<!-- hungarian phrasebook -->
Essential Hungarian phrases
for travellers (printable)
how to say hello in hungarian
Jó napot — yoh NAH-pot — is how you say hello in Hungarian. It works at any hour, anywhere the language is spoken, with anyone. Pair it with Köszönöm (KUR-sur-nurm) for thank you and you already have the two words you will use most.
Below are 36 phrases worth knowing before you land, grouped by the situation you will need them in. Every one has a plain-English respelling — stressed syllable in capitals; stress is always the first syllable — because IPA is no use to anyone standing at a pharmacy counter. Hungary, plus sizeable communities in Romania, Slovakia and Serbia — around 13 million speakers of a language unrelated to any of its neighbours. Also searched as Hungary, Magyar, Budapest.
take it with you
The whole card, on one page
All 36 phrases on a single sheet — print it, fold it into a passport, or keep it on your phone. Free, no signup, no watermark.
The essentials
The six words that carry most of a trip.
| English | Hungarian |
|---|---|
| Hello | Jó napotyoh NAH-potFormal, "good day". Szia (SEE-yah) is informal and means both hello and bye. |
| Goodbye | ViszontlátásraVEE-sont-lah-tahsh-rahViszlát (VEES-laht) is the everyday short form. |
| Please | KéremKAY-rem |
| Thank you | KöszönömKUR-sur-nurmKösz (kurs) is the casual version. |
| Yes / No | Igen / NemEE-gen / nem |
| Excuse me / Sorry | ElnézéstEL-nay-zaysht |
Getting by
What to say when the conversation outruns you.
| English | Hungarian |
|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | Beszél angolul?BEH-sayl AHN-goh-lool |
| I don't understand | Nem értemnem AYR-tem |
| Could you repeat that? | Megismételné?MEG-ish-may-tel-nay |
| Please speak slowly | Kérem, beszéljen lassanKAY-rem BEH-sayl-yen LAHSH-shahn |
| My name is… | A nevem…ah NEH-vem |
| Nice to meet you | Örülök, hogy megismertemUR-ew-lurk hodj MEG-ish-mer-tem |
Getting around
Streets, stations and the one question everyone needs.
| English | Hungarian |
|---|---|
| Where is…? | Hol van…?hohl vahn |
| How do I get to…? | Hogyan jutok el…?HOH-djahn YOO-tok el |
| Where is the toilet? | Hol van a mosdó?hohl vahn ah MOSH-doh |
| Left / Right | Balra / JobbraBAHL-rah / YOHB-rah |
| Straight ahead | Egyenesen előreED-jeh-neh-shen EH-lur-reh |
| Is it far? | Messze van?MES-seh vahn |
Food and drink
Ordering, allergies, and asking for the bill.
| English | Hungarian |
|---|---|
| A table for two, please | Egy asztalt két főre, kéremedj AHS-tahlt kayt FUR-reh |
| The menu, please | Az étlapot, kéremahz AYT-lah-pot KAY-rem |
| I would like… | Kérnék…KAYR-nayk |
| Water, please | Vizet, kéremVEE-zet KAY-rem |
| I am allergic to… | Allergiás vagyok a…AHL-ler-gee-ahsh VAH-djok ah |
| The bill, please | A számlát, kéremah SAHM-laht KAY-rem |
Shopping and money
Prices, cards, and politely not buying anything.
| English | Hungarian |
|---|---|
| How much is it? | Mennyibe kerül?MEN-nyee-beh KEH-rewl |
| That's too expensive | Ez túl drágaez tool DRAH-gah |
| Do you take cards? | Elfogadnak kártyát?EL-foh-gahd-nahk KAHR-tyaht |
| I am just looking | Csak nézelődömchahk NAY-zeh-lur-durmcs is "ch". |
| Do you have…? | Van…?vahn |
| A receipt, please | Nyugtát, kéremNYOOG-taht KAY-rem |
Emergencies
Worth reading once before you need them.
| English | Hungarian |
|---|---|
| Help! | Segítség!SHEH-geet-shayg |
| Call the police | Hívja a rendőrségetHEEV-yah ah REN-dur-shay-getEmergency number is 112. |
| Call an ambulance | Hívjon mentőtHEEV-yon MEN-turt |
| I need a doctor | Orvosra van szükségemOR-vosh-rah vahn SEWK-shay-gem |
| I am lost | EltévedtemEL-tay-ved-tem |
| Where is the hospital? | Hol van a kórház?hohl vahn ah KOHR-hahz |
<!-- saying it right -->
Four things that fix
most of the accent
s is "sh", and sz is "s"
Exactly backwards from English, and it catches everyone. Budapest is "BOO-dah-pesht". Szia (hello) is "SEE-yah". Get this one rule and half your pronunciation problems disappear.
Stress is always on the first syllable
However long the word gets, and Hungarian words get very long. Viszontlátásra is "VEE-sont-lah-tahsh-rah", with everything after the first syllable flat.
ö and ü are the German vowels
Round your lips as if for "oo", then say "eh" for ö and "ee" for ü. Köszönöm (thank you) is almost entirely this sound: "KUR-sur-nurm".
Nothing will look familiar, and that is normal
Hungarian is Uralic, related distantly to Finnish and Estonian and to nothing else in Europe. The recognition that helps you in Romance or Slavic countries simply is not available here.
Spotted a mistake in the Hungarian? Tell us and we will fix it.
You will not remember
all 36
Nobody does. OmniTalk speaks Hungarian for you in real time — point the camera at a menu, or put the phone between you and let it translate both sides of the conversation as you talk. It works offline once you download the language, so it keeps going when your roaming does not.