Learn Hungarian Suffixes Fast: Crash Course for Beginners

Let's go over the suffixes used in Hungarian to form adverbs, nouns, adjectives, and verbs, along with other verb forms like reflexive verbs.

1. Making Adverbs (-an/-ul)

The suffixes -an and -ul are used to form adverbs of manner in Hungarian. These adverbs describe how an action is performed.

Examples:

• Lassan (slowly) → from lassú (slow)
• Könnyen (easily) → from könnyű (easy)

2. Making Nouns (-ás)

The suffix -ás is used to form nouns from verbs, indicating the act or process of doing something. This is often translated as the "-ing" form in English.

Examples:

• Írás (writing) → from ír (to write)
• Olvasás (reading) → from olvas (to read)

3. Making Adjectives (-i)

The suffix -i is used to turn nouns into adjectives, often to express a characteristic or belonging.

Examples:

• Keleti (of the east) → from Kelet (East)
• Történelmi (historical) → from történelem (history)

4. Making Adjectives (-s)

The suffix -s is used to form adjectives that indicate something has a characteristic, often translating to English as "-y" or "-like".

Examples:

• Vizes (watery or wet) → from víz (water)

5. Making Verbs (-ít/-ul)

The suffix -ít is used to create causative verbs, meaning the subject causes something to happen, or makes something happen. The suffix -ul is a variant that can also be used with certain verbs.

Examples:

• Pirosit (to make something red) → from prios (red)
• Érdesít (to make rough) → from érdes (rough)

7. Making Nouns (-ság)

The suffix -sá/ég is used to turn adjectives into abstract nouns, often denoting a quality, state, or condition.

Examples:

• Szépség (beauty) → from szép (beautiful)
• Bátorság (courage) → from bátor (brave)

8. Making Nouns (-mány)

The suffix -mány is used to create nouns that refer to a result, a document, or a concept related to a verb or action.

Examples:

• Tanulmány (study, research) → from tanul (to learn)
• Tudomány (science) → from tud (to know)

9. Making Work (-s) and (-ó)

The suffix -ász is used to create job titles or professions, indicating someone who performs a particular task or action.

Examples:

• Munkás (worker) → from munka (work) or such as in Munkás auto (a worker's car)
• Tanuló (studier) → from tanul (to study)

These are some basic suffixes are an essential part of the Hungarian language system, allowing for the formation of many different kinds of words from a single base form. They enable the creation of adverbs, nouns, adjectives, verbs, and professions, making the language more versatile and dynamic. There are many more but this is a good start for now.