Language/Hungarian/Grammar/Definite-and-indefinite-articles

Hungarian → Grammar → Definite and indefinite articles

As a Hungarian language teacher for over 20 years, I know that understanding the use of definite and indefinite articles is essential for learning Hungarian. In this lesson, you will learn how to choose the right one and use it correctly.

After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: Verbs and tenses & Asking Questions.

Definite article

The Hungarian definite article is "a" or "az" depending on the word it accompanies. "A" is used when the word begins with a consonant, while "az" is for words that start with a vowel or the consonants "l", "n" and "r".

Examples

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English
a macska	[ɑ mɑtʃkɑ]	the cat
a kisállatok	[ɑ kiʃaːlɑtok]	the small animals
az alma	[ɑz ɑlmɑ]	the apple
az én családom	[ɑz eːn ʧɑlaːdom]	my family (literally: the my family)

Indefinite article

The Hungarian indefinite article is "egy". It always precedes a singular noun, and it is not used with plural nouns or uncountable nouns.

Examples

Hungarian	Pronunciation	English
egy fa	[ɛɟ fɑ]	a tree
egy nagy oroszlán	[ɛɟ nɑɟ oroslɑːn]	a big lion
nem szeretem a húsokat	[nɛm sɛrɛtɛm ɑ huːʃokɑt]	I don't like meats (literally: not like-the meats)

When not to use an article

In Hungarian, there are some cases where no article should be used.

• Proper nouns: names of people, places, or things are not accompanied by articles.
  • Péter = Peter
  • Magyarország = Hungary
  • Balaton = Lake Balaton

• Generalizations: when the meaning is general, and we refer to a whole class of things, no articles should be used.
  • Doctor = orvos (in general, all doctors)
  • Cats like to play = A macskák szeretnek játszani (all cats, in general)

Exercises

Practice choosing the right article for the following sentences:

1. _____ kutya ugat az udvaron. (A/An/The) (dog is barking in the yard.)
2. Szeretnék venni _____ almát a piacról. (a/an/the) (I would like to buy _____ apple at the market.)
3. Nem szeretem, amikor _____ rágcsálják a könyveimet. (a/an/the) (I don't like it when _____ nibble on my books.)

Sources

• Hungarian noun phrase - Wikipedia
• [Hungarian Verbs: Definite vs Indefinite – Better Hungarian]

Other Lessons

• Nouns
• How to Use Be
• Passive voice and indirect speech
• Negation
• Give your Opinion
• Gender
• Adjectives and adverbs
• Plurals
• Pronunciation and accentuation
• Cardinal Numbers