Learn Hungarian Adverbs Fast: Crash Course for Beginners

Learn Hungarian Adverbs Fast: Crash Course for Beginners

Hopefully, this article help you understand that learning Hungarian doesn't have to be the hardest and longest language to learn, and that it can be very easy and simple many times. 

1. What is an Adverb?

An adverb is a word that modifies or describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. In Hungarian, adverbs can describe how, when, where, or to what extent something happens.

2. Formation of Adverbs

In Hungarian, adverbs are often formed by adding a suffix to adjectives. The most common suffixes to form adverbs are:

• -an/-en: This is used to form adverbs that describe manner or how something is done.

  • Example:
    • gyors (fast) → gyorsan (quickly)
    • lassú (slow) → lassan (slowly)
  • These adjectives transform into adverbs with the -an/-en suffix to indicate the manner of the action.

• -ul/-ül: This suffix is used for certain adjectives, often with a more specific meaning or related to particular forms of action.

  • Example:
    • szép (beautiful) → szépen (beautifully/kindly/nicely)

• -kor: This suffix is used to form adverbs of time, such as “when” something happens.

  • Example:
    • háromkor at three o'clock

3. Types of Adverbs

Hungarian adverbs can be grouped into several categories, depending on what they modify. Here are the most common types:

a. Adverbs of Manner (How something is done)

These adverbs describe the manner or way in which an action is performed. They are typically formed with -an or -en.

• gyorsan (quickly)
• lassan (slowly)
• hangosan (loudly)
• csendesen (quietly)

b. Adverbs of Time (When something happens)

These adverbs indicate time. Some of these are formed with -kor, or they are standalone words.

• ma (today)
• holnap (tomorrow)
• este (in the evening)
• most (now)
• régen (a long time ago)
• már (already)

c. Adverbs of Place (Where something happens)

These adverbs describe where something is happening.

• itt (here)
• ott (there)
• fel (up)
• le (down)
• bent (inside)
• kint (outside)

d. Adverbs of Frequency (How often something happens)

These adverbs express how often an action occurs.

• mindig (always)
• soha (never)
• néha (sometimes)
• gyakran (often)
• ritkán (rarely)

e. Adverbs of Degree (To what extent something happens)

These adverbs describe the intensity or degree of an action or quality.

• nagyon (very)
• túl (too)
• kevés (a little)
• egészen (completely)
• szinte (almost)

f. Adverbs of Affirmation and Negation

These adverbs express agreement or disagreement.

• igen (yes)
• nem (no)
• talán (maybe)

4. Comparison of Adverbs

Just like adjectives, adverbs in Hungarian can also have comparative and superlative forms.

• Comparative: Add -bb to the adverb:

  • gyorsan (quickly) → gyorsabban (more quickly)
  • lassan (slowly) → lassabban (more slowly)

• Superlative: Add leg- to the comparative form:

  • leggyorsabban (most quickly)
  • leglassabban (most slowly)

5. Irregular Adverbs

Some adverbs, especially the most commonly used ones, have irregular forms:

• jól (well) → jobban (better) → legjobban (best)
• rosszul (badly) → rosszabbul (worse) → legrosszabbul (worst)

6. Examples of Hungarian Adverbs in Sentences

• Ma gyorsan futok. (Today, I run quickly.)
• Ő mindig késik. (He/She is always late.)
• Ezt ritkán hallom. (I rarely hear this.)
• Nagyon tetszik a könyv. (I really like the book.)
• Este pihenek. (I rest in the evening.)

GOING DEEPER

1. Adverbal Prefixes

Adverbal prefixes are used to modify verbs to indicate specific directions, locations, or manners. These prefixes are typically combined with verbs to form phrases that give more detail about how, where, or in what manner the action is being performed.

Here are some examples:

• be- (into) – bemenni (to go in)
• ki- (out) – kimenni (to go out)
• fel- (up) – felmenni (to go up)
• le- (down) – lemászni (to climb down)
• el- (away) – elmenni (to leave, go away)

These prefixes change the meaning of the base verb, indicating motion or direction.

2. Relative and Interrogative Adverbs

Adverbs of place (already covered) can also be relative or interrogative.

• Relative adverbs refer to a location or time relative to another idea or situation.
  • ahol – where (in the sense of "the place where")
    • Example: Ahol a fák nőnek, ott van a folyó. (Where the trees grow, there is the river.)
• Interrogative adverbs are used to ask specific questions about location, time, or manner:
  • hol? (where?)
  • hová? (to where?)
  • honnan? (from where?)
  • Example: Hol van a könyv? (Where is the book?)

These adverbs are key for asking questions and establishing relative locations in Hungarian.

3. Adverbal Participle: -va / -ve

An adverbal participle is a verb form used to describe how an action was performed and has been done. This participle is formed by adding -va or -ve to the stem of the verb. The adverbal participle modifies the verb it follows and gives it an adverbial function, describing the manner or condition under which the action is carried out.

For example:

• sietve jött (he came hurriedly)
• mosolyogva ment (she went smilingly)
• nevetve beszélt (he spoke laughingly)

In English, these participles would correspond to -ing verbs like "hurriedly," "smilingly," and "laughingly." They modify the verb to tell you how the action took place.

4. Adverbs of Number

Adverbs of number indicate the number of actions or events, and they are closely related to numerals. In Hungarian, numerals used as adverbs often include suffixes like -an to indicate the number of people or objects involved in the action.

Examples:

• hányan? (how many people?)
• ketten (we two)
• hárman (we three)
• öten (we five)
• nyolcan (we eight)

These forms are used to describe the number of people or things performing an action or involved in a situation. For example:

• Hányan mentek a strandra? (How many people went to the beach?)
• Mi négyen mentünk. (We four went.)
• Százan jöttek el. (One hundred people showed up.)

Summary

1. Adverbal prefixes modify verbs to indicate direction or location (e.g., be-, ki-, fel-, le-, el-).
2. Relative adverbs (like ahol) describe locations relative to something else, while interrogative adverbs (like hol, hová, honnan) are used for asking questions about places.
3. Adverbal participles (e.g., sietve, mosolyogva) describe how an action is performed and end in -va or -ve.
4. Adverbs of number modify the action to show how many people or things are involved (e.g., ketten, hárman, öten).

Understanding these forms will help you more effectively describe actions, locations, and quantities in Hungarian.