Advanced Conjugation Rules in Hungarian

In Brief

Hungarian normally chooses indefinite conjugation for no object or a non-specific object, and definite conjugation for a specific, grammatically definite object. The main personal-pronoun exceptions are engem, téged, minket, titeket, which do not take ordinary definite endings; when “I” act on “you,” Hungarian instead uses the special -lak/-lek form. Reflexive objects such as magamat and third-person pronouns such as őt do trigger definite conjugation.

Overview

Hungarian verb endings can tell you not only who performs an action but also what kind of direct object the action affects. A direct object is the person or thing directly seen, called, bought, or otherwise acted upon. Compare Kérek egy kávét (“I’d like a coffee”) with Kérem a kávét (“I’d like the coffee”): the English verb stays the same, but Hungarian changes its ending because egy kávét is indefinite and a kávét is definite.

By B2, the broad “a/the” rule is no longer enough. Personal pronouns behave differently according to person, the ending -lak/-lek combines a first-person subject with a second-person object, and reflexive pronouns such as magam behave as definite objects. These patterns matter in everyday phrases including Szeretlek (“I love you”), Vár engem (“He or she is waiting for me”), and Kérem (“Please” or “I request it”).

English offers little help here: “I see you,” “she sees me,” and “I see myself” all use see. In Hungarian, the relationship between subject and object determines látlak, lát engem, and látom magamat. The most reliable strategy is therefore to identify the object before choosing the verb ending.

How It Works

Start with the object

First ask whether the verb has a direct object. Hungarian usually marks that object with the accusative case—a form commonly ending in -t, such as könyvet (“book” as an object) or Pétert (“Péter” as an object). Pronouns sometimes have special object forms, including engem and őt.

Then classify the object:

Object type	Typical conjugation	Example
No direct object	Indefinite	Dolgozom. — “I am working.”
Indefinite or non-specific object	Indefinite	Olvasok egy könyvet. — “I am reading a book.”
Definite, identified object	Definite	Olvasom a könyvet. — “I am reading the book.”
First- or second-person object	Indefinite, except for I→you	Lát engem. — “He/she sees me.”
I→you (singular or plural)	Special -lak/-lek form	Látlak. — “I see you.”
Reflexive or reciprocal object	Definite	Látom magamat. — “I see myself.”

A noun phrase is typically definite when it contains the definite article a/az, a demonstrative such as ezt/azt (“this/that” as an object), a possessive form, or a proper name. Third-person object pronouns őt (“him/her”) and őket (“them”) also count as definite.

The special -lak/-lek ending

Use -lak/-lek when the subject is én (“I”) and the direct object is second person: téged (“you,” singular) or titeket/benneteket (“you,” plural). The pronoun is often omitted because the ending already expresses the relationship.

Vowel pattern	Infinitive	I→you form	Meaning
Back-vowel verb	látni	látlak	I see you
Front-vowel verb	szeretni	szeretlek	I love you
Back-vowel verb	várni	várlak	I am waiting for you
Front-vowel verb	kérni	kérlek	I ask you / please
Front rounded vowels	küldeni	küldelek	I send you

The choice between -lak and -lek follows vowel harmony (the matching of suffix vowels to the vowels in the word): back-vowel stems normally take -lak, while front-vowel stems take -lek. As with other Hungarian endings, the stem may undergo its usual changes; learn frequent forms as complete words rather than constructing every form letter by letter.

The rule is about grammatical person, not whether the object pronoun is spoken:

• Látlak. — “I see you.”
• Téged látlak, nem őt. — “I see you, not him/her.”
• Szeretlek benneteket. — “I love you all.”

Do not use -lak/-lek if the subject is not “I.” “He sees you” is Lát téged, with the indefinite third-person form lát.

Engem, téged, minket, titeket

First- and second-person object pronouns form a special group:

Object pronoun	Meaning	Verb pattern	Example
engem	me	Indefinite	Ismer engem. — “He/she knows me.”
téged	you (singular)	Indefinite unless subject is I	Ismer téged. — “He/she knows you.”
minket	us	Indefinite	Ismer minket. — “He/she knows us.”
titeket / benneteket	you (plural)	Indefinite unless subject is I	Ismer titeket. — “He/she knows you.”

These pronouns refer to clearly known people, but Hungarian grammatical definiteness is not simply real-world specificity. That is why Szeret engem? uses szeret, not szereti. With an I→you relationship, however, replace the regular indefinite form with -lak/-lek: Szeretlek (téged).

The third person follows the ordinary definite pattern:

Object pronoun	Meaning	Pattern	Example
őt	him/her	Definite	Ismerem őt. — “I know him/her.”
őket	them	Definite	Ismerem őket. — “I know them.”

This contrast is worth memorizing as a pair: Ő lát engem (“He/she sees me”) but Én látom őt (“I see him/her”).

Reflexive and reciprocal objects

A reflexive pronoun points back to the subject—the person acts on himself, herself, or themselves. Hungarian forms are based on maga: magam(at), magad(at), magát, magunkat, magatokat, magukat. As direct objects, they trigger definite conjugation.

Subject	Reflexive object	Example
I	magamat / magam	Látom magamat a tükörben.
you (singular)	magadat / magad	Látod magadat a képen.
he/she	magát	Látja magát a képen.
we	magunkat	Látjuk magunkat a videón.
you (plural)	magatokat	Látjátok magatokat?
they	magukat	Látják magukat a képen.

In first- and second-person singular, the final accusative -t is often omitted in natural use: magamat → magam, magadat → magad. This does not change the choice of conjugation: Látom magam remains definite.

The reciprocal pronoun egymást (“each other”) behaves in the same way: Ismerjük egymást (“We know each other”), Segítik egymást (“They help each other”).

Other reliable definiteness triggers

Use definite conjugation when the direct object is identified by one of these common structures:

• Definite article: Megnézem a filmet. — “I’ll watch the film.”
• Demonstrative: Ezt kérem. — “I’ll have this one.”
• Proper name: Felhívom Annát. — “I’ll call Anna.”
• Possessive form: Elolvasom a leveledet. — “I’ll read your letter.”
• Third-person pronoun: Várom őket. — “I’m waiting for them.”
• Reflexive or reciprocal pronoun: Megvédjük magunkat. — “We defend ourselves.”

By contrast, egy (“a/an, one”), valami (“something”), valaki (“someone”), and many bare or non-specific objects normally select indefinite conjugation: Veszek egy jegyet (“I’ll buy a ticket”), Keresek valakit (“I’m looking for someone”).

Examples in Context

Hungarian	English	Note
Látlak téged, de te nem látsz engem.	I see you, but you do not see me.	I→you uses -lak; “you→me” uses indefinite látsz.
Szeretlek benneteket.	I love you all.	-lek can refer to a plural second-person object.
Holnap felhívlak.	I’ll call you tomorrow.	The pronoun is omitted; -lak already means I→you.
Kérlek, várj egy percet.	Please wait a minute.	Literally “I ask you”; kérlek functions as “please.”
Szeret engem?	Does he/she love me?	Engem selects the indefinite form.
A tanár jól ismer minket.	The teacher knows us well.	Minket also takes indefinite conjugation.
Én ismerem őt, de ő nem ismer engem.	I know him/her, but he/she does not know me.	Third person is definite; first person is not.
Látom magamat a tükörben.	I see myself in the mirror.	Reflexive object, definite conjugation.
Ne hibáztasd magad!	Don’t blame yourself!	Short magad still triggers definite conjugation.
Régóta ismerjük egymást.	We have known each other for a long time.	Egymást takes definite conjugation.
Kérek egy kávét.	I’d like a coffee.	Non-specific object, indefinite conjugation.
Kérem a kávét.	I’d like the coffee.	Identified object, definite conjugation.
Ezt a könyvet kérem.	I’ll take this book.	The demonstrative makes the object definite.
Elolvasom a leveledet este.	I’ll read your letter tonight.	A possessed object is definite.
Valakit vársz, vagy a taxit várod?	Are you waiting for someone, or for the taxi?	Indefinite valakit contrasts with definite a taxit.

Common Mistakes

Using the definite form with engem

• Wrong: Szereti engem?
• Right: Szeret engem?
• Why: Although engem refers to a specific person, first-person object pronouns select indefinite conjugation.

Missing the I→you ending

• Wrong: Én szeretem téged.
• Right: Szeretlek (téged).
• Why: A first-person-singular subject acting on a second-person object requires -lak/-lek, not the ordinary definite form.

Extending -lak/-lek to other subjects

• Wrong: Ő látlak téged.
• Right: Ő lát téged.
• Why: -lak/-lek itself includes the meaning “I.” With ő as subject, use the regular indefinite third-person form.

Treating magam like engem

• Wrong: Látok magamat a tükörben.
• Right: Látom magamat a tükörben.
• Why: Reflexive objects trigger definite conjugation, even though engem and minket do not.

Choosing the ending from the English translation

• Wrong: Kérem egy kávét.
• Right: Kérek egy kávét.
• Why: English “I’d like” does not show definiteness. Hungarian follows the actual object: egy kávét is indefinite, while a kávét is definite.

Usage Notes

Hungarian often omits personal pronouns because the verb ending already supplies enough information. Szeretlek is normally complete; adding téged gives emphasis or contrast, as in Téged szeretlek, nem őt (“It is you I love, not him/her”). Likewise, engem may be stated when it is the focus: Engem keresel? (“Are you looking for me?”).

Kérlek is both a full verb form (“I ask you”) and a very common polite marker meaning “please” when addressing one person informally: Kérlek, segíts! (“Please help!”). When addressing several people, kérlek benneteket is possible, but kérlek alone is naturally understood as singular informal address. Formal requests commonly use other constructions, such as Kérem, várjon! (“Please wait!”), where várjon is a formal command form.

At cafés and shops, definiteness changes what you request. Kérek egy teát introduces an item: “I’d like a tea.” Kérem a teát refers to an already identified tea: “I’ll take the tea” or “The tea, please.” Ezt kérem (“I’ll take this”) is definite because ezt identifies a particular item.

Word order does not decide the conjugation. Hungarian moves words for focus and emphasis, but the same object keeps the same definiteness: Látom Pétert, Pétert látom, and Pétert én látom all use definite látom. The differences concern what the speaker highlights, not which conjugation the verb requires.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

The definite–indefinite contrast operates beyond the present tense. Past, conditional, imperative, and other verb forms preserve the same object logic, although their endings differ:

Hungarian	English	Note
Láttalak tegnap.	I saw you yesterday.	Past I→you form.
Megnézném a filmet.	I would watch the film.	Conditional, definite object.
Megnéznék egy filmet.	I would watch a film.	Conditional, indefinite object.
Hívd fel őt!	Call him/her!	Command with a definite third-person object.
Hívj fel engem!	Call me!	Command with a first-person object; indefinite series.

Hungarian also frequently treats an object clause—a whole clause functioning as what someone knows, sees, or says—as definite, often with an explicit or understood azt (“that”): Tudom, hogy igazad van (“I know that you are right”), or Azt mondom, hogy induljunk (“I say that we should leave”). The exact pattern can depend on the verb and construction, so learn high-frequency frames such as tudom, hogy… and azt hiszem, hogy… as units.

Do not reduce the system to “specific meaning equals definite form.” The pronoun contrast proves why: engem is highly specific but takes indefinite conjugation, while magamat takes definite conjugation. Think of definiteness as a grammatical classification signaled by the shape of the Hungarian object, not merely by what the speaker has in mind.

Practice Tips

1. Build three-way contrast sets. Take one verb and say Látok valakit (“I see someone”), Látom Pétert (“I see Péter”), and Látlak (“I see you”). This trains the choice before you memorize more endings.
2. Color-code subject and object. In each sentence, mark who acts and whom or what they affect. Give special attention to the pairs I→you, he/she→me, and I→him/her.
3. Rehearse useful request frames. Practice Kérek egy…, Kérem a…, Ezt kérem, and Kérlek, … with real items and actions. The difference becomes easier when each form is tied to a situation.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Definite Conjugation — review the regular definite endings before learning these exceptions and contrasts.