The Hungarian language is of the Finno-Ugric branch that originated between the Volga and the Urals in the first millennium BC. The hungarian language is difficult but using a few words in Hungarian will certainly be appreciated by the locals.
We have classified Hungarian words into 4 categories that will be most useful to you when visiting Budapest:
- Basics (such as: hello, thanks, yes…in hungarian)
- Directions/transportation (where is…,…)
- Eating (cheers! in hungarian, water, wine, beer…)
- Money (Where is an ATM ?,…)
The translation of each word into Hungarian is followed by its phonetic pronunciation written between brackets.
BASICS
Hello |
Szervusz (ser-voos) |
Goodbye |
Viszontlátásra (Vee-sont-la-tash-ra) |
thanks |
köszönöm ( keu-seu-nem ) |
please |
kérem ( key-rem ) |
yes |
igen (ee-gen) |
no |
nem (nehm) |
I’m sorry |
Bocsánat ( bo-cha-nat) |
Excuse me |
elnézést ( el-ney-zeysht ) |
Do you speak english ? |
Beszél angolul ? (Be-seyl-an-go-loul?) |
I don’t understand |
Nem értem (nem eyr-tem) |
Where is the toilet? |
Hol van a mosdó? (hol van a mosh-doa?) |
1 |
egy ( edj ) |
2 |
kettö ( ket-eu ) |
3 |
három ( ha-rom) |
DIRECTIONS / TRANSPORTATION
street |
utca (out-tsa) |
Square |
tér |
Bridge |
hid |
district |
kerület (key-rulet) |
adress |
cim (ts-im) |
entrance |
bejárat (beh-yah-raht) |
exit |
kijárat (kih-yah-raht) |
forbidden |
tilos (tilosh) |
where is the…? |
Hol van a…? ( hol vahn aw..?) |
hotel |
hotel |
toilet |
mosdó (mosh-doa) |
How much is a ticket ? |
Mennyibe kerül egy jegy? (Men-nyi-be Ke-rul edj yedj ?) |
right/left |
jobb/bal (yob/bal) |
EATING
restaurant |
étterem (eyt-ter-em) |
water |
viz (veez) |
beer |
sör (shor) |
vine |
bor (bor) |
May I see the menu, please? |
Megnézhetném a menüt, kérem? (Meg-neyz-het-neym a me-nut, key-rem) |
the bill, please! |
a számlat kérem! (aw sam-lat keh-rem) |
price |
ár |
salt |
só (shoa) |
tea |
tea (te-a) |
coffee |
kávé (ka-vey) |
butter |
vaj (vay) |
black pepper |
feketebors (fe-ke-te-borsh) |
breakfast/lunch |
reggeli/ebéd (reg-ge-li/e-beyd) |
Cheers! |
egészségetekre (ag-eh-sheg-ad-reh) |
it was delicious |
Nagyon finom volt. (Na-djon fi-nom volt) |
MONEY
Do you accept British pounds? |
Elfogadnak angol fontot? (El-fo-gad-nak An-gol Font-ot) |
Do you accept Euros? |
Elfogadnak eurót? (El-fo-gad-nak You-rot) |
Do you accept credit cards? |
Elfogadnak hitelkártyát? (El-fo-gad-nak Hi-tel-kart-yat) |
What is the exchange rate? |
Mi az árfolyam? (mi az At-fo-yam ?) |
Where is an ATM ? |
Hol van bankautomata? (hol van Bank-a-ou-to-ma-ta?) |
Can you change money for me? |
Válthatok Önnél pénzt? (Valt-ha-tok On-neyl peynzt?) |
Do you have a safe? |
Van széfjük? (van Seyf-yuk?) |
I lost my bag |
Elveszett a táskám (el-ve-set a tash-kam) |
I lost my wallet |
Elveszett a tárcám. (el-ve-set a tar-tsam) |
Can I use your phone? |
Használhatom a telefonját? (Haa-nal-ha-tom a Te-le-fon-yat ?) |
Police! |
Rendőrség! (ren-dor-sheyg) |
Good luck to all for you use of the Hungarian language!
Do not hesitate to consult our section on ‘Preparing your trip’ to enjoy your stay in Budapest and our articles in the section, ‘Visit Budapest’, on this link!