The Conditional
Hungarian Grammar 3
Chapter 6 · The Conditional
🌤️ "Would" — A feltételes mód
The conditional says what would happen, and it is also the polite way to ask for things. It has one marker, -na / -ne, added to the verb stem, followed by its own set of personal endings. You have already met two conditionals as set phrases: szeretnék (I would like) and kérnék (I would ask for). This chapter explains them and the rest of the system.
1. The indefinite conditional
Use this set when there is no object or an indefinite one. The marker comes straight after the stem, and the endings are shown in the table.
| Person | olvas (back) | megy (front) | Ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | olvasnék | mennék | -nék |
| you (sg) | olvasnál | mennél | -nál / -nél |
| he, she | olvasna | menne | -na / -ne |
| we | olvasnánk | mennénk | -nánk / -nénk |
| you (pl) | olvasnátok | mennétek | -nátok / -nétek |
| they | olvasnának | mennének | -nának / -nének |
The stem used is the one you already know from the present: megy becomes menn- (from the infinitive menni), and van becomes lenn- (lennék, lennél, lenne, lennénk, lennétek, lennének). The -ik verbs take the same endings: ennék, ennél, enne, ennénk, ennétek, ennének (from enni) and innék (from inni).
2. The definite conditional
With a definite object (a könyvet, őt, azt) the endings change, as in every other tense. Only the singular forms and the third plural differ from the indefinite set.
| Person | Indefinite | Definite |
|---|---|---|
| I | olvasnék | olvasnám |
| you (sg) | olvasnál | olvasnád |
| he, she | olvasna | olvasná |
| we | olvasnánk | olvasnánk |
| you (pl) | olvasnátok | olvasnátok |
| they | olvasnának | olvasnák |
Front-vowel verbs mirror this with -ném, -néd, -né, -nék: vennék (I would buy, indefinite) against venném (definite).
| Hungarian | English |
|---|---|
| Olvasnék egy könyvet. | I would read a book. |
| Olvasnám a könyvet. | I would read the book. |
| Venné ezt a kabátot? | Would he/she buy this coat? |
| Mit csinálnál? | What would you do? |
3. Polite requests and wishes
In Hungarian, as in English, the conditional softens a request. The commonest forms are fixed phrases worth learning whole.
| Hungarian | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Szeretnék egy kávét. | I would like a coffee. | indefinite object |
| Szeretném a kávét. | I would like the coffee. | definite object |
| Szeretnék menni. | I would like to go. | + infinitive (Chapter 5) |
| Kérnék egy sört. | I would like a beer. (lit. I would ask for) | ordering |
| Tudnál segĂteni? | Could you help? | polite request |
| Hoznál egy kávét? | Would you bring a coffee? | polite request |
| Lehetne egy pohár vĂz? | Could I have a glass of water? | lehet in the conditional |
4. "If … would": ha clauses
An unreal or unlikely condition uses ha (if) with the conditional in both clauses, unlike English, which puts "would" only in the result: Ha lenne időm, olvasnék. (If I had time, I would read. Literally: if I would-be time, I would-read.)
| Hungarian | English |
|---|---|
| Ha gazdag lennék, utaznék. | If I were rich, I would travel. |
| Ha tudnád, mit mondott, nevetnél. | If you knew what he said, you would laugh. |
| Ha esne az eső, otthon maradnánk. | If it were raining, we would stay at home. |
For a real condition ("if it rains tomorrow, I'll stay home") Hungarian uses ha with the plain present or future: Ha holnap esik, otthon maradok. The conditional is for the "what if" cases.
5. The past conditional
"Would have" is the past tense plus volna. The past verb carries the person (Chapters 2–4), and volna never changes.
| Hungarian | English |
|---|---|
| Olvastam volna. | I would have read. |
| ElmentĂĽnk volna. | We would have gone. |
| Megvettem volna a kabátot. | I would have bought the coat. |
| Ha tudtam volna, szĂłltam volna. | If I had known, I would have told you. |
| Ha otthon lettél volna, találkoztunk volna. | If you had been at home, we would have met. |
Both clauses of an unreal past condition take volna. Negation stands before the past verb: Nem olvastam volna. The map from Chapter 1 gives the whole family in one view: the present conditional (olvasnék), the past conditional (olvastam volna) and, as you will see in Chapter 9, the rarer compound forms.
🗣️ In Use — Használatban
The conditional in a café, in a daydream, and in a regret.
①In the café
② A daydream
③ A regret
📋 Quick Reference — Gyorstábla
| Idea | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Indefinite endings | -nék, -nál, -na, -nánk, -nátok, -nának (front: -nék, -nél, -ne, -nénk, -nétek, -nének) | olvasnék · mennél |
| Definite endings | -nám, -nád, -ná, -nánk, -nátok, -nák (front: -ném, -néd, -né, -nénk, -nétek, -nék) | olvasnám · venném |
| "Would like" | szeretnék (indef.) · szeretném (def.) | Szeretnék egy kávét. |
| Polite request | conditional | Tudnál segĂteni? |
| Unreal "if" | ha + conditional, conditional | Ha lenne időm, olvasnék. |
| Past conditional | past tense + volna | Olvastam volna. |
| Unreal past "if" | ha + past + volna, past + volna | Ha tudtam volna, szĂłltam volna. |
✏️ Try It Yourself — Gyakorlás
Say the answer first, then click to check.
1. "I would read": olvas.
Show answer
Olvasnék.
2. "You (sg) would go": megy.
Show answer
Mennél.
3. "We would work": dolgozik.
Show answer
Dolgoznánk.
4. "I would read the book" (definite).
Show answer
Olvasnám a könyvet.
5. "I would like a coffee."
Show answer
Szeretnék egy kávét. (Or Kérnék egy kávét.)
6. "If I had time, I would read."
Show answer
Ha lenne időm, olvasnék.
7. "Could you help?" (informal)
Show answer
Tudnál segĂteni?
8. "I would have read."
Show answer
Olvastam volna.
9. "If I had known, I would have come."
Show answer
Ha tudtam volna, eljöttem volna.
10. What is the difference between szeretek and szeretnék?
Show answer
Szeretek is the present, "I like"; szeretnék is the conditional, "I would like".