You might already be familiar with the fact that Hungarian is one of the most notoriously complicated languages. It belongs to the Uralic language family, which means that its closest relatives in Europe are Finnish and Estonian. But don't expect the kind of similarity which would make learning Hungarian easier if you already speak Finnish, for example. As many students and speakers of the language will tell you, there's nothing quite like it.
Whether you'd like to take on the challenge to learn Hungarian, or if you just want to get by on your first days in the country, here's a handy little list of words and expressions which will help you out. Try practicing the with Google Translate!
Hungarian has a four-tiered system for expressing levels of politeness, which looks a bit complicated at first, but it's also very simple when it comes to greetings. Szia is used informally, for friends, family, and young people, whereas Jó napot is used to greet people formally.
Szia! - Hello!
Jó reggelt! - Good morning!
Jó napot! - Good day!
Jó estét! - Good evening!
Hogy vagy? - How are you?
Jól - Fine
Hogy hívnak? - What’s your name?
Az én nevem… - My name is…
Viszlát! - Good Bye!
Köszönöm - Thank you
Hol van/merre van..? - Where is …?
Jobbra - To the right
Balra - To the left
Fel - Up
Le - Down
Egyenesen - Forward
Keresztül - Through
Bolt - Bankrház múzeum vár
Kórház - Hospital
Egyetem - University
Múzeum -Museum
Vár - Castle
Híd - Bridge
Vasútállomás, pályaudvar - Train station
Autóbuszállomás - Bus station
Megálló - Stop
Jegy - Ticket
Bérlet - Pass
Autó - Car
Tömegközlekedés - Public transport
Bicikli - bike
Motor - Motorbike
Villamos - Tram
Busz - Bus
Trolibusz - Trolleybus
Metró - Subway
Vonat - Train
Készpénz - Cash
Kártya - Credit card
Visszajáró - Change
Víz - Water
Gyümölcslé - Juice
Tej - Milk
Kávé - Coffee
Tea -Tea
Sör - Beer
Bor - Wine
Gyümölcs - Fruit
Zöldség - Vegetable
Hús - Meat
Kenyér - Bread
Zsemle - Bread roll
Kifli - Crescent shaped bread roll
Krémek - Spreads
Vaj - Butter
Sajt - Cheese
Felvágott - Deli meat