show answer
Mennünk kell. Kell never changes; the person goes on the infinitive (Chapter 5).
5. Ha tudok, mennék. (If I could, I'd go.)
Show answer
Ha tudnék, mennék. An unreal condition takes the conditional in both clauses (Chapter 6).
6. Mentem volnam. (I would have gone.)
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Mentem volna. Volna is fixed (Chapters 6 and 9).
7. Mehetnek vagyok? (May I go?)
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Mehetek? The -het verb conjugates by itself (Chapter 8).
8. Olvasottam a levelet. (I read the letter.)
Show answer
Olvastam a levelet. The stem olvas- takes plain -t- in the past, not -ott- (Chapter 2).
9. Voltam mentem. (I went.)
Show answer
Mentem. The past of megy is ment- (Chapter 4); voltam would be a separate verb.
10. Szeretek egy kávét. (I would like a coffee.)
Show answer
Szeretnék egy kávét. Szeretek means "I like"; "I would like" is the conditional (Chapter 6).
🎓 Course Complete — Hungarian Grammar 3
| Chapter | Title | The key idea |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Verb Map | stem + marker + person ending; indefinite and definite |
| 2 | The Indefinite Past | -t- and the linking vowels |
| 3 | The Definite Past | -tam, -tad, -ta … and -talak/-telek |
| 4 | Irregular Pasts | ment-, jött-, tett-, vett-, lett-, volt- |
| 5 | The Future and Helper Verbs | fog + infinitive, lesz, mennem kell |
| 6 | The Conditional | -nék, -nám, and past + volna |
| 7 | The Imperative | -j, olvass/olvasd, ne |
| 8 | The Subjunctive | hogy + imperative form, -hat/-het |
| 9 | Compound Tenses | kellett volna, szerettem volna, bárcsak |
| 10 | Putting It Together | the whole map, a decision procedure, a clinic |