Participles
Hungarian Grammar 4
Chapter 5 · Participles
🧩 Verbs That Describe — A melléknévi igenév
So far every verb in this course has been a finite verb, with a person and a tense. A participle turns a verb into an adjective: the reading girl, the written letter, the problem to be solved. Hungarian uses participles where English more often uses a relative clause ("the girl who is reading"), and it builds longer phrases before the noun than English allows.
1. The present participle: -ó / -ő
Add -ó to a back-vowel stem and -ő to a front-vowel stem (vowel harmony, Hungarian Grammar 1, chapter 2). It means "doing the action" and is active.
| Verb | Participle | Example |
|---|---|---|
| olvas reads | olvasó | az olvasó gyerek · the reading child |
| tanul studies | tanuló | a tanuló diák · the studying pupil |
| dolgozik works | dolgozó | a dolgozó nő · the working woman |
| néz looks | néző | a tévét néző férfi · the man watching TV |
| épít builds | építő | az építő munkás · the building worker |
| hever lies | heverő | az asztalon heverő könyv · the book lying on the table |
A few verbs use an irregular stem for the participle:
| Verb | Participle | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| eszik | evő | eating |
| iszik | ivó | drinking |
| alszik | alvó | sleeping: az alvó macska · the sleeping cat |
| jön | jövő | coming, next (a jövő hét · next week; a jövő · the future) |
| van | lévő | being, situated: a szobában lévő emberek · the people in the room |
2. The past participle: -t / -tt / -ott / -ett
The past participle has the shape of the 3rd person singular of the indefinite past (Hungarian Grammar 3, chapter 2): megírt, elolvasott, nyitott. With a transitive verb it is passive: it describes what was done to something. With an intransitive verb it is active: it describes who did the action.
| Verb | Participle | Example |
|---|---|---|
| megír writes (up) | megírt | a megírt levél · the letter that has been written |
| elolvas reads through | elolvasott | az elolvasott könyv · the book that has been read |
| megrendel orders | megrendelt | a megrendelt áru · the goods ordered |
| főz cooks | főzött | a főzött leves · the cooked soup |
| nyit opens | nyitott | a nyitott ajtó · the open door |
| megérkezik arrives (intransitive) | megérkezett | a megérkezett vendégek · the guests who have arrived |
| elveszik gets lost (intransitive) | elveszett | az elveszett kulcs · the lost key |
To say who did the action, use által (by): a Péter által megírt levél (the letter written by Péter). The participle keeps its prefix attached, whatever the sentence: megírt, never *írt meg.
3. The future participle: -andó / -endő
The future participle means "which is to be done, which must be done". It is passive and often used on forms, notices and in work lists.
| Verb | Participle | Example |
|---|---|---|
| megold solves | megoldandó | a megoldandó probléma · the problem to be solved |
| megír writes | megírandó | a megírandó levél · the letter still to be written |
| elolvas reads | elolvasandó | az elolvasandó fejezet · the chapter to be read |
| kitölt fills in | kitöltendő | a kitöltendő űrlap · the form to be filled in |
| tesz does, puts | teendő | a teendők · the things to be done (a to-do list) |
4. Participle phrases
The participle may bring its own objects and adverbials with it. They stand before the participle, and the whole phrase stands before the noun. This replaces the relative clause that English would use.
| Relative clause | Participle phrase |
|---|---|
| A lány, aki a levelet írja the girl who is writing the letter | A levelet író lány |
| A technikus, aki a hibát javítja the technician who is fixing the fault | A hibát javító technikus |
| A macska, amely a kanapén alszik the cat that is sleeping on the sofa | A kanapén alvó macska |
| A levél, amelyet tegnap írtam meg the letter that I wrote yesterday | A tegnap megírt levél |
The participle phrase is more compact and more at home in writing; the relative clause with aki / ami (Chapter 9) is the everyday choice in speech.
Negation. Nem stands in front of the participle: a nem olvasott könyv (the unread book), a nem működő szerver (the server that isn't working). With a prefix verb the prefix goes before nem: a meg nem írt levél (the letter that hasn't been written), az el nem küldött üzenet (the message that wasn't sent). This is the same split you met in Chapter 4, in the order prefix + nem + participle.
5. Participles as nouns
Many present participles have become ordinary nouns for the person or thing doing the action. They are common in everyday vocabulary, including the Hungarian course levels.
| Noun | Meaning | From |
|---|---|---|
| író | writer | ír |
| olvasó | reader | olvas |
| tanuló | student, learner | tanul |
| tanító | teacher (primary) | tanít |
| vevő | buyer, customer | vesz |
| eladó | seller; also "for sale" | elad |
| utazó | traveller | utazik |
| látogató | visitor | látogat |
| kezdő · haladó | beginner · advanced learner | kezd · halad |
🗣️ In Use — Használatban
Participle phrases in everyday and workplace speech.
① In the office
② On the support desk
③ At home
📋 Quick Reference — Gyorstábla
| Participle | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present | stem + -ó / -ő; active | olvasó · néző · alvó |
| Past | 3rd sg past shape: -t / -tt / -ott / -ett; passive for transitive, active for intransitive | megírt · megérkezett |
| Future | stem + -andó / -endő; passive | megoldandó · kitöltendő |
| Position | before the noun; its objects and adverbials before it | a levelet író lány |
| Agent | által | a Péter által megírt levél |
| Negation | nem before the participle; prefix before nem | a nem olvasott könyv · a meg nem írt levél |
| As nouns | many present participles | író · tanuló · eladó |
✏️ Try It Yourself — Gyakorlás
Say the answer first, then click to check.
1. Make the present participle of olvas and use it with gyerek.
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olvasó → az olvasó gyerek (the reading child).
2. "The girl who is writing the letter", as a participle phrase.
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A levelet író lány. The object stands before the participle.
3. Give the present participle of alszik (sleeps).
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alvó, with the irregular stem alv-.
4. Give the past participle of megír, and say "the written letter".
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megírt → a megírt levél.
5. Give the past participle of elolvas.
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elolvasott (az elolvasott könyv, the book that has been read).
6. "The problem to be solved."
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A megoldandó probléma.
7. What does a kitöltendő űrlap mean?
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"The form to be filled in", with a future participle.
8. "The letter written by Péter."
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A Péter által megírt levél.
9. "The unread book."
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A nem olvasott könyv.
10. "The letter that has not been written", with megír and nem.
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A meg nem írt levél. The prefix goes before nem.