Clauses and Comparison
Hungarian Grammar 4
Chapter 9 · Clauses and Comparison
🔗 Joining and Comparing — Mondatok és összehasonlítás
You now know how a single Hungarian clause is built, with its prefix, participles and focus. This chapter joins clauses together with relative words and conjunctions, and then compares things with -bb and leg-. Both topics depend on the word order of Chapters 7 and 8, because a subordinate clause keeps the same pattern as a main clause.
1. Relative clauses: aki, ami, amely
| Word | Refers to | Example |
|---|---|---|
| aki (pl. akik) | a person | A lány, aki a levelet írta, itt van. · The girl who wrote the letter is here. |
| ami (pl. amik) | a thing, an idea, a whole clause | Ez az, ami tetszik. · This is what I like. |
| amely (pl. amelyek) | a thing or a person; more written | A könyv, amely az asztalon van, régi. · The book that is on the table is old. |
| amelyik | "which one" of several | Amelyik tetszik, azt megveszem. · I'll buy whichever I like. |
These words take the cases of Hungarian Grammar 2, and you build them by putting the ending on the stem ki-, mi-, mely-. Their case is the case that the verb of the relative clause requires, not the case of the noun they refer to.
| Case | Person | Thing |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | aki · A lány, aki ír. | ami · A dolog, ami fáj. |
| accusative | akit · A lány, akit láttam. | amit / amelyet · A könyv, amit/amelyet vettem. |
| dative | akinek · A lány, akinek írtam. | aminek |
| with | akivel · A nő, akivel beszéltem. | amivel · A program, amivel dolgozom. |
| in | akiben | amiben · A doboz, amiben a kulcs van. |
2. Correlative pairs: az, aki
Hungarian often says "the one who" with a demonstrative az in the main clause, matched by the relative in the subordinate clause. The pair agrees in case with its own clause.
| Pair | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| az, aki | Az, aki ott áll, a tanárom. | The one who is standing there is my teacher. |
| az, ami | Az, amit mondtál, igaz. | What you said is true. |
| azt, akit | Azt, akit kerestem, megtaláltam. | I found the person I was looking for. |
| minden, amit | Minden, amit tudok, a könyvekből tudom. | Everything I know, I know from books. |
| mindenki, aki | Mindenki, aki ott volt, látta. | Everyone who was there saw it. |
A well-known saying uses the shape: Aki korán kel, aranyat lel. (Whoever rises early finds gold.)
3. hogy and other conjunctions
Hogy introduces a clause that gives the content of what was said, thought or wanted. It follows the main verb and is separated by a comma. The main clause often has a pointing word, azt ("that"), anticipating it.
| Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| said or thought | Azt mondta, hogy jön. | He said that he is coming. |
| wanted (subjunctive) | Azt akarom, hogy gyere el. | I want you to come. |
| purpose | Azért tanulok, hogy jó munkát találjak. | I study so that I find a good job. |
| reason | Azért maradok otthon, mert esik. | I'm staying at home because it's raining. |
After words of wanting, asking and advising, the verb in the hogy clause is in the subjunctive (Hungarian Grammar 3, chapter 8).
The other common conjunctions:
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ha | if, whenever | Ha esik, otthon maradok. · If it rains, I stay at home. |
| mert | because | Nem jövök, mert beteg vagyok. · I'm not coming, because I'm ill. |
| mivel | since, given that (more formal) | Mivel késő van, hazamegyek. · Since it's late, I'm going home. |
| ahogy | as, the way that | Úgy csinálom, ahogy te mondtad. · I do it the way you said. |
| amikor | when | Amikor megérkeztem, esett. · When I arrived, it was raining. |
| mielőtt | before | Mielőtt elmegyek, felhívlak. · Before I leave, I'll ring you. |
| miután | after | Miután elolvastam, megírtam. · After I had read it, I wrote it. |
| amíg | while, until | Amíg dolgozom, zenét hallgatok. · While I work, I listen to music. |
| bár | although | Bár fáradt vagyok, elmegyek. · Although I'm tired, I'll go. |
4. Comparison
The comparative adds -bb to the adjective, with a linking vowel after most consonant-final stems: -abb after back vowels, -ebb after front vowels. The superlative adds leg- to the comparative.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| gyors fast | gyorsabb | leggyorsabb |
| magas tall, high | magasabb | legmagasabb |
| olcsó cheap | olcsóbb | legolcsóbb |
| drága expensive | drágább | legdrágább |
| szép beautiful | szebb | legszebb |
| új new | újabb | legújabb |
A few adjectives are irregular, and you need to learn them:
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| jó good | jobb | legjobb |
| nagy big | nagyobb | legnagyobb |
| kicsi small | kisebb | legkisebb |
| sok much, many | több | legtöbb |
| kevés little, few | kevesebb | legkevesebb |
To compare two things, use mint ("than"), or olyan … mint for "as … as":
| Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| comparative + mint | Péter magasabb, mint Anna. | Peter is taller than Anna. |
| olyan … mint | Olyan gyors, mint a másik szerver. | It is as fast as the other server. |
| mint ahogy | Jobb volt, mint ahogy vártam. | It was better than I expected. |
| minél … annál | Minél többet tanulok, annál jobban értem. | The more I study, the better I understand. |
An adverb compares the same way, with the -an/-en ending: gyorsabban (faster), jobban (better). The superlative can be made stronger with az egyik legjobb ("one of the best").
5. Clause order
A subordinate clause follows the same word-order rules as a main clause (Chapters 7 and 8), including the prefix rules. A few habits help:
- A relative clause follows the noun it describes.
- A hogy-clause follows the main verb.
- An ha-clause often comes first: Ha esik, otthon maradok.
- Every clause is separated by a comma, and the comma goes before the conjunction.
🗣️ In Use — Használatban
Relative clauses, reasons and comparison in three exchanges.
① The book
② On the support desk
③ A family photo
📋 Quick Reference — Gyorstábla
| Idea | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Relative, person | aki, in the case its verb needs | a nő, akivel beszéltem |
| Relative, thing | ami, amely | a könyv, amit/amelyet vettem |
| Correlative | az, aki · minden, amit | Az, amit mondtál, igaz. |
| hogy | content, purpose; subjunctive after wanting | Azt mondta, hogy jön. |
| Reason | mert, mivel; azért, mert | Mivel késő van, hazamegyek. |
| Time and condition | ha, amikor, mielőtt, miután, amíg | Ha esik, otthon maradok. |
| Comparative | -bb (with a linking vowel) | gyorsabb · szebb |
| Superlative | leg- + comparative | leggyorsabb |
| Irregular | learn | jobb · nagyobb · több |
| "than" · "as … as" · "the more … the more" | mint · olyan … mint · minél … annál | magasabb, mint Anna |
✏️ Try It Yourself — Gyakorlás
Say the answer first, then click to check.
1. "The girl who wrote the letter."
Show answer
A lány, aki a levelet írta.
2. "The book that I bought."
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A könyv, amelyet megvettem. (amit is the everyday form.)
3. "Everything I know."
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Minden, amit tudok.
4. "He said that he is coming."
Show answer
Azt mondta, hogy jön.
5. "I study so that I find a good job."
Show answer
Azért tanulok, hogy jó munkát találjak. The verb after hogy is in the subjunctive.
6. "If it rains, I stay at home."
Show answer
Ha esik, otthon maradok.
7. Give the comparatives of nagy and jó.
Show answer
nagyobb and jobb.
8. "Peter is taller than Anna."
Show answer
Péter magasabb, mint Anna.
9. "The more I study, the better I understand."
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Minél többet tanulok, annál jobban értem.
10. Give the superlative of jó.
Show answer
legjobb.