Your Home & Neighbourhood
Hungarian Basic Conversation 2
Chapter 5 · Your Home & Neighbourhood
🏠Your Home & Neighbourhood — Az otthonom
Talking about home brings together the possessive endings, the "in" and "on" endings and the position words you already know. You will learn the rooms and furniture, how to say where things are, how to describe your flat and your neighbourhood, and how to look for a flat to rent. This is the first chapter without a respelling line under each dialog line: each dialog ends with a short Hard words note instead.
①Where Do You Live? — Hol laksz?
A:
Hol laksz?
Where do you live?
B:
Egy kis lakásban lakom a belvárosban.
I live in a small flat in the city centre.
A:
Hány szobás?
How many rooms?
B:
Háromszobás.
Three rooms.
Hard words: lakásban LAW-kahsh-bawn · belvárosban BEHL-vah-rosh-bawn · háromszobás HAH-rom-so-bah-shawsh
② The Flat (Philip's) — Milyen a lakásod?
A:
Milyen a lakásod?
What is your flat like?
B:
Kicsi, de világos és csendes.
Small, but bright and quiet.
A:
Melyik emeleten van?
Which floor is it on?
B:
A harmadik emeleten. Van lift.
The third floor. There is a lift.
Hard words: világos VIH-lah-gosh · emeleten EH-meh-leh-tehn · lakásod LAW-kah-shod
③ Rooms — Hol van a konyha?
A:
Hol van a konyha?
Where is the kitchen?
B:
Itt, a nappali mellett.
Here, next to the living room.
A:
És a hálószoba?
And the bedroom?
B:
Az emeleten van.
It's upstairs.
Hard words: nappali NAWP-paw-lih · hálószoba HAH-lo-so-baw · konyha KO-nyaw
④ Furniture — Hol van a kanapé?
A:
Hol van a kanapé?
Where is the sofa?
B:
A nappaliban van, az ablak mellett.
In the living room, by the window.
A:
És a tévé?
And the TV?
B:
A falon.
On the wall.
Hard words: kanapé KAW-naw-pay · ablak AWB-lawk · falon FAW-lon
⑤ The Neighbour (Nagymama's) — A szomszéd
A:
Ismered a szomszédodat?
Do you know your neighbour?
B:
Igen, ismerem. Nagyon kedves.
Yes, I know him. He's very kind.
A:
Zajos?
Is he noisy?
B:
Nem, csendes.
No, he's quiet.
Hard words: szomszédodat SOM-say-do-dawt · zajos ZAW-yosh · csendes CHEHN-dehsh
⑥ Renting a Flat (Philip's) — Kiadó lakás
A:
Egy lakást keresek. Kiadó még?
I'm looking for a flat. Is it still for rent?
B:
Igen, kiadó egy kétszobás lakás.
Yes, a two-room flat is for rent.
A:
Mennyi a bĂ©rleti dĂj?
How much is the rent?
B:
Százötvenezer forint havonta.
150,000 forints a month.
Hard words: kiadĂł KIH-aw-doh · bĂ©rleti dĂj BAYR-leh-tih DEEY · havonta HAW-von-taw · százötvenezer SAH-zeut-vehn-eh-zehr
🗝️ Key Phrases — Fontos kifejezések
| Situation | Formal (Ă–n) | Informal (te) |
|---|---|---|
| Where do you live? | Hol lakik? HOL LAW-kihk | Hol laksz? HOL LAWKS |
| I live in a flat / a house | Lakásban / házban lakom. LAW-kahsh-bawn / HAHZ-bawn LAW-kom | (same) |
| How many rooms? | Hány szobás? HAHNY SO-bah-shawsh | (same) |
| What is your flat like? | Milyen a lakása? MIH-yehn aw LAW-kah-shaw | Milyen a lakásod? MIH-yehn aw LAW-kah-shod |
| Which floor? | Melyik emeleten? MEH-yihk EH-meh-leh-tehn | (same) |
| Where is the …? | Hol van a …? HOL VAWN aw | (same) |
| I'm looking for a flat | Egy lakást keresek. EHDY LAW-kahsht KEH-reh-shehk | (same) |
| How much is the rent? | Mennyi a bĂ©rleti dĂj? MEHN-nyih aw BAYR-leh-tih DEEY | (same) |
🏠Rooms — Helyiségek
| Room / part | Hungarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| flat | lakás | LAW-kahsh |
| house | ház | HAHZ |
| room | szoba | SO-baw |
| kitchen | konyha | KO-nyaw |
| living room | nappali | NAWP-paw-lih |
| bedroom | hálószoba | HAH-lo-so-baw |
| bathroom | fürdőszoba | FUER-deuu-so-baw |
| balcony | erkély | EHR-kayy |
| garden | kert | KEHRT |
| garage | garázs | GAW-rahzh |
| stairs | lépcső | LAYP-cheuu |
| lift | lift | LIFT |
🛋️ Furniture — Bútorok
| Furniture | Hungarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| table | asztal | AWS-tawl |
| chair | szék | SAYK |
| bed | ágy | AHDY |
| sofa | kanapé | KAW-naw-pay |
| armchair | fotel | FO-tehl |
| wardrobe | szekrény | SEH-krayny |
| shelf | polc | POLTS |
| lamp | lámpa | LAHM-paw |
| window | ablak | AWB-lawk |
| door | ajtĂł | AWY-toh |
| wall | fal | FAWL |
| fridge | hűtő | HUUE-teuu |
📍 Where Things Are — Hol van?
Use the endings you already know (-ban / -ben for inside, -on / -en / -ön for on top of) and the position words from Basic 1, plus two new ones: alatt (under) and fölött (above).
| Where? | Hungarian | Say it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| in the kitchen | a konyhában | AW KO-nyah-bawn | -ban: inside |
| in the wardrobe | a szekrényben | AW SEH-krayny-behn | -ben: front vowels |
| on the table | az asztalon | AWZ AWS-taw-lon | -on: on a surface |
| on the wall | a falon | AW FAW-lon | |
| next to the window | az ablak mellett | AWZ AWB-lawk MEHL-leht | position word |
| under the bed | az ágy alatt | AWZ AHDY AW-lawtt | alatt = under |
| above the table | az asztal fölött | AWZ AWS-tawl FEU-leutt | fölött = above |
| in front of the house | a ház előtt | AW HAHZ EH-leuutt | from Basic 1 |
🌆 Where You Live — Hol laksz?
| Where I live | Hungarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| in a flat | lakásban | LAW-kahsh-bawn |
| in a house | házban | HAHZ-bawn |
| in the city centre | a belvárosban | AW BEHL-vah-rosh-bawn |
| in the suburbs | a külvárosban | AW KUEL-vah-rosh-bawn |
| in the village | a faluban / falun | AW FAW-lu-bawn / FAW-lun |
| on the third floor | a harmadik emeleten | AW HAWR-maw-dihk EH-meh-leh-tehn |
👤 My Flat, Your Flat — a lakásom, a lakásod
The possessive endings from Basic 1 (-m, -d, -a / -e) work on home words too. Note that the final -a or -e lengthens before -m and -d: szoba → szobám.
| Word | my | your (informal) | his / her |
|---|---|---|---|
| lakás (flat) LAW-kahsh | lakásom LAW-kah-shom | lakásod LAW-kah-shod | lakása LAW-kah-shaw |
| szoba (room) SO-baw | szobám SO-bahm | szobád SO-bahd | szobája SO-bah-yaw |
| konyha (kitchen) KO-nyaw | konyhám KO-nyahm | konyhád KO-nyahd | konyhája KO-nyah-yaw |
| kert (garden) KEHRT | kertem KEHR-tehm | kerted KEHR-tehd | kertje KEHRT-yeh |
| szomszéd (neighbour) SOM-sayd | szomszédom SOM-say-dom | szomszédod SOM-say-dod | szomszédja SOM-sayd-yaw |
🔑 Renting — Albérlet
| Word | Hungarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| for rent | kiadĂł | KIH-aw-doh |
| for sale | eladĂł | EH-law-doh |
| rented flat; rented room | albérlet | AWL-bayr-leht |
| rent | bĂ©rleti dĂj | BAYR-leh-tih DEEY |
| utilities; running costs | rezsi | REH-zhih |
| monthly | havonta | HAW-von-taw |
🔤 Three More Verbs — Igék
Again, indefinite / definite forms where a verb can take an object: Nyitok egy ablakot ("I'm opening a window") but Nyitom az ablakot ("I'm opening the window").
| bérelni (to rent) | költözni (to move house) | nyitni (to open) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| én (I) AYN | bérelek / bérelem BAY-reh-lehk / BAY-reh-lehm | költözöm KEUL-teu-zeum | nyitok / nyitom NYI-tok / NYI-tom |
| te (you) TEH | bérelsz / béreled BAY-rehls / BAY-reh-lehd | költözöl KEUL-teu-zeul | nyitsz / nyitod NYITS / NYI-tod |
| ő, Ön EUU, EUN | bérel / béreli BAY-rehl / BAY-reh-lih | költözik KEUL-teu-zihk | nyit / nyitja NYIT / NYIT-yaw |
| mi (we) MIH | bérelünk / béreljük BAY-reh-luenk / BAY-rehl-yuek | költözünk KEUL-teu-zuenk | nyitunk / nyitjuk NYI-tunk / NYIT-yuk |
| ti (you, pl.) TIH | béreltek / bérelitek BAY-rehl-tehk / BAY-reh-lih-tehk | költöztök KEUL-teus-teuk | nyittok / nyitjátok NYIT-tok / NYIT-yah-tok |
| ők (they) EUUK | bérelnek / bérelik BAY-rehl-nehk / BAY-reh-lihk | költöznek KEUL-teuz-nehk | nyitnak / nyitják NYIT-nawk / NYIT-yahk |
📖 Vocabulary — Szókincs
20 key words. Read the Hungarian first; each dialog ends with a short note on the new or tricky words (CAPITALS = the stressed first syllable).
| # | Hungarian | Say it | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | lakás | LAW-kahsh | flat; apartment | noun |
| 2 | ház | HAHZ | house | noun |
| 3 | szoba | SO-baw | room | noun |
| 4 | konyha | KO-nyaw | kitchen | noun |
| 5 | nappali | NAWP-paw-lih | living room | noun |
| 6 | hálószoba | HAH-lo-so-baw | bedroom | noun |
| 7 | erkély | EHR-kayy | balcony | noun |
| 8 | kert | KEHRT | garden | noun |
| 9 | asztal | AWS-tawl | table | noun |
| 10 | szék | SAYK | chair | noun |
| 11 | kanapé | KAW-naw-pay | sofa | noun |
| 12 | szekrény | SEH-krayny | wardrobe; cupboard | noun |
| 13 | ablak | AWB-lawk | window | noun |
| 14 | fal | FAWL | wall | noun |
| 15 | szomszéd | SOM-sayd | neighbour | noun |
| 16 | belváros | BEHL-vah-rosh | city centre | noun |
| 17 | kiadĂł | KIH-aw-doh | for rent | adj |
| 18 | albérlet | AWL-bayr-leht | rented flat or room | noun |
| 19 | bĂ©rleti dĂj | BAYR-leh-tih DEEY | rent | noun |
| 20 | költözni | KEUL-teuz-nih | to move (house) | verb |
Real Hungarian Tip — Panel Flats and Rezsi
Many Hungarians live in panellakás (PAW-nehl-law-kahsh), flats in prefabricated concrete blocks from the 20th century, so a háromszobás lakás in a block is very common. When people discuss the cost of living they talk about the rezsi (the running costs: heating, water, electricity), which is a very common word in everyday conversation.
Counting Rooms: -szobás
To say how many rooms, join the number to szobás: egyszobás (one-room), kétszobás, háromszobás. In Hungarian listings the half rooms (fél szoba) are counted separately, so két és fél szobás means "two and a half rooms".
EladĂł and KiadĂł: Two Signs to Know
On a window or a notice board, eladó means for sale and kiadó means for rent: Eladó ház, Kiadó lakás. Be careful: eladó is also the word for a shop assistant, as you saw in Basic 1: the sign, not the job, is what you meet in the street.
Reading Without Respelling
From this chapter on the dialogs have no respelling beneath each line. If a word is hard, check the Hard words note at the end of the dialog, or the tables below. A good habit is to read a dialog aloud first, then look at the notes, and read it again.
✍️ Try It Yourself — Gyakorlatok
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Say "I live in a three-room flat in the city centre."
Show answer
Egy háromszobás lakásban lakom a belvárosban.
2. Say "The sofa is in the living room, next to the window."
Show answer
A kanapé a nappaliban van, az ablak mellett.
3. Say "the TV is on the wall" and "the cat is under the bed".
Show answer
A tévé a falon van. · A macska az ágy alatt van.
4. Say "my room", "your kitchen" and "his garden".
Show answer
a szobám · a konyhád · a kertje
5. Ask whether a flat is still for rent, and how much the rent is.
Show answer
KiadĂł mĂ©g? · Mennyi a bĂ©rleti dĂj?
6. What is the difference between nyitok and nyitom?
Show answer
Nyitok egy ablakot. (a window: indefinite) · Nyitom az ablakot. (the window: definite)
Coming Up in Chapter 6
Weather and seasons: Milyen idő van? ("What's the weather like?"), süt a nap, esik az eső, the four seasons with -val / -vel (tavasszal, nyáron), and temperatures.