When do I say that someone speaks Hungarian well?

When someone books a consultation with me, I always ask them to define their language goals before we start working together. Often, the response I get is, "I want to speak Hungarian well." But what exactly does that mean? It’s essential to thoroughly explore this question because it’s the only way we can achieve concrete results.

Speaking Hungarian well is often characterized by fluency, eloquence, and good pronunciation. A person is able to make themselves understood by native speakers and can also understand them well. Based on many years of experience, I would say that someone speaks well when I, as a native speaker, can comfortably communicate with them in Hungarian. This means that I can easily understand them, regardless of their level, and communication flows both ways. Even if we encounter minor obstacles, we’re always able to keep the conversation going.

In my opinion, someone speaks Hungarian well when they can use the language practically and creatively, even with a limited vocabulary. Many learners lack this problem-solving ability, which can be very helpful in language use. I also consider good pronunciation important because, without it, long, complex sentences are useless if the words aren’t understood. Clear pronunciation with basic grammar and simpler sentences is worth much more.

Another important factor for me is the type of expressions a language user employs. For example, using common everyday phrases and expressions makes conversations much more comfortable for me.

What do you think? Feel free to send me an email and share your thoughts.

Are you already speaking Hungarian well? You might be interested in my workshop on November 23rd starting at 18:00 HU time, where I’ll be talking about sentence formation and word order. I’ll explain everything clearly, and we’ll put it into practice. It will be incredibly useful for those who find it difficult to speak Hungarian.

Hope to see you soon!

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