Prefixes and Aspect

Hungarian Grammar 4

Chapter 2 · Prefixes and Aspect

⏳ Finished or Going On — Befejezett és folyamatos

Chapter 1 showed prefixes that point somewhere. This chapter is about the other job: telling the listener whether an action is going on or is completed. Hungarian Grammar 3 gave you one past tense and said that context and prefixes decide the shade of meaning; here are the prefixes doing that work.

The rule in one box A verb without a prefix describes an action as a process or a habit: Olvastam a levelet (I was reading the letter, or I read the letter). The same verb with a completing prefix describes it as done, with a result: Elolvastam a levelet (I read the letter through). The prefix is usually meg-, but each verb has its own favourite (el-, ki-, fel-, le-). In the present tense the completed form usually points to the future: Holnap megírom (I'll write it tomorrow, and finish it).

1. Worked pairs

Learn these as pairs: the plain verb, then the verb with its completing prefix.

Ongoing	Completed	Example (completed)
olvas reads	elolvas reads through	Elolvastam a könyvet. · I read the book through.
ír writes	megír writes (it) up	Megírtam a levelet. · I wrote the letter.
eszik eats	megeszik eats up	Megettem az almát. · I ate the apple.
iszik drinks	kiiszik drinks up	Kiittam a teát. · I drank the tea.
néz looks	megnéz looks at, watches	Megnéztem a filmet. · I watched the film.
tanul studies	megtanul learns	Megtanultam a verset. · I learned the poem.
csinál does, makes	megcsinál gets it done	Megcsináltam a feladatot. · I did the task.
old dissolves, unties	megold solves	Megoldottam a hibát. · I solved the fault.
épít builds	felépít builds up, erects	Felépítettük a házat. · We built the house.
végez works at, finishes	elvégez completes	Elvégeztem a munkát. · I completed the work.

Watch out: you cannot predict the prefix meg- is the safest guess, but there is no formula: it is elolvas and not megolvas, kiiszik and not megiszik for "drink up", although megiszik exists too and is common in everyday speech. Learn each completed form with its verb, in the pairs above, and check a dictionary when unsure.

2. The prefix with the past

With the past tense (Hungarian Grammar 3, chapters 2 and 3), the prefix is the whole difference between "I was doing it" and "I got it done".

Without a prefix	With a prefix
Olvastam a levelet. I was reading the letter. / I read the letter (an activity).	Elolvastam a levelet. I read the letter through.
Ettem. I was eating. / I had a meal.	Megettem. I ate it up.
Tanultam. I studied. / I was studying.	Megtanultam. I learned it (I now know it).
Írtam egy levelet. I was writing a letter.	Megírtam a levelet. I wrote the letter (it is finished).

Hungarian Basic Conversation 4, Chapter 5 gave the first look at tanultam against megtanultam. The pattern is general: if the sentence reports a result, use the completed form; if it reports what you were busy with, use the plain one.

The completed form also fits a chain of events. In a story each step is a finished action, so each verb gets its prefix: Megettem a vacsorát, aztán elmosogattam, és lefeküdtem. (I ate dinner, then washed up, and went to bed.)

3. The prefix with the present and the future

Here Hungarian differs most from English. A completed verb in the present tense is not "I am finishing it". It looks forward and means "I will do it and finish it".

Form	Example	Meaning
plain present	Most írom a levelet.	I'm writing the letter now.
prefixed present	Holnap megírom a levelet.	I'll write the letter tomorrow (and finish it).
prefix + fog	Meg fogom írni a levelet.	I will write the letter (and finish it).
plain future	Írni fogom a levelet.	I will be writing the letter.

Hungarian Grammar 3, chapter 5 gave you the future with fog and said the present can carry a time word. For a verb with a completing prefix, the present alone is the ordinary way to talk about a single future event. Note where the prefix sits in the compound future: it comes before fog and the infinitive follows (meg fogom írni). Chapter 4 explains why.

Watch out: the English "I am doing it" trap Megírom a levelet does not mean "I am writing the letter" (that is írom). Said without a time word it sounds like "I'll write it (right away)". If you want to say what is happening at this moment, use the plain verb.

4. Time words that go with each aspect

Two small signals help you choose. A duration goes with the plain verb; a time taken to finish goes with the completed one.

Meaning	Phrase	Example
for a length of time (ongoing)	-ig · …-on át	Két órán át olvastam. · I read for two hours.
in a length of time (completed)	alatt	Két óra alatt elolvastam a könyvet. · I read the book through in two hours.
still (ongoing)	még	Még olvasom. · I'm still reading it.
already (completed)	már	Már elolvastam. · I've already read it.

5. Verbs that do not take a completing prefix

State verbs and verbs of being have no "finished" version, because nothing is finished. You will not meet a completing prefix on these.

Verb	Meaning
van	is, exists
tud	knows how to, can
lakik	lives (in a place)
dolgozik	works (as a regular activity)

A few prefixed verbs of this kind exist, but they mean something new (for example megismer, "recognises, gets to know", from ismer, "knows (a person)"). Chapter 3 returns to that shift of meaning.

6. A sign to watch for: negation

When you deny a completed action, the prefix moves behind the verb (Chapter 4 has the full rule): Nem olvastam el a levelet. (I haven't read the letter through.) A denied plain verb has no prefix to move: Nem olvastam a levelet. (I wasn't reading the letter.) The two sentences are not the same, and the position of the prefix tells you which one you are hearing.

🗣️ In Use — Használatban

Completed and ongoing verbs in the same exchange.

① A letter

A: Elolvastad a levelet? Have you read the letter through?

B: Igen, elolvastam. Holnap megírom a választ. Yes, I have. I'll write the reply tomorrow.

② On the support desk

A: Megoldottad a hibát? Have you solved the fault?

B: Még keresem az okát, de tíz perc alatt megoldom. I'm still looking for the cause, but I'll solve it in ten minutes.

③ After dinner

A: Mit csináltál este? What did you do this evening?

B: Főztem. Megfőztem a levest, aztán elmosogattam. I cooked. I made the soup, then washed up.

📋 Quick Reference — Gyorstábla

Idea	Rule	Example
Ongoing	the verb with no prefix	olvastam
Completed	the completing prefix (usually meg-)	megírtam · elolvastam
Chain of events	prefix on each finished step	megettem, elmosogattam
Completed present	points to the future	Holnap megírom.
Completed future	prefix + fog + infinitive	meg fogom írni
For a time	-ig / …-on át with the plain verb	két órán át olvastam
In a time	alatt with the completed verb	két óra alatt elolvastam
Still · already	még + plain · már + completed	még olvasom · már elolvastam
No completed form	state verbs	van · tud · lakik

✏️ Try It Yourself — Gyakorlás

Say the answer first, then click to check.

1. Which means "I read the letter through": olvastam a levelet or elolvastam a levelet?

Show answer

Elolvastam a levelet. The prefix reports the result.

2. Give the completed form of ír (writes).

Show answer

megír.

3. "I ate the apple." Use the completed form of eszik.

Show answer

Megettem az almát.

4. "I'll read it through tomorrow." Use the present tense.

Show answer

Holnap elolvasom. The completed present points to the future.

5. Say the same with fog.

Show answer

Holnap el fogom olvasni. The prefix comes before fog.

6. "I read for two hours."

Show answer

Két órán át olvastam. (Két órát olvastam is also heard.) A duration goes with the plain verb.

7. "I read the book through in two hours."

Show answer

Két óra alatt elolvastam a könyvet. alatt goes with the completed verb.

8. "I've already read it." Use már.

Show answer

Már elolvastam.

9. Which of these has no completing prefix: eszik, van, ír?

Show answer

van. A verb of being cannot be "finished".

10. "I have learned the poem" (a vers, accusative a verset).

Show answer

Megtanultam a verset.

Coming up in Chapter 3: Prefix Meanings and Changing Meanings. How one verb changes with each prefix (áll → megáll, feláll, kiáll), idiomatic prefix verbs, double prefixes and a learner's list of the commonest forty.