Describing People & Things
Hungarian Basic Conversation 2
Chapter 4 · Describing People & Things
🧑 Describing People & Things — Személyek és tárgyak leírása
Now you can describe people and things. This chapter teaches you the adjectives for appearance and character, how to describe hair and eyes, how to make the plural (-k), and how to compare (taller than, the youngest). Every dialog line still has a respelling beneath it: from the next chapter on, you will be reading dialogs without it.
① A Friend — Milyen a barátod?
A:
Milyen a barátod?
MIH-yehn aw BAW-raw-tod?
What is your friend like?
B:
Magas és kedves.
MAW-gawsh AYSH KEHD-vehsh.
Tall and kind.
A:
Hogy néz ki?
HODY NAYZ KIH?
What does he look like?
B:
Barna hajú és kék szemű.
BAWR-naw HAW-yoo AYSH KAYK SEH-muue.
Brown-haired and blue-eyed.
② A New Colleague (Philip's) — Az új kolléga
A:
Milyen az új kollégád?
MIH-yehn AWZ OOY KOL-lay-gahd?
What is your new colleague like?
B:
Nagyon okos és vicces.
NAW-dyon O-kosh AYSH VIHT-tsehsh.
Very clever and funny.
A:
Szimpatikus!
SIM-paw-tih-kush!
Nice!
③ Grandmother (Nagymama) — Idős, de fiatalos
A:
Hány éves a nagymamád?
HAHNY AY-vehsh aw NAWDY-maw-mahd?
How old is your grandmother?
B:
Hetven éves.
HEHT-vehn AY-vehsh.
She's seventy.
A:
Hetven! Milyen?
HEHT-vehn! MIH-yehn?
Seventy! What is she like?
B:
Idős, de nagyon fiatalos.
IH-deush, DEH NAW-dyon FIH-aw-taw-losh.
Old, but very youthful.
④ The Girls (plural) — A lányok
A:
Milyenek a lányok?
MIH-yeh-nehk aw LAH-nyok?
What are the girls like?
B:
A lányok kedvesek és okosak.
AW LAH-nyok KEHD-veh-shehk AYSH O-kaw-shawk.
The girls are kind and clever.
⑤ Comparing — Magasabb, mint …
A:
Péter magasabb, mint Anna.
PAY-tehr MAW-gaw-shawbb, MINT AWN-naw.
Péter is taller than Anna.
B:
Igen, de Anna okosabb.
IH-gehn, DEH AWN-naw O-kaw-shawbb.
Yes, but Anna is cleverer.
A:
Ki a legfiatalabb?
KIH aw LEHG-fih-aw-taw-lawbb?
Who is the youngest?
B:
Anna.
AWN-naw.
Anna.
⑥ Things (Philip's phone) — Az új telefon
A:
Milyen az új telefonod?
MIH-yehn AWZ OOY TEH-leh-fo-nod?
What is your new phone like?
B:
Nagyon jó, de drága.
NAW-dyon YOH, DEH DRAH-gaw.
Very good, but expensive.
A:
Olyan drága, mint egy laptop?
O-yawn DRAH-gaw, MINT EHDY LEHP-top?
As expensive as a laptop?
B:
Igen, majdnem.
IH-gehn, MAWY-dnehm.
Yes, almost.
🗝️ Key Phrases — Fontos kifejezések
| Situation | Formal (Ön) | Informal (te) |
|---|---|---|
| What is he/she like? | Milyen ő? MIH-yehn EUU | Milyen ő? MIH-yehn EUU |
| What does he/she look like? | Hogy néz ki? HODY NAYZ KIH | Hogy néz ki? HODY NAYZ KIH |
| What is your friend like? | Milyen a barátja? MIH-yehn aw BAW-raht-yaw | Milyen a barátod? MIH-yehn aw BAW-raw-tod |
| He/she is tall and kind | Magas és kedves. MAW-gawsh AYSH KEHD-vehsh | (same) |
| brown-haired / blue-eyed | barna hajú / kék szemű BAWR-naw HAW-yoo / KAYK SEH-muue | (same) |
| taller than … | magasabb, mint … MAW-gaw-shawbb, MINT | (same) |
| as … as | olyan …, mint O-yawn … MINT | (same) |
🧑 Describing a Person — Személyek
An adjective comes before the noun and does not change: kedves lány ("a kind girl"), kedves lányok ("kind girls"). To compare, add -bb, as you did with olcsóbb and nagyobb in Basic 1.
| Meaning | Hungarian | Say it | Comparative (-bb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| tall | magas | MAW-gawsh | magasabb MAW-gaw-shawbb |
| short | alacsony | AW-law-chohny | alacsonyabb AW-law-chohny-awbb |
| thin | vékony | VAY-kohny | vékonyabb VAY-kohny-awbb |
| young | fiatal | FIH-aw-tawl | fiatalabb FIH-aw-taw-lawbb |
| old (a person) | idős | IH-deush | idősebb IH-deu-shehbb |
| kind | kedves | KEHD-vehsh | kedvesebb KEHD-veh-sheh-bb |
| clever | okos | O-kosh | okosabb O-kaw-shawbb |
| funny | vicces | VIHT-tsehsh | viccesebb VIHT-tseh-sheh-bb |
| quiet | csendes | CHEHN-dehsh | csendesebb CHEHN-deh-sheh-bb |
| nice; likeable | szimpatikus | SIM-paw-tih-kush | szimpatikusabb SIM-paw-tih-ku-shawbb |
💇 Hair and Eyes — Haj és szem
Hungarian builds descriptions with -ú / -ű, meaning "having …": barna haj ("brown hair") becomes barna hajú ("brown-haired"), and kék szem becomes kék szemű ("blue-eyed").
| Feature | Hungarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| hair | haj | HAWY |
| eye | szem | SEHM |
| blonde | szőke | SEUU-keh |
| brown | barna | BAWR-naw |
| black | fekete | FEH-keh-teh |
| red (hair) | vörös | VEU-reush |
| grey | szürke | SUER-keh |
| blue | kék | KAYK |
| long | hosszú | HOS-soo |
| short (hair) | rövid | REU-vid |
| brown-haired | barna hajú | BAWR-naw HAW-yoo |
| blue-eyed | kék szemű | KAYK SEH-muue |
| long-haired | hosszú hajú | HOS-soo HAW-yoo |
"Hogy Néz Ki?" and the Prefix
Hogy néz ki? ("What does he/she look like?") uses the verb kinézni, whose prefix ki- goes after the verb because a question word comes first, exactly as in Chapter 1 (Hánykor kelsz fel?). The answer can be as simple as Magas, barna hajú.
👥 The Plural: -k — A többes szám
The plural is made with -k. After a vowel it is just -k (fiú → fiúk), and after a consonant it needs a linking vowel chosen by harmony (barát → barátok, könyv → könyvek).
| Singular | Plural | Say it | How it forms |
|---|---|---|---|
| barát | barátok | BAW-raw-tok | consonant → linking vowel + k |
| könyv | könyvek | KEUNY-vehk | front vowels: -ek |
| ház | házak | HAH-zawk | back vowels: -ak |
| lány | lányok | LAH-nyok | |
| gyerek | gyerekek | DYEH-reh-kehk | |
| fiú | fiúk | FIH-ook | vowel → -k |
| kolléga | kollégák | KOL-lay-gahk | final -a lengthens: -ák |
| nő | nők | NEUUK | woman → women |
| férfi | férfiak | FAYR-fih-awk | man → men (irregular) |
Two Rules About the Plural
1. After a number, the noun stays singular: két barát ("two friends"), as you saw with két kávét. 2. A plural subject makes a predicate adjective plural too: A lányok kedvesek ("The girls are kind"), but in front of a noun the adjective stays singular: kedves lányok. A question like Milyenek a lányok? is plural too, because it asks about a plural noun.
🔤 Three More Verbs — Igék
Each cell shows indefinite / definite forms. Ismerek egy lányt ("I know a girl") but Ismerem Annát ("I know Anna").
| ismerni (to know a person) | gondolni (to think) | viselni (to wear) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| én (I) AYN | ismerek / ismerem IHSH-meh-rehk / IHSH-meh-rehm | gondolok / gondolom GON-do-lok / GON-do-lom | viselek / viselem VIH-sheh-lehk / VIH-sheh-lehm |
| te (you) TEH | ismersz / ismered IHSH-mehrs / IHSH-meh-rehd | gondolsz / gondolod GON-dols / GON-do-lod | viselsz / viseled VIH-shehls / VIH-sheh-lehd |
| ő, Ön EUU, EUN | ismer / ismeri IHSH-mehr / IHSH-meh-rih | gondol / gondolja GON-dol / GON-dol-yaw | visel / viseli VIH-shehl / VIH-sheh-lih |
| mi (we) MIH | ismerünk / ismerjük IHSH-meh-ruenk / IHSH-mehr-yuek | gondolunk / gondoljuk GON-do-lunk / GON-dol-yuk | viselünk / viseljük VIH-sheh-luenk / VIH-shehl-yuek |
| ti (you, pl.) TIH | ismertek / ismeritek IHSH-mehr-tehk / IHSH-meh-rih-tehk | gondoltok / gondoljátok GON-dol-tok / GON-dol-yah-tok | viseltek / viselitek VIH-shehl-tehk / VIH-sheh-lih-tehk |
| ők (they) EUUK | ismernek / ismerik IHSH-mehr-nehk / IHSH-meh-rihk | gondolnak / gondolják GON-dol-nawk / GON-dol-yahk | viselnek / viselik VIH-shehl-nehk / VIH-sheh-lihk |
📖 Vocabulary — Szókincs
20 key words. Read the Hungarian first; the respelling is under every line (CAPITALS = the stressed first syllable).
| # | Hungarian | Say it | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | milyen | MIH-yehn | what … like?; what kind of | adj |
| 2 | magas | MAW-gawsh | tall; high | adj |
| 3 | alacsony | AW-law-chohny | short; low | adj |
| 4 | vékony | VAY-kohny | thin | adj |
| 5 | fiatal | FIH-aw-tawl | young | adj |
| 6 | idős | IH-deush | old (of a person) | adj |
| 7 | szép | SAYP | beautiful; lovely | adj |
| 8 | kedves | KEHD-vehsh | kind; nice; dear | adj |
| 9 | vicces | VIHT-tsehsh | funny | adj |
| 10 | okos | O-kosh | clever; smart | adj |
| 11 | csendes | CHEHN-dehsh | quiet | adj |
| 12 | szimpatikus | SIM-paw-tih-kush | likeable; nice | adj |
| 13 | haj | HAWY | hair | noun |
| 14 | szem | SEHM | eye | noun |
| 15 | szőke | SEUU-keh | blonde | adj |
| 16 | barna | BAWR-naw | brown | adj |
| 17 | hosszú | HOS-soo | long | adj |
| 18 | rövid | REU-vid | short (hair, text) | adj |
| 19 | mint | MINT | than; as; like | adj |
| 20 | olyan | O-yawn | such; as | adj |
Real Hungarian Tip — Ő Describes Everyone
Because ő means both "he" and "she", the same adjectives describe a man or a woman: Ő magas és kedves could be either. Hungarian describes the person, and the gender only appears in the name or in words like férfi and nő.
Mint: Than and As
mint means than after a comparative (magasabb, mint Anna) and as or like in olyan …, mint ("as … as"). The superlative is made with leg- + the comparative: legmagasabb ("the tallest"), legfiatalabb ("the youngest").
Compliments Are Easy
Hungarian has simple, friendly compliments built from what you have learned: Szép a hajad! ("Your hair is lovely!"), Nagyon kedves vagy! ("You are very kind!"), Jól nézel ki! ("You look good!"). Remember that nézel ki has the prefix ki after the verb because of jól in front.
Fiatal and Idős
Fiatal ("young") and idős ("old") are polite words for people. For things the word for "old" is régi (régi ház, an old house) and for "new" it is új. Calling a person öreg is blunt, unless you are fond of them.
✍️ Try It Yourself — Gyakorlatok
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Ask what your friend is like, and say he is tall and kind.
Show answer
Milyen a barátod? · Magas és kedves.
2. Describe someone: brown-haired, blue-eyed.
Show answer
Barna hajú és kék szemű.
3. Say "Péter is taller than Anna."
Show answer
Péter magasabb, mint Anna.
4. Make the plural of barát, könyv and ház.
Show answer
barátok · könyvek · házak
5. Say "The girls are kind." Does the adjective change?
Show answer
A lányok kedvesek. Yes: a predicate adjective takes -k with a plural subject.
6. Ask "What does he look like?" Where does the prefix ki go?
Show answer
Hogy néz ki? After the verb, because of the question word.
Coming Up in Chapter 5
Your home and neighbourhood: rooms, furniture and Hol van …? with the possessive endings, and describing where you live. From this chapter on, the dialogs have no respelling line: each ends with a short note on the new and tricky words instead.