How to Learn Hungarian Using Your English Skills

How to Learn Hungarian Using Your English Skills by Ethan LHA Learning Support Team

I grew up not knowing a single Hungarian word but could learn the Hungarian language in 18 months to very good fluency. It sounds crazy, but I did it. And you can, too. It's all about where to put your effort. And don't fret as an English speaker, you are farther ahead than you may think to reaching your Hungarian learning goals. 

Did you know that English and Hungarian may look worlds apart, but they actually share more learning shortcuts than you’d think? Hungarian is a Uralic language, not Indo-European like English, but that doesn't mean your English can't help you learn it faster.

Here are our top hacks tailored for English speakers to start speaking Hungarian with confidence and ease!

• Spelling is highly phonetic: once you learn Hungarian sounds, you can read almost anything! I suggest you learn this first! 

• Word order is flexible, letting you emphasize what matters most in your sentence.

• Native speakers are very patient and encouraging toward learners.

1. English Loanwords in Hungarian

Hungarian has adopted many English words, especially in tech and pop culture:

• komputer (computer)

• email (same!)

• szelfi (selfie)

• menedzser (manager)

• blog (yep, that one too!)

2. Hungarian is Phonetic—Score One for Reading!

No symbols or crazy squiggles to put into memories. Just familiar letters. And once you learn the Hungarian alphabet, you'll be able to pronounce almost any word correctly really fast and read really fast, too. Here’s a mini cheat sheet:

• s = "sh" (as in she)

• sz = "s" (as in so)

• cs = "ch" (as in chat)

• gy = "?" nothing really can make it sound as is on text (sorry!)

• ty = like a soft "ty" sound, similar to "tune"

• j/ly = both sound like "y" in "yuh man"

3. Compound Words are Everywhere

Hungarian builds long words by sticking shorter ones together, like LEGO:

• víz (water) + tározó (reservoir) = víztározó (cistern)

• nap (sun) + szemüveg (glasses) = napszemüveg (sunglasses)

Once you recognize roots, you’ll understand more than you think!

4. Emphasis Comes First

Hungarian puts the focus element at the beginning of the sentence:

• "I only eat apples" → "Csak almát eszem." (csak = only, alma = apple, eszem = I eat)

This is flexible and great for expressing emphasis clearly before the verb. And, if you think about it, we do similar sometimes in English as well, just word order is a bit different in Hungarian to accomplish the same task more or less. 

5. Possessives Are Logical

Possession is super consistent and easy in Hungarian:

• könyvem = my book (könyv = book + -em = my)

• könyved = your book (-ed = your)

• könyve = his/her book (-e = his/her)

6. Verbs are Built Like Equations

Verb conjugation tells you who is doing the action, so you can often drop pronouns!

• megyek = I go

• mész = you go

• megy = he/she/it goes

7. Questions are Direct

Questions in Hungarian don’t need do/does/did:

• "Do you speak English?" → "Beszélsz angolul?" (beszélsz = you speak, angolul = in English)

• Stress is always on the first syllable in Hungarian words. That makes pronunciation rhythmic and predictable.

• Vowels matter a lot. Hungarian has 14 vowels and vowel harmony (front vs back vowels) plays a role in suffixes. You’ll catch on quickly with exposure.

• Double consonants are real. E.g., "köszönöm" (thank you) has two strong "ö" sounds and a slightly longer "nöm."

• Memorize useful chunks: "Hogy vagy?" (How are you?), "Nem tudom" (I don’t know), "Nagyon finom!" (Very tasty!)

• Get used to suffixes: Hungarian is agglutinative. Suffixes add layers of meaning. Example: ház = house, házban = in the house, házból = from the house.

• Use spaced repetition tools like Anki or Quizlet with audio for pronunciation.

• Use spaced repetition systems to review vocabulary regularly

• Find a language exchange partner who speaks Hungarian

• Immerse yourself with Hungarian media - there are many excellent films and music

• Try to think directly in Hungarian rather than always translating from English

• Label items in your home with Hungarian words

Want to keep learning? Head over to Learn Hungarian Anywhere to explore more helpful tips.