Translate English to Hungarian
Hungarian is spoken by about 13 million people in Hungary and by communities in Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, and Austria. It is one of the most unique languages in Europe, unrelated to any of its neighbors. Whether you are doing business in Budapest, reading a recipe for goulash, or writing to a Hungarian colleague, paste your English text above for a translation.
Common English to Hungarian translations
| English | Hungarian | Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | Szia | SEE-ah | ||
| Good morning | Jó reggelt | yoh REG-gelt | ||
| Thank you | Köszönöm | KUH-suh-nuhm | ||
| Please | Kérem | KEH-rem | ||
| How much is this? | Mennyibe kerül? | MEN-nyee-beh KEH-rool | ||
| Where is the bathroom? | Hol van a mosdó? | hol von ah MOSH-doh | ||
| I do not understand | Nem értem | nem EHR-tem | ||
| Can you help me? | Tud segíteni? | tood SHEH-gee-teh-nee | ||
| I would like coffee | Kérek egy kávét | KEH-rek edj KAH-veht | ||
| The bill, please | A számlát kérem | ah SAHM-laht KEH-rem | ||
| Nice to meet you | Örülök | UH-roo-luhk | ||
| Goodbye | Viszlát | VIS-laht | ||
| I need a doctor | Orvosra van szükségem | OR-vosh-rah von SOOk-sheh-gem | ||
| Excuse me | Elnézést | EL-neh-zehsht |
Tips for English to Hungarian translation
Hungarian is a Uralic language, related to Finnish and Estonian but only very distantly. It has no connection to the Germanic, Slavic, or Romance languages that surround it. This means vocabulary has almost no overlap with English, German, or any of Hungary's neighbors. Learning Hungarian words requires pure memorization without the help of cognates.
Hungarian has 18 grammatical cases (more than Finnish's 15), expressed through suffixes. “In the house” is a házban, “onto the house” is a házra, “from the house” is a házból. This suffix system replaces most English prepositions. Words in running Hungarian text can look very different from their dictionary form because of these case endings.
Hungarian vowels come in short and long pairs: a/á, e/é, i/í, o/ó, ö/ő, u/ú, ü/ű. The accent marks indicate length, not stress. Stress in Hungarian always falls on the first syllable, regardless of word length. Dropping or misplacing an accent mark changes the word: ház (house) vs. a theoretical different meaning without the accent.
Hungarian word order is flexible but not random. The element immediately before the verb receives the most emphasis (the “focus position”). “Peter ate the apple” with emphasis on Peter is Péter ette meg az almát, but with emphasis on the apple it becomes Az almát ette meg Péter. Translators produce standard English order, which is correct but may lose the original emphasis.
About the Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language that arrived in the Carpathian Basin around the 9th century with the Magyar tribes from the Ural Mountains region. Despite being surrounded by Slavic, Germanic, and Romance languages for over a thousand years, Hungarian has maintained its distinctive structure and vocabulary. It is one of the few non-Indo-European languages in the European Union.
Hungary has a rich cultural heritage in music (Liszt, Bartók, Kodály), literature (Nobel laureate Imre Kertész), mathematics, and science. Budapest, straddling the Danube, is one of Europe's most visited cities. Hungarian cuisine, particularly goulash and paprika-based dishes, has influenced cooking across Central Europe. The language reflects this cultural depth with extensive vocabulary for food, music, and folk traditions.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. No sign-up, no fees, unlimited use.
Hungarian is Uralic, not Indo-European. It has no linguistic connection to German, Slovak, Romanian, or Serbian despite sharing borders with all of them.
Yes. Click the speaker icon. Hungarian stress always falls on the first syllable.
18 grammatical cases, expressed through suffixes on nouns. This is more than most European languages.
Good for everyday messages. For legal, medical, or official texts, use a professional translator.
They indicate long versions of ö and ü. All Hungarian accented vowels (á, é, í, ó, ö, ő, ú, ü, ű) are standard letters.
Visit our Hungarian to English page.
Yes. Nothing stored.
Very distantly. Both are Uralic, but they separated thousands of years ago. Speakers cannot understand each other.
Over 60 pairs including German, Czech, Croatian, Romanian, and many more.
Need the reverse? Try Hungarian to English translation.
