Basic Conjunctions in Hungarian

In Brief

Use és for “and,” de for “but,” vagy for “or,” mert for “because,” and tehát for “so/therefore.” The word is means “also/too,” but unlike English also, it normally comes directly after the word or phrase it adds: Én is kérek (“I’d like some too”).

Overview

Conjunctions are connecting words: they join words, phrases, or clauses (groups of words containing a statement). With only a few Hungarian conjunctions, you can combine short A1 sentences into useful thoughts: order tea or coffee, say that you are tired but not sleepy, or explain that you are staying home because it is raining.

The main beginner set is és (“and”), de (“but”), vagy (“or”), mert (“because”), tehát (“so/therefore”), and is (“also/too”). The first five can connect larger units. Is behaves differently: it is a focus particle (a small word that highlights what is being added) and follows the item it belongs to.

This is an A1 topic, and the beginner rules are straightforward. The details that take longer are punctuation and information structure—how word order shows what is contrasted or added. Hungarian word order is more flexible than English word order, so placing a connector correctly is only part of making the intended meaning clear.

How It Works

The core words

Hungarian	Core meaning	Main job	Basic pattern
és	and	adds one item or statement to another	A és B
de	but	introduces a contrast	clause, de clause
vagy	or	presents alternatives	A vagy B
mert	because	gives a reason	result, mert reason
tehát	so, therefore	introduces a conclusion or consequence	reason, tehát result
is	also, too	adds the word or phrase immediately before it	X is

És: adding information

Use és between individual words or phrases:

• tea és kávé — tea and coffee
• magyarul és angolul — in Hungarian and in English
• kedves és türelmes — kind and patient

It also joins complete clauses:

• Anna főz, és Péter mosogat. — Anna is cooking, and Péter is washing the dishes.

Hungarian normally puts és only before the final item in a list, just as English does: kenyeret, sajtot és almát (“bread, cheese, and apples”). A comma before the final és is not the default in a simple list.

De: showing contrast

Use de when the second part contrasts with or limits the first:

• Fáradt vagyok, de dolgozom. — I am tired, but I am working.
• A könyv rövid, de érdekes. — The book is short but interesting.

When de connects clauses, write a comma before it. In a very short phrase without two full clauses, no comma is needed: kicsi, de kényelmes is nevertheless conventionally written with a comma because de marks an adversative relation, even between phrase-level elements.

Vagy: offering alternatives

Use vagy between choices:

• Tea vagy kávé? — Tea or coffee?
• Ma vagy holnap indulunk. — We are leaving today or tomorrow.

For an explicit “either … or …” choice, repeat it:

• Vagy busszal megyünk, vagy gyalog. — We are going either by bus or on foot.

Do not confuse the conjunction vagy with the verb form vagy, meaning “you are.” Context normally makes the difference obvious:

• Fáradt vagy. — You are tired.
• Te vagy én? — You or me?

Mert: giving the reason

Mert answers “why?” and introduces the reason:

• Otthon maradok, mert beteg vagyok. — I am staying home because I am ill.

The order can be reversed:

• Mert beteg vagyok, otthon maradok. — Because I am ill, I am staying home.

The result-first order is especially easy and common for beginners. Hungarian does not require an English-style special inversion after mert; use a normal Hungarian clause. A comma separates the reason clause from the main clause in either order.

A standalone answer with mert is common in conversation:

• Miért nem jössz? — Mert dolgozom. — Why aren’t you coming? — Because I’m working.

Tehát: drawing a conclusion

Tehát points in the opposite logical direction from mert. Compare:

• Nem megyek, mert esik. — I’m not going because it is raining. (result → reason)
• Esik, tehát nem megyek. — It is raining, so I’m not going. (reason → conclusion)

Tehát often sounds more deliberate and logical than everyday English so. It is natural in explanations, summaries, and conclusions. In relaxed speech, Hungarian also uses úgyhogy (“so/as a result”), but that belongs beyond the core set.

Is: placing “also” after what is added

This is the most important word-order rule in the article: is follows the exact element that is being added.

Hungarian	Natural English meaning	What is added
Én is megyek.	I’m going too.	I, in addition to someone else
Péter is jön.	Péter is coming too.	Péter, in addition to someone else
Holnap is dolgozom.	I’m working tomorrow too.	tomorrow, in addition to another day
Budapesten is jártam.	I have been to Budapest too.	Budapest, in addition to another place
Kávét is kérek.	I’d like coffee as well.	coffee, in addition to something else

English can move too to the end of a sentence, but Hungarian is should not simply be placed at the end unless the final item is genuinely what it modifies. It is written as a separate word.

Commas at a glance

Hungarian punctuation depends on what the connector joins.

• No comma in a simple list or pair: tea és kávé; ma vagy holnap.
• Use a comma at a clause boundary: Anna olvas, és Péter zenét hallgat.
• Use a comma before de: Menni akarok, de nem tudok.
• Separate a mert-clause with a comma: Sietek, mert késő van.
• Use punctuation around tehát according to the sentence structure: Késő van, tehát sietek. At the beginning, Tehát sietnünk kell. needs no comma immediately after tehát by default.

A practical test is to look for a separate subject–predicate unit (roughly, its own “who/what + what happens” statement) on each side. If és or vagy connects two such clauses, a comma normally marks the boundary.

Examples in Context

Hungarian	English	Note
Magyarul és angolul beszélek.	I speak Hungarian and English.	és joins two parallel phrases.
Veszek kenyeret, tejet és sajtot.	I’m buying bread, milk, and cheese.	No comma before final és in this simple list.
Anna főz, és Bence megteríti az asztalt.	Anna is cooking, and Bence is setting the table.	és joins two clauses.
Menni akarok, de nem tudok.	I want to go, but I can’t.	The second clause limits the first.
A lakás kicsi, de világos.	The apartment is small but bright.	Contrast between adjectives.
Tea vagy kávé?	Tea or coffee?	A short choice question.
Ma vagy holnap találkozunk?	Are we meeting today or tomorrow?	Alternatives can be time expressions.
Vagy most indulunk, vagy itthon maradunk.	Either we leave now, or we stay home.	Repeated vagy makes the alternatives explicit.
Nem megyek, mert esik.	I’m not going because it’s raining.	Result first, then reason.
Mert fáradt vagyok, korán lefekszem.	Because I’m tired, I’m going to bed early.	Reason clause placed first.
Elfogyott a tej, tehát veszek egy litert.	We have run out of milk, so I’ll buy a litre.	tehát introduces a conclusion.
Én is kérek egy kávét.	I’d like a coffee too.	is adds the speaker.
Sütit is kérek.	I’d like cake as well.	is adds cake to another order.
Vasárnap is nyitva van a bolt.	The shop is open on Sunday too.	is adds Sunday to other open days.
Júlia is fáradt, de még dolgozik.	Júlia is tired too, but she is still working.	Two connectors with different jobs.

Common Mistakes

Putting is where English puts “too”

• Wrong: Én megyek is.
• Right: Én is megyek.
• Why: Here the meaning is “I, too,” so is must directly follow én. Hungarian is does not generally copy the sentence-final position of English too.

Using és when the meaning is a contrast

• Wrong: Fáradt vagyok, és dolgozom. (if you mean “but I am working”)
• Right: Fáradt vagyok, de dolgozom.
• Why: És merely adds information. De tells the listener that working is unexpected despite the tiredness. The original sentence is grammatical, but it expresses a different relationship.

Reversing reason and result

• Wrong: Esik, mert nem megyek. (for “I’m not going because it’s raining”)
• Right: Nem megyek, mert esik.
• Why: The words after mert give the reason. If rain is the reason, esik belongs after mert.

Treating mert and tehát as interchangeable

• Wrong: Nem megyek, tehát esik. (when rain causes the decision)
• Right: Nem megyek, mert esik.
• Why: Mert looks backward from a result to its cause; tehát moves forward from evidence or a cause to a conclusion.

Adding a comma inside every és or vagy phrase

• Wrong: Kérek teát, és kávét.
• Right: Kérek teát és kávét.
• Why: These are two objects in one clause, not two clauses. A comma is normally unnecessary.

Joining is to the previous word

• Wrong: Péteris jön.
• Right: Péter is jön.
• Why: Is is written separately even though it closely follows the phrase it modifies.

Usage Notes

In speech, és may be repeated while someone adds thoughts, much like English “and.” In careful writing, avoid long chains of clauses linked only by és; choose a connector that shows the actual relation.

De can begin a reply or sentence: De én nem ezt mondtam! (“But that isn’t what I said!”). Traditional advice against beginning an English sentence with but does not create a Hungarian grammar rule; sentence-initial de is normal when the context supplies the contrast.

Vagy can introduce a correction or alternative interpretation: Vagy talán nincs otthon? (“Or perhaps he/she isn’t at home?”). Intonation and context show whether it is a neutral choice or a reconsideration.

With is, word order changes the focus. Én is szeretem Annát means that I, in addition to someone else, love/like Anna. Annát is szeretem adds Anna to the people I love/like. English translations may look similar, so always ask: “What exactly am I adding?”

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these points at A1, but you will meet them frequently later.

Paired and emphatic connectors

Hungarian can repeat or pair connectors to make the relationship explicit:

• vagy … vagy … — either … or …
• is … is … — both … and … / … too, and … too
• nemcsak … hanem … is — not only … but also …

For example, Anna is és Péter is eljön means “Both Anna and Péter are coming.” The repeated is adds each person. In Nemcsak Anna, hanem Péter is eljön, the final is completes the “not only … but also” pattern.

Is and its negative partner

The negative counterpart of is is often sem or se, meaning “neither/not … either”:

• Én sem megyek. — I’m not going either.
• Kávét sem kérek. — I don’t want coffee either.

Hungarian normally keeps a negative verb with sem/se: Én sem megyek is negative because sem supplies negation; with many constructions you will also encounter explicit negative forms depending on structure. Learn complete examples rather than replacing every is mechanically.

Cause connectors beyond mert

At higher levels, mivel can mean “since/because,” while azért … mert … highlights the cause–result pairing: Azért maradok otthon, mert beteg vagyok (“The reason I’m staying home is that I’m ill”). Conditional ha (“if”) also introduces dependent clauses. These belong to Cause and Condition Clauses.

Everyday “so” and formal linking

In conversation, úgyhogy often introduces a practical consequence: Késő van, úgyhogy menjünk haza (“It’s late, so let’s go home”). Tehát is especially useful when reasoning, defining, or summarising. More formal writing uses a much wider set of discourse connectors to signal contrast, consequence, and concession.

Practice Tips

1. Build two-clause pairs. Start with two facts—Fáradt vagyok. Dolgozom.—then choose the relationship: Fáradt vagyok, de dolgozom. Say why de, not és, fits.
2. Move is deliberately. Take one sentence and change only the added item: Én is kérek kávét; Kávét is kérek; Ma is kérek kávét. Translate each one naturally and identify what is adds.
3. Draw a reason arrow. For every mert/tehát pair, mark cause → result: Esik → nem megyek. Then say it both ways: Nem megyek, mert esik and Esik, tehát nem megyek.

Related Concepts

• Next step: Cause and Condition Clauses — expand mert with other cause patterns and learn clauses with ha (“if”).
• Later development: Discourse Connectors — express more precise contrasts, concessions, and additions in connected speech and writing.