Hungarian Basic Course, Unit 2: A kávéházban

Basic Sentences: the setting

1
John Rose and the Johnsons meet in Budapest.
Rózsarose
JánosJohn
ésand
Johnsonékthe Johnsons
találkoznakyou, they meet
Budapesten.in Budapest
2
The Johnsons are Americans. Peter Johnson is a Foreign Service Officer.

Rózsa: rose
János: John
Johnsonék: the Johnsons
találkoznak: you, they meet
Budapesten: in Budapest
amerikaiak: Americans
Péter: Peter
diplomata: diplomat

Basic Sentences I

3
Hello, Mr. Johnson! How are you?
4
Hello, Mr. Rose! Thank you, I'm fine.
5
I kiss your hand, Madam!

csókolom: I kiss your hand
asszonyom: my lady, madam

6
Hello, Mr. Rose! I haven't seen you for a long time.

Régen: long ago
láttam: I saw

7
It's been a long time, indeed. Where are you hurrying, Madam?
8
I'm going shopping.

Bizony: certainly, indeed
Hova: where, in which direction
siet: you hurry; he, she, it hurries
Vásárolni: to purchase, go shopping

9
What do you intend to buy?
10
I intend to buy a hat.

akar: you want; he, she wants
akarok: I want
venni: to buy, take

11
What kind of a hat do you want to buy, Mary?
12
A nice white hat.
13
How do you like Budapest, Madam?
14
I like it very much. Budapest is a beautiful city. But I'm in a hurry now. Goodby, Mr. Rose!

akarsz: you want (speaking to family member or intimate friend)
Mária: Mary
gyönyörű: beautiful, magnificent
város: city
most: now
sietek: I hurry

15
I kiss your hand, Madam! What are you going to do now, Mr. Johnson?
16
I'd like to have lunch. Won't you come with me?
17
Thank you, I'll be glad to.
18
John Rose and the Johnsons meet in Budapest.
19
The Johnsons are Americans. Peter Johnson is a Foreign Service Officer.
20
Hello, Mr. Johnson! How are you?
21
Hello, Mr. Rose! Thank you, I'm fine.
22
I kiss your hand, Madam!
23
Hello, Mr. Rose! I haven't seen you for a long time.
24
It's been a long time, indeed. Where are you hurrying, Madam?
25
I'm going shopping.
26
What do you intend to buy?
27
I intend to buy a hat.
28
What kind of a hat do you want to buy, Mary?
29
A nice white hat.
30
How do you like Budapest, Madam?
31
I like it very much. Budapest is a beautiful city. But I'm in a hurry now. Goodby, Mr. Rose!
32
I kiss your hand, Madam! What are you going to do now, Mr. Johnson?
33
I'd like to have lunch. Won't you come with me?
34
Thank you, I'll be glad to.

csinál: you do, make; he, she, it does, makes
Ebédelni: to have lunch or dinner
jön: you come; he, she, it comes
velem: with me

Basic Sentences II

35
(In the café)
36
Good morning, Mr. Smith! What are you doing?

Kovács: Smith

37
Good morning, Mr. Johnson! I'm just sitting and reading.

Csak: only, merely, just
ülök: to sit (I sit)
olvasok: to read (I read)

38
What paper are you reading?
39
A Hungarian newspaper.

olvas: you read; he, she reads
Magyar: Hungarian

40
Please sit down. Here's a chair.
41
Thank you. I'm tired. It's very hot.

foglalni: to occupy
foglalni: to take a seat, to sit down
szék: chair
Fáradt: tired

42
The waiter will bring a glass of water right away. Are you hungry?
43
I'm not hungry.

pincér: waiter
mindjárt: right away, immediately
hoz: you bring; he, she, it brings
pohár: glass

44
Say, who is that tall lady?

Mondja: you say; he, she says
ki: who
magas: tall, high
hölgy: lady

45
She's Mary Taylor. Don't you know her?
46
No, I don't. Is she an American?
47
No, she's not. She's a Hungarian. I often speak Hungarian with her. But she speaks English well, too.
48
(In the café)
49
Good morning, Mr. Smith! What are you doing?
50
Good morning, Mr. Johnson! I'm just sitting and reading.
51
What paper are you reading?
52
A Hungarian newspaper.
53
Please sit down. Here's a chair.
54
Thank you. I'm tired. It's very hot.
55
The waiter will bring a glass of water right away. Are you hungry?
56
I'm not hungry.
57
Say, who is that tall lady?
58
She's Mary Taylor. Don't you know her?
59
No, I don't. Is she an American?
60
No, she's not. She's a Hungarian. I often speak Hungarian with her. But she speaks English well, too.

ismeri: you know; he, she knows
őt: him, her
ismerem: I know
Gyakran: often
vele: with her, him, it

Basic Sentences III

61
We're traveling to Vienna tomorrow.

Holnap: tomorrow
Bécsbe: to Vienna
utazunk: we travel

62
What will you be doing in Vienna?

csinálnak: you, they do, make
Bécsben: in Vienna

63
We're going shopping. My wife can't find anything in Budapest.
64
What does she want to buy?

Vásárolunk: we purchase
feleségem: my wife
talál: you find; he, she finds

65
She wants to buy a red handbag. But here she can't find any red ones, only yellow ones.
66
You'll surely find everything in Vienna.

piros: red
biztosan: surely
találnak: you, they find

67
Of course. And if I find any nice bags, I'll bring not one but two.
68
Don't you intend to buy anything else?
69
Yes, I intend to buy a pair of shoes also.
70
And some presents.
71
We're traveling to Vienna tomorrow.
72
What will you be doing in Vienna?
73
We're going shopping. My wife can't find anything in Budapest.
74
What does she want to buy?
75
She wants to buy a red handbag. But here she can't find any red ones, only yellow ones.
76
You'll surely find everything in Vienna.
77
Of course. And if I find any nice bags, I'll bring not one but two.
78
Don't you intend to buy anything else?
79
Yes, I intend to buy a pair of shoes also.
80
And some presents.

ha: if
találok: I find
hozok: I bring
hanem: but
pár: a pair
valami: something, some

Basic Sentences IV

81
Passport inspection! Passports, please.
82
Here you are.
83
What's your name?

Kérem: please
neve: your, his, her, its name

84
My name is Peter Johnson.
85
Where are you traveling?
86
To Vienna.
87
How long are you staying there?

nevem: my name
utazik: you travel; he, she travels
Meddig: how long
marad: you remain, stay; he, she, it remains, stays

88
Just for a couple of weeks. Then I intend to go back to Budapest.

hétig: for two weeks
Azután: afterwards, then

89
Customs inspection! What's in the suitcase?
90
There are only clothes in the suitcase.
91
Thank you. Have a nice trip.

bőröndben: in the suitcase
ruha: clothes, suit, dress
Szerencsés: lucky

Notes on Pronunciation: Long and Short Vowels

92
faj - fáj
Practice 1.: faj / fáj
93
el - él
Practice 1.: el / él
94
kor - kór
Practice 1.: kor / kór
95
kar - kár
Practice 1.: kar / kár
96
fel - fél
Practice 1.: fel / fél
97
koros - kóros
Practice 1.: koros / kóros
98
agy - ágy
Practice 1.: agy / ágy
99
szel - szél
Practice 1.: szel / szél
100
oda - óda
Practice 1.: oda / óda
101
part - párt
Practice 1.: part / párt

102
kel - kél
Practice 1.: kel / kél
103
ont - ónt
Practice 1.: ont / ónt
104
vagy - vágy
Practice 1.: vagy / vágy
105
vesz - vész
Practice 1.: vesz / vész
106
orra - óra
Practice 1.: orra / óra
107
öt - őt
Practice 1.: öt / őt
108
üzlet - űzet
Practice 1.: üzlet / űzet
109
tör - tőr
Practice 1.: tör / tőr
110
büntet - bűntett
Practice 1.: büntet / bűntett
111
föl - fől
Practice 1.: föl / fől

Notes on Pronunciation: Long and Short Vowels and Double Consonants

112
csülke - csűrje
Practice 1.: csülke / csűrje
113
örök - őrök
Practice 1.: örök / őrök
114
füzet - fűzet
Practice 1.: füzet / fűzet
115
töröm - tőröm
Practice 1.: töröm / tőröm
116
tüdő - tűző
Practice 1.: tüdő / tűző
117
reggelt (as in big game)
Practice 2. A.
118
lassabban (ss as in horse shoe; bb as in Hepburn)
Practice 2. A.
119
állomás (as in Al Lewis)
Practice 2. A.
120
cigaretta (as in hot time)
Practice 2. A.
121
abban - jobban - lábbal - ebben - biccen - moccan - icce - uccu - eddig - kedden - meddő - röffen - gróffal
Practice 2. A.

Notes on Pronunciation: Double Consonants

122
szaggat - függő - ahhoz - ehhez - éjjel - bajjal - vajjal - jöjjön - ekkor - akkor - zökken - csökken - csekket
Practice 2. A.
123
tollal - füllel - vallás - kellett - zümmög - cammog - ímmel - ámmal - enni - inni - ennek - ünnep - benne
Practice 2. A.
124
csuppan - cseppen - csippent - nappal - erre - arra - merre - orra - korral - frissen - siessen - tessék - vassal
Practice 2. A.
125
késsel - mossa - tettel - héttel - ketten - hittel - szívvel - hévvel - evvel - avval - izzad - tűzzel - húzza
Practice 2. A.
126
halott - hallott
Practice 2. B.: halott / hallott
127
szemel - szemmel
Practice 2. B.: szemel / szemmel
128
kelet - kellett
Practice 2. B.: kelet / kellett
129
hitel - hittel
Practice 2. B.: hitel / hittel
130
tolat - tollat
Practice 2. B.: tolat / tollat
131
mese - messe
Practice 2. B.: mese / messe

132
fülel - füllel
Practice 2. B.: fülel / füllel
133
vasal - vassal
Practice 2. B.: vasal / vassal
134
telet - tellett
Practice 2. B.: telet / tellett
135
késel - késsel
Practice 2. B.: késel / késsel
136
lábal - lábbal
Practice 2. B.: lábal / lábbal
137
szível - szívvel
Practice 2. B.: szível / szívvel
138
agyal - aggyal
Practice 2. B.: agyal / aggyal
139
zúza - zúzza
Practice 2. B.: zúza / zúzza
140
ara - arra
Practice 2. B.: ara / arra
141
tűzel - tűzzel
Practice 2. B.: tűzel / tűzzel

Notes on Pronunciation: Double Consonants and Hungarian r

142
varja - varrja
Practice 2. B.: varja / varrja
143
házal - házzal
Practice 2. B.: házal / házzal
144
rab - rak - régen - rigó - repül
Practice 3.
145
bőrönd - derék - dörög - örül - árva - bútor - cukor - címer - kör - kár
Practice 3.
146
drága - drapp - drót - brekeg - bravúr
Practice 3.
147
tréfa - Tátra - prém - próba - trakta - merre - orra - porrá - erre - térre
Practice 3.
148
borda - torta - porta - kert - bort
Practice 3.
149
Répa, retek, mogyoró; korán reggel ritkán rikkant a rigó.
Practice 3.
150
Debrecenben - beszélek - tervük - bőröndben - ülnek - örülnek
Practice D.: Front-Vowel Words
151
lapban - azután - urak - akarnak - vacsorázunk - olvasok
Practice D.: Back-Vowel Words
152
isznak - hisznek - fiatalnak - célja - szívnak - októberben (or októberban)
Practice D.: Neutral-Vowel Words

Notes on Grammar: The Present Tense and Case

Six endings for six persons

Kalapot akarok venni. I intend to buy a hat. Mit akar vásárolni? What do you intend to buy?

An English verb changes for one person only: I want, he wants. A Hungarian verb has six endings in the present tense, one for each person, singular and plural.

The third person singular has no ending: akar, he wants. It is the stem of the verb. Every other person adds its ending to it: akarok, I want.

Familiar and formal you

Te, and ti for more than one, is 'you' for family and close friends. With te the verb ends in -sz: akarsz, you want.

Maga, and maguk for more than one, is the everyday word for 'you'. Ön and önök also mean 'you'. They are kept for official and very formal speech.

Maga and ön take the third person form of the verb. Mit csinál? What are you doing?

The ending takes the vowel of the verb

Akarok, I want. Beszélek, I speak. Ülök, I sit. The three endings differ only in their vowel.

Hungarian sorts its vowels into back vowels, like the a of akar, and front vowels, like the e and é of beszél.

The vowel of ül is a rounded vowel: a front vowel said with rounded lips.

Vowel harmony is the rule that an ending takes the kind of vowel its word has. In each row of the table, only the vowel of the ending changes.

The Present Tense, 1 of 3

The Present Tense, 2 of 3

The Present Tense, 3 of 3

The object of the verb ends in -t

Kalapot akarok venni. I intend to buy a hat. The word for hat is kalap. As the object of the verb it is kalapot.

English changes a few pronouns by their job in the sentence: I and me, he and him. Hungarian changes nouns this way, with endings. A case is one such form of a noun.

The nominative is the case of the subject, and the form a dictionary lists: kalap. The accusative is the case of the direct object. It always ends in -t.

How the -t is added

A noun ending in a vowel adds -t: cipő, cipőt. Final a and e become á and é: táska, táskát. After l, ly, n, ny, r, s, sz, z or zs, it adds -t too: minden, mindent.

After other consonants a vowel comes first: kalap, kalapot. A vowel placed between a stem and its ending is a linking vowel, also called an auxiliary vowel.

Vowel harmony chooses it. Most back-vowel nouns take o: kalapot. Many take a: nyolcat. Most front-vowel nouns take e: egyet. Many rounded-vowel nouns take ö: bőröndöt.

Forms to learn one by one

Kérem az útlevelet! Your passport, please. Some nouns with a long vowel before a final r or l shorten it and add a linking vowel: útlevél, útlevelet.

Numbers take -t by the same rules as nouns: egyet, kettőt, ötöt. Some are irregular: három, hármat. Tíz, tizet.

The table gives each number with its -t form. The forms that change before -t are hármat, hetet, tizet and ezret.

The Accusative form, 1 of 2

The Accusative form, 2 of 2

153
Peter Johnson is a Foreign Service Officer.
154
What do you do?
155
How do you like Budapest?
156
What do you want?
157
Do you want wine?
158
I want cigarettes, too.
159
I'm reading a Hungarian newspaper.
160
The waiter is bringing a glass of water.
161
I want to buy a suitcase, too.
162
Your passport, please!

A. The Present Tense

The concept of person exists in English pronouns, but has very limited application to English verbs. Most verbs in English occur with an ending in what might be called the third personal singular form: 'I hit - he hits, I dig - he digs, I miss - he misses'. The Hungarian verb, on the other hand, regularly has six different endings, since it must change to agree with its subject for singular (one) and plural (more than one), for the first person (I - we), second person (you), and third person (he, she, it - they). The second person is further distinguished for familiar or formal. The familiar te (singular 'you') or ti (plural 'you') is used only in intimate conversation, that is, when you address a person (or persons) whom you know very well (e.g., a member of the family or a close friend). The form that you will use most for 'you' is maga (in addressing one person) or maguk (in addressing more than one person). Immediately after maga and maguk, in the chart below, you will find ön and önök in parentheses to indicate that although ön and önök also mean 'you', they are not used very much in conversation any more, except perhaps by the older generation. The main distinction between maga and ön is that maga is less formal than ön; maga is the form employed in general conversation. The use of ön is limited to official and very formal speech. Both maga and ön (and their plurals) require the third person form of the verb.

From the chart of the Present Tense it will be seen that the third person singular has a 'zero' ending (that is, no ending) and that all the other persons have this third person 'stem' in common. We can thus consider the third person singular of the present tense as the base or 'root' of the Hungarian verb, to which are added suffixes which show differences in person, and as we shall see later, in time and mood.

(In the verbs below note that the vowels of the endings in the three groups vary according to the rules of vowel harmony.)

Pronoun Subject | Back-vowel verb | Front-vowel verb | (Front) Rounded-vowel verb
én | akarok | beszélek | ülök
te | akarsz | beszélsz | ülsz
maga (ön) | akar | beszél | ül
ő | akar | beszél | ül
mi | akarunk | beszélünk | ülünk
ti | akartok | beszéltek | ültök
maguk (önök) | akarnak | beszélnek | ülnek
ők | akarnak | beszélnek | ülnek

Note: The familiar form of the second person singular of verbs whose root ends in s, sz or z terminates in ol, el or öl. Examples: olvasol, nézel, főzöl, halászol.

B. Case

To the American student the preponderance of suffixes in Hungarian presents a special problem. Not only do verb endings change, as just noted, but Hungarian substantives also undergo alterations in different verbal situations. For the native speaker of English this is something strange, since we have only a few basic variations for nouns. We do have special forms for the plural number, as for example, 'boys', 'children', but once we have selected the singular or plural form, we can use it without further change, as in the following statements:

The boy is here.
Do you see the boy?
She trusts the boy.
The boy likes the book.
I asked the boy a question.
They treat the boy badly.
She's married to the boy.

In Hungarian, however, 'boy' would require a different ending in each of these statements. These endings comprise categories or 'cases', the selection of which is determined by the particular situation, that is, what is said or done at the time. In English we can see how the case concept functions by the way we use personal pronouns. Thus, the selection of the proper form in the pairs 'I - me', 'he - him', 'she - her', 'we - us' and 'they - them' is determined not by meaning but on the basis of subject-object functions.

1 The NOMINATIVE form

In Hungarian, as in English, the basic sentence structure is an ACTOR-ACTION pattern: somebody doing something. The ACTOR is called the SUBJECT of the sentence, and a noun or pronoun designating the ACTOR always has the NOMINATIVE form. Hungarian dictionaries always list nouns in the nominative form; this form is generally referred to as the 'basic' or 'dictionary' form. If you ask a Hungarian for the equivalent of an English word in his language, he will in all probability reply with a noun in its nominative case.

Johnson Péter diplomata.
Maga mit csinál?
Hogy tetszik Budapest?

2 The ACCUSATIVE (Direct Object) form

In many sentences in both English and Hungarian there is another element, the GOAL or OBJECT of the action, the person or thing toward which the action is aimed. In Hungarian a word designating the OBJECT of an action is usually in the ACCUSATIVE form.

Mit akar?
Bort parancsol?
Cigarettát is kérek.
Magyar újságot olvasok.
A pincér hoz egy pohár vizet.
Bőröndöt is akarok venni.
Kérem az útlevelet!

In English there is no difference in the form of a noun with reference to its use as subject or object. However, in Hungarian, as the words underlined in the examples above indicate, the accusative case always ends in -t. These sentences illustrate various ways in which the direct object suffix -t is added to the stem or basic form of a word:

(a) Most substantives ending in a vowel add -t only. However, when the final vowel is -a or -e, -a changes to -á and -e to -é with the addition of -t.

(b) Nouns ending in l, ly, n, ny, r, s, sz, z, and zs add -t only.

(c) Words ending in consonant sounds other than those indicated above require a helping vowel before the -t. The selection of this vowel is determined by the rule of vowel harmony, which requires the choice of front or back vowel in the suffix to harmonize with the type of vowel in the basic form of the word. Most front-vowel (including rounded-vowel) nouns ending in a consonant require the auxiliary vowel -e-. Most back-vowel nouns will use -o-. However, many rounded-vowel nouns will take -ö- and many back-vowel words have -a- before -t. Because of the instability of the linking vowel, in the build-ups after this unit the direct object form will be given after the basic noun for every new entry of this type that requires the auxiliary -a- or -ö-. If this information is not given for a particular noun in the build-up, the student may assume that the particular entry requires the more common linking vowel -o- or -e-.

The accusative of some nouns must be learned separately, as they do not follow the patterns described above. There are exceptions, for example, among nouns which end in -r or -l preceded by a long vowel. These exceptions form the accusative by shortening the vowel and adding a linking vowel (-a- or -e-) before -t. (Nouns in this classification, as well as all irregular nouns, will be identified with their accusative forms in the build-ups after this lesson.)

Numerals may also be direct objects of a verb, in which case they take the suffix -t under precisely the same conditions as nouns do. Notice the forms of the following numerals and the irregular pattern of some:

Notes on Grammar: The Negative Sentence

Hungarian doubles the negative

Budapesten nem talál semmit. She doesn't find anything in Budapest. Word for word, it says 'she does not find nothing'.

Standard English allows one negative word in a statement. Hungarian adds more negative words to make the negative stronger. Nem talál semmit is correct Hungarian, and one negative alone would be wrong.

163
She doesn't find anything in Budapest.
164
He doesn't draw anything in the café.
165
Kovács doesn't read anything.
166
The waiter doesn't bring anything.
167
Rózsa doesn't speak anything.
168
The Johnsons don't want anything.
169
Mr. Kovács doesn't buy anything.

C. The Negative Sentence

In standard English only one negative is tolerated in a statement, e.g., 'I never gave him anything.' If we reinforce or double the negation, e.g., 'I never gave him nothing', our speech will be labeled as 'sub-standard'. In Hungarian, however, negation may be emphasized by adding more negative words; in fact, the 'I never gave him nothing' would be standard Hungarian, while a literal Hungarian translation 'I never gave him anything' would be unacceptable. Examples are:

Budapesten nem talál semmit.  She doesn't find anything in Budapest.
A kávéházban nem rajzol semmit.  He doesn't draw anything in the café.
Kovács nem olvas semmit.  Kovács doesn't read anything.
A pincér nem hoz semmit.  The waiter doesn't bring anything.
Rózsa nem beszél semmit.  Rózsa doesn't speak anything.
Johnsonék nem akarnak semmit.  The Johnsons don't want anything.
Kovácsné nem vásárol semmit.  Mr. Kovács doesn't buy anything.

Substitution Drill

A question needs no do

Maga otthon olvas? Do you read at home? Are you reading at home?

English makes these questions with do or are and puts the subject after it. Hungarian has no such word and cannot use one. One Hungarian question stands for both English ones.

Not this but that

Nem egyet hozok, hanem kettőt. I'll bring not one but two.

Hungarian has two words for 'but'. De joins words, phrases and clauses, as 'but' does in English: De most sietek. But I'm in a hurry now.

Hanem comes after a negative statement. It brings in the positive word or idea set against it: not one, but two.

170
Don't you want anything else?
171
I see no handbag.
172
I want a stamp.
173
I want to buy a coat.

D. Interrogative Sentences

One basic pattern for questions in English involves the use of the auxiliary verb 'do' or 'be' with inverted order of the subject, as for example, 'Do you read at home?' or 'Are you reading at home?' In Hungarian such an auxiliary is not necessary and cannot be used; the two English questions above correspond to only one in Hungarian: Maga otthon olvas?

E. Hanem

We have learned two ways of expressing 'but' in Hungarian: de and hanem. De corresponds to the English 'but' used as a coordinating conjunction to join words, phrases and clauses; hanem is commonly used in one pattern: it follows a negative statement and precedes a contrasting or offsetting affirmative word or idea.

174
I want to buy a coat.
175
I see no letter.
176
The waiter will bring water.
177
I bring something.

178
I bring something.
179
I don't understand anything.
180
I don't see anything.

181
I don't see anything.
182
What do you buy?
183
We read something.

184
We read something.
185
We don't speak.
186
When do we write?

187
When do we write?
188
They buy something.
189
They don't ask for anything.
190
What do they read?

191
What do they read?
192
I'm hungry.
193
I'm not hungry.

194
I'm not hungry.
195
Mary Smith isn't tall.
196
John Rose is a Hungarian.

197
John Rose is a Hungarian.
198
The Johnsons are Americans.
199
My name is Peter Johnson.
200
Do you know Mary Taylor?

201
Do you know Mary Taylor?
202
What are you doing, Mr. Johnson?
203
I'd like to eat.

204
I'd like to eat.
205
I'm not bringing one, but two.
206
How do you like Budapest?

207
How do you like Budapest?

Variation Drill

208
I'm drawing a restaurant.
209
I see no book.
210
We're looking at a toy.
211
Mr. Kovács wants a pencil.

212
Mr. Kovács wants a pencil.
213
They see an American airport.
214
I'm reading a book.
215
I want something.

216
I want something.
217
Mrs. Johnson is buying a coat.
218
We're reading a newspaper.
219
We're sitting here.

220
We're sitting here.
221
The Johnsons are writing a letter.
222
I'm reading a book.
223
Kovács is looking at a girl.

224
Kovács is looking at a girl.
225
Mary and I are drawing a dress.
226
The Kovácses want milk.
227
Szabó asks for paper.

228
Szabó asks for paper.
229
Mrs. Rózsa doesn't read a newspaper.
230
We don't want wine.
231
I'm not bringing one handbag but two.

232
I'm not bringing one handbag but two.
233
I'm very tired.
234
I'm not tired.
235
Mary Smith isn't very tall.

236
Mary Smith isn't very tall.
237
What kind of hat do you want to buy?

Substitution Drill, part II

238
I read Hungarian.
239
Kovács reads Hungarian.
240
Kovács and I read Hungarian.
241
Kovács and Mrs. Kovács read Hungarian.
242
I don't read Hungarian.
243
Doesn't Kovács read Hungarian?
244
Kovács and I don't read Hungarian.
245
Kovács and Mrs. Kovács don't read Hungarian.

246
I want hot tea.
247
Mr. Szabó wants hot tea.
248
We want hot tea.
249
The Szabós want hot tea.
250
I don't want hot tea.
251
Szabó doesn't want hot tea.
252
We don't want hot tea.
253
Don't the Szabós want hot tea?
254
I want to buy a red coat.
255
Mrs. Rózsa wants to buy a red coat.
256
We want to buy a red coat.
257
The Rózsas want to buy a red coat.
258
I don't want to buy a red coat.
259
Doesn't Mrs. Rózsa want to buy a red coat?
260
We don't want to buy a red coat.
261
They don't want to buy a red coat.

Transformation Drill

262
Mit csinál (maga)?
What are you doing?

Translation Drill

263
How are you, Mr. Szabó?
264
Thank you, I'm fine.
265
What are you doing?
266
I'm reading.
267
Don't you want to have lunch?
268
No. I'm not hungry.
269
What are you reading?
270
I'm reading a book.
271
What kind of book are you reading?
272
A Hungarian book.
273
Aren't you reading an English book?
274
No, I don't understand English.
275
What are you doing later (afterwards)?

276
I want to write a letter.
277
Where do you want to write?
278
Here in the café.
279
Say, who is that gentleman?
280
The fat gentleman?
281
Not the fat one, the thin one.
282
He's John Rose. Don't you know him?
283
No, I don't. Is he Hungarian?
284
Yes, he's Hungarian.
285
Are you Hungarian also?
286
Yes, I'm Hungarian.
287
Is Mr. Kovács also Hungarian?
288
No, Mr. Kovács is an American.

289
Is Mr. Kovács tall?
290
He isn't tall; he's short.
291
And Mrs. Kovács?
292
She's tall.
293
What's Mrs. Kovács doing?
294
She's shopping.
295
What's she buying?
296
A nice dress.
297
What kind of dress?
298
A red dress.
299
Does she want to buy a coat also?
300
Yes, a yellow coat.
301
Doesn't she want to buy anything else?

302
Certainly. A hat and a bag.
303
What kind of bag? A red bag?
304
Not a red one but a brown one.
305
She'll surely find one.
306
Of course.
307
Are you tired?
308
Yes, I'm tired. It's very hot.
309
Do you want coffee?
310
I don't want coffee. I want a glass of beer.
311
A large glass of beer?
312
Yes. A large glass of beer.

Response Drill

313
Good evening! What are you doing?
314
Do you want to have lunch?
315
Are you very hungry?
316
Where are you dining?
317
Aren't you sick?
318
You're not sick, just tired, aren't you?
319
Is it very hot here?
320
Do you want some cold tea?
321
Do you want beer?

322
Don't you want some cold beer?
323
What do you want to buy?
324
Do you want to buy a yellow coat?
325
Don't you want to buy a red coat?
326
How much does the coat cost?
327
Do you want to buy a pencil?
328
Do you want a brown pencil?
329
Are you asking for white paper?
330
Don't you want paper?

331
Don't you want anything?
332
What are you reading?
333
Are you reading a Hungarian book?
334
Aren't you reading anything?
335
Are you writing a letter?
336
Aren't you writing a letter?
337
Don't you write anything?
338
How long are you staying here?
339
Do you want a red or a yellow pencil?

340
Do you want hot or cold tea?
341
Do you want a cheap or an expensive coat?
342
Is Miss Rózsa tall or short?
343
Is Mrs. Kovács skinny or fat?
344
Is Johnson an American or a Hungarian?
345
Does Mrs. Johnson want red or brown shoes?
346
Is Mrs. Johnson a pretty woman?
347
What kind of pen do you want?
348
What kind of bread do you want?

349
Don't you want white bread?
350
Do you see a café?
351
Is Mr. Rózsa reading?
352
What kind of newspaper is he reading?
353
Do you want some hot tea?
354
Do you want a Hungarian newspaper?
355
Don't you want a Hungarian newspaper?
356
Do you want to buy an expensive suitcase?
357
Don't you want to buy an expensive suitcase?

358
Are you tall?
359
Are you fat?
360
Are you hungry?
361
Are you an American?
362
Are you a Hungarian?

Conversation Practice 1

363
Hello, Mr. Kovács!
364
Hello, Mr. Johnson! I haven't seen you for a long time.
365
It's been a very long time, indeed. How are you, Mr. Kovács?
366
Thank you, I'm fine. And you, Mr. Johnson?
367
I'm fine too, thank you.
368
What are you doing now, Mr. Johnson?
369
I'd like to have lunch. Won't you come with me?
370
Yes, I will. I'll be very glad to.

Conversation Practice 2

371
What are you doing, Mr. Szabó?
372
I'm just sitting. I'm very tired.
373
I'm tired, too. It's very hot.
374
Do you want some cold coffee?
375
Thank you, I don't want coffee. I want beer.
376
Waiter: we want two glasses of beer. And an English newspaper, too.
377
Are you reading an English newspaper?
378
Yes. And you?
379
I only read a Hungarian newspaper. I don't read English.

Conversation Practice 3

380
Say, who is that gentleman?
381
The tall gentleman?
382
Not the tall one, the short one.
383
His name is Fehér.
384
Are you an American?
385
He's not an American, he's a Hungarian.
386
Do you speak English?
387
Yes, he speaks English well.

Conversation Practice 4

388
Who is that pretty lady?
389
Mrs. Johnson. Mr. Johnson is there, too.
390
Americans
391
Yes, they're Americans.
392
What are they doing in Budapest?
393
Johnson is an American Foreign Service Officer.
394
Do they speak Hungarian?
395
Johnson speaks Hungarian well, but Mrs. Johnson doesn't.

Conversation Practice 5

396
What are you doing tomorrow?
397
We're traveling to Vienna to go shopping.
398
What do you want to buy?
399
My wife wants to buy shoes.
400
When are you leaving?
401
We're leaving at eight in the morning.

Conversation Practice 6

402
Passports, please!
403
Here you are.
404
What's your name?
405
John Kovács.
406
Where are you traveling?
407
to Vienna
408
How long are you staying there?
409
For three weeks.
410
What's in the suitcase?
411
Clothes and shoes.
412
Thank you. Have a nice trip.

Narrative

413
Peter Johnson is an American Foreign Service Officer in Budapest.
414
Johnson wants to have lunch.
415
Rózsa and Szabó are sitting in the café.
416
Rózsa is short and fat.
417
Szabó is tall and thin.
418
Rózsa is reading an English newspaper, Szabó a Hungarian one.
419
It's very hot.
420
Johnson asks for a glass of beer and some paper.
421
He wants to write a letter.
422
The waiter brings beer and paper.
423
A thin, short gentleman is sitting there, too, and reading.
424
He's reading an English book.
425
That's Kovács.
426
Mary Szabó is there, too.
427
A tall, brunette Hungarian girl.
428
She doesn't speak English, only Hungarian.
429
She asks for ham, bread and coffee.
430
Are you very hungry?
431
She's drawing something.

432
Now Mrs. Johnson is coming here, too.
433
tired
434
She asks for cold tea.
435
She wants to travel to Vienna in the morning.
436
She wants to go shopping in Vienna.
437
She wants to buy a dress, a coat, a hat and shoes.
438
She's staying there for a week, then she's coming back to Budapest.