The Indefinite Past

Hungarian Grammar 3

Chapter 2 · The Past: Indefinite

⏪ The Indefinite Past — A múlt idő, határozatlan ragozás

Hungarian has one basic past tense, and it comes in the two conjugations you already know. This chapter covers the indefinite one: the past of verbs with no object, with an indefinite object (a book, two cars), or with a question word like mit?. The definite past, for definite objects, is Chapter 3 and works from the same pieces. The past marker is -t-; the chapter shows where it goes, how the 3rd person singular behaves, and which verbs change their stems.

1. The endings

Back, front and rounded stems follow the harmony of Hungarian Grammar 1, chapters 2 and 3. Rounded front stems take the front endings, and only the 3rd person singular shows the rounded vowel: főzött.

Full paradigms

2. The 3rd person singular: -t or -ott / -ett / -ött?

There is no single rule that covers every verb, but the final sound of the stem predicts most of them. Treat the table as a strong guide and check unfamiliar verbs.

There are exceptions even within these groups: marad → maradt and szalad → szaladt (longer stems ending in -d take the bare -t), and hall → hallott (a doubled l takes -ott). This is why the 3rd person singular is learned with the verb.

When the marker doubles

After a stem ending in t the past marker makes tt (láttam). After d it sits next to the d (adtam, mondtam, tudtam). A few verbs ending in a vowel double the marker too: lő → lőttem (I shot), nő → nőttem (I grew).

3. The -ik verbs

The -ik verbs form the past on their stem and lose the -ik. Most are regular: dolgozik → dolgoztam, dolgoztál, dolgozott. The very common ones eszik, iszik and alszik change their stems.

Notice that eszik and iszik use et- / it- everywhere except the 3rd person singular, where the stem is ev- / iv- (evett, ivott). Other common -ik verbs form the past regularly: lakik → laktam, lakott (live), költözik → költöztem, költözött (move house), úszik → úsztam, úszott (swim).

4. The past of van

The verb van (is, are) has its own past stem, volt-. In the 3rd person singular it is just volt, and it is the same in both numbers when it means "there was / were".

With a possessor (Hungarian Grammar 2, chapter 8) the past of van says "had": Volt egy házam (I had a house). The negative is nem volt: Nem volt időm (I had no time).

5. Negation and questions

To negate the past, put nem before the verb. A yes/no question keeps the same form and relies on intonation, or on a question word.

6. Time words for the past

The same past form covers what English splits into I read, I was reading and I have read. Time words and context choose the sense: Tegnap olvastam (I read yesterday) and Már olvastam (I have already read).

🗣️ In Use — Használatban

The indefinite past in short exchanges.

📋 Quick Reference — Gyorstábla

✏️ Try It Yourself — Gyakorlás

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