Free Hungarian lessons for English speakers, from your very first szia to reading Hungarian literature in the original. Each lesson is short, explains one thing at a time, and ends with exercises you can check as you go. Every Hungarian word on the site has a play button, so you can hear it.
New to Hungarian? Read Getting Started first, then begin with Lesson 1. Do the lessons in order: each one builds on the words from the one before.
The course
- A1Beginner
- 1Hungarian Alphabet and PronunciationA1
The 44 letters, the double letters like sz and gy, long and short sounds, and stress on the first syllable.
- 2NumbersA1
Counting from zero to a million, két and kettő, prices in forints, phone numbers and telling the time.
- 3Basic PhrasesA1
Hello and goodbye, please and thank you, "how are you", te and Ön, and introducing yourself.
- 4In a CaféA1
Ordering food and drink, menu words, a/az and egy, paying the bill, and a first look at the -t ending.
- 5Verbs and PronounsA1
I, you, he and she; the present tense endings in their three vowel versions; the ik-verbs; "to be"; saying "not"; and yes/no questions.
- 6Vowel Harmony and the PluralA1
Back, front and rounded words, how to make nouns plural with -k, the words whose stems change, and plural adjectives.
- A2Elementary
- 7The Accusative and "I Like"A2
The -t ending in full, the infinitive in -ni, and how to say what you like and want with szeret, tetszik, akar and kér.
- 8Places: In, Into, Out OfA2
Where, where to and where from; the endings -ban/-ben, -ba/-be and -ból/-ből; here and there; and the verbs megy, jön and lakik.
- 9Family and HavingA2
Talking about your family, the possessive endings "my, your, his, her", how Hungarian says "I have" with van and nekem, and saying how old you are.
- 10The Definite ConjugationA2
Why Hungarian verbs have two sets of endings, olvasok versus olvasom, when to use each one, and the special form szeretlek.
- 11On, Onto, OffA2
The cases -n (on), -ra/-re (onto) and -ról/-ről (off, about), which towns take Budapesten and which take Győrben, the days of the week, and talking about things.
- 12Language ReviewA2
A longer reading text about a student in Budapest, a summary of Lessons 1 to 11, and exercises on everything so far.
- B1Intermediate
- 13The Past TenseB1
The one Hungarian past tense with -t and -tt, in both conjugations, which verbs take which, the irregular voltam, mentem and jöttem, and nem volt.
- 14Verbal PrefixesB1
The prefixes ki-, be-, fel-, le-, el-, meg- and others, how they change a verb's meaning or complete it, when they split off, and the future with fog and lesz.
- 15Can, Must, WantB1
Saying "can" with tud and -hat/-het, "must" with kell and the personal infinitive (mennem kell), "want" with akar and szeretne, and what is allowed and forbidden.
- 16To, At, From People and ThingsB1
Going to people with -hoz/-hez/-höz, being at their place with -nál/-nél, coming from them with -tól/-től, doing things with -val/-vel, and giving to them with -nak/-nek.
- 17Most Used WordsB1
The 100 words you will meet most often, and the small particles is, csak, már, még, hát, ugye, pedig, persze and szintén that make Hungarian sound natural.
- 18Hungarian HomesB1
Flats and houses, rooms and furniture, saying where things are with alatt, alá and alól, renting a flat, and a B1 reading text.
- B2Upper intermediate
- 19Possession in DepthB2
My books, Peter's car, "mine" and "Peter's", possessives with cases, and family words with irregular stems.
- 20The Remaining CasesB2
-ért, -vá/-vé, -ig, -ként, -kor, -ul, -stul and -nként, "next to me" and "without you", and all 18 cases on one page.
- 21Conditional and SubjunctiveB2
"Would" with -na/-ne, polite requests, if-sentences, "would have", and the subjunctive for commands and "I want you to...".
- C1Advanced
- 22Word Order and FocusC1
Topic, focus and verb: the stressed slot before the verb, where the prefix goes, csak and is, and question words.
- 23ParticiplesC1
The reading boy, the written letter, the task to be done, the door is open: the four participles and participles used as nouns.
- 24Causative and Formal WritingC1
Having things done with -at/-et and -tat/-tet, the polite forms Ön, maga and tetszik, and how to write a formal letter.
- C2Mastery
- 25Idiom, Register and VarietiesC2
Casual greetings and slang, diminutives, the -ék plural, proverbs and idioms, regional varieties, and Hungarian outside Hungary.
- 26Reading Hungarian: Parallel TextsC2
Three original texts in Hungarian and English, a news report, an essay and a story, plus where to go after C2.
Reference
Once you've started, keep the table of the 18 cases and the verb conjugation tables close by. The Vocabulary Trainer drills every word list on the site.