Verbal Forms

Hungarian Grammar 4

Chapter 6 · Verbal Forms

🔧 More Things a Verb Can Become — Határozói igenév és névszói igenév

Chapter 5 turned verbs into adjectives. This chapter turns them into adverbs (laughing, standing, having read), into nouns (reading, a download, something to eat) and into adjectives that say what can be done (readable, downloadable). These are the forms behind many everyday words and most notices on websites.

The rule in one box -va / -ve makes an adverb that says how or in what state an action happens (nevetve, laughing). -ás / -és makes a noun for the action itself (olvasás, reading). -ható / -hető makes an adjective meaning "can be done" (olvasható, readable). All three attach to the verb stem and follow vowel harmony (back: -va, -ás, -ható; front: -ve, -és, -hető).

1. The adverbial participle: -va / -ve

It describes how the subject does the main action, and it has the same subject as the main verb. It may be written as one word with a prefix.

Verb	Form	Example
nevet laughs	nevetve	Nevetve mondta. · He said it laughing.
sír cries	sírva	Sírva jött haza. · She came home crying.
áll stands	állva	Állva dolgozom. · I work standing up.
ül sits	ülve	Ülve olvas. · He reads sitting down.
hallgat listens	hallgatva	Zenét hallgatva tanulok. · I study listening to music.
olvas reads	olvasva	A levelet olvasva sírt. · She cried reading the letter.

An object before the form works exactly as in Chapter 5: Zenét hallgatva, A levelet olvasva.

With a completing prefix the form means "having done it": Megírva a levelet, elment. (Having written the letter, he left.) The prefix stays attached: megírva.

The resulting state with van

With the verb van (is), the same form says that something is in a state brought about by an action. This is how Hungarian says "is open, is closed, is switched on".

Form	Example	Meaning
nyitva	Az ajtó nyitva van.	The door is open.
zárva	Az iroda zárva van.	The office is closed.
be van kapcsolva	Be van kapcsolva a gép.	The machine is switched on.
ki van kapcsolva	Ki van kapcsolva a gép.	The machine is switched off.
meg van írva	Meg van írva a levél.	The letter has been written.

Watch out: the prefix and van In be van kapcsolva the prefix stands before van, as a separate word. In a one-word adverb it attaches: Kikapcsolva hagyom a gépet. (I leave the machine switched off.) The shop sign Zárva and Nyitva is the same form without van.

2. The literary form: -ván / -vén

-ván / -vén adds a shade of reason or time to the same idea ("since, because, while"). It is formal and mostly written, and you will meet it in newspapers, official letters and speeches rather than in conversation.

Form	Example	Meaning
látván	Látván a bajt, segített.	Seeing the trouble, he helped.
tudván	Tudván, hogy késni fog, felhívott.	Knowing that he would be late, he rang.
azt mondván	Azt mondván, hogy beteg, otthon maradt.	Saying he was ill, he stayed at home.

In your own writing and speech, use -va / -ve or a clause with mert (because) instead.

3. The verbal noun: -ás / -és

The verbal noun names the action. Add -ás to a back stem and -és to a front stem.

Verb	Noun	Example
olvas	olvasás	Az olvasás szórakoztat. · Reading is entertaining.
tanul	tanulás	A tanulás fontos. · Studying is important.
kérdez	kérdés	Van egy kérdésem. · I have a question.
beszélget	beszélgetés	Jó beszélgetés volt. · It was a good conversation.
letölt	letöltés	A letöltés gyors. · The download is quick.
telepít	telepítés	A telepítés sokáig tart. · The installation takes a long time.
bejelentkezik	bejelentkezés	A bejelentkezés sikertelen. · The login failed.
ment saves	mentés	Automatikus mentés. · Automatic saving.

To say "the writing of the letter", the thing the action applies to stands first, and the verbal noun takes the possessive ending (Hungarian Grammar 2, chapter 8):

Phrase	Meaning
a levél megírása	the writing of the letter
a fájl letöltése	the download of the file
a program telepítése	the installation of the program
a rendszer újraindítása	the restart of the system

4. The -ni forms

The infinitive can serve as a subject, often after an adjective: Olvasni jó. (Reading is good.), Nehéz megérteni. (It is hard to understand.) The difference from -ás is that the infinitive names the general idea ("to read") and the verbal noun names the action as a thing (az olvasás).

Add -való to the infinitive for "something to do with": tennivaló (things to do), ennivaló (something to eat), innivaló (something to drink), olvasnivaló (something to read).

Example	Meaning
Van egy kis tennivalóm.	I have a little to do.
Kérek valami olvasnivalót.	I'd like something to read.
Hozok valami ennivalót.	I'll bring something to eat.

5. "Can be done": -ható / -hető

Add -hat / -het (the ending for "can") to a verb stem and then -ó / -ő: the result is an adjective that says what can be done to something. Its negative ends in -hatatlan / -hetetlen.

Verb	Can be done	Cannot be done
olvas	olvasható · readable	olvashatatlan · illegible
megold	megoldható · solvable	megoldhatatlan · unsolvable
elér	elérhető · reachable, available	elérhetetlen · unreachable
letölt	letölthető · downloadable	letölthetetlen · not downloadable
hisz believes	hihető · believable	hihetetlen · unbelievable
lát sees	látható · visible	láthatatlan · invisible

Watch out: nem elérhető against elérhetetlen On websites and in apps the everyday way to say a service is not available is nem elérhető ("not available right now"). Elérhetetlen is stronger: out of reach, impossible to get to. The same goes for most pairs: when you simply deny the state, use nem plus the -ható form.

🗣️ In Use — Használatban

The forms of this chapter in three exchanges.

① A closed office

A: Nyitva van az iroda? Is the office open?

B: Nem, zárva van, de a weboldalon elérhető az információ. No, it's closed, but the information is available on the website.

② An update

A: Letölthető a frissítés? Can the update be downloaded?

B: Igen, a letöltés gyors, de a telepítés sokáig tart. Yes, the download is quick, but the installation takes a long time.

③ At the desk

A: Miért állsz? Why are you standing?

B: Mert nem tudok ülve dolgozni. Because I can't work sitting down.

📋 Quick Reference — Gyorstábla

Form	Makes	Example
-va / -ve	adverb of manner; state with van	nevetve · nyitva van
prefix + -va	"having done"	megírva
-ván / -vén	formal reason or time adverb	látván
-ás / -és	noun for the action	olvasás · letöltés
"the V-ing of X"	X + verbal noun with possessive	a levél megírása
infinitive	subject: general idea	Olvasni jó.
-ni + való	"something to …"	olvasnivaló
-ható / -hető	adjective "can be done"	olvasható · elérhető
-hatatlan / -hetetlen	adjective "cannot be done"	olvashatatlan

✏️ Try It Yourself — Gyakorlás

Say the answer first, then click to check.

1. Give the -va form of ír (writes).

Show answer

írva.

2. "He said it laughing."

Show answer

Nevetve mondta.

3. "The door is open."

Show answer

Az ajtó nyitva van.

4. "The machine is switched on."

Show answer

Be van kapcsolva a gép.

5. Give the verbal nouns of olvas and letölt.

Show answer

olvasás and letöltés.

6. "The installation of the program."

Show answer

A program telepítése.

7. "I'd like something to read."

Show answer

Kérek valami olvasnivalót.

8. Say "readable" and "illegible".

Show answer

olvasható and olvashatatlan.

9. "A downloadable file."

Show answer

Egy letölthető fájl.

10. Which form of this chapter means "saying that", and is it everyday or formal?

Show answer

azt mondván. It is formal and mostly written.

Coming up in Chapter 7: Word Order: Topic and Neutral Sentences. The shape of a Hungarian sentence, topic then comment, neutral order with a prefix, where sentence adverbs go, and word order in questions.