Demonstrative Pronouns in Hungarian

In Brief

Hungarian ez means “this” and az means “that.” Before a noun, they normally appear with the definite article: ez a ház (“this house”), az a könyv (“that book”). When a case suffix is needed, both the demonstrative and the noun carry it: ebben a házban (“in this house”).

Overview

The words ez and az point to a person, object, place, idea, or situation. Ez generally points to something nearer to the speaker, while az points to something farther away. They can stand alone as pronouns—Ez jó (“This is good”)—or accompany a noun—ez a film (“this film”).

This is an A1 topic because these two small words appear constantly in introductions, shopping, directions, and everyday questions. Hungarian, however, handles them differently from English. English says “this house” with no article, but Hungarian says ez a ház, literally using both “this” and “the.”

Hungarian also uses cases: endings added to a word to express ideas such as “in,” “from,” “to,” or the direct object (the person or thing directly affected by an action). With ez and az, these endings often change the visible shape of the pronoun. Learning the pattern—not just isolated forms—makes expressions such as ezt, ebben, and azzal much easier to recognize.

How It Works

The basic contrast: ez and az

Hungarian	Basic meaning	Typical use
ez	this	something perceived as near or treated as the current focus
az	that	something perceived as farther away or less immediate
ezek	these	plural of ez
azok	those	plural of az

Distance is not always physical. A speaker can use ez for the subject currently being discussed and az for an earlier or more distant idea.

Standing alone

When there is no following noun, ez and az function by themselves:

• Mi ez? — “What is this?”
• Az Péter. — “That is Péter.”
• Ezek finomak. — “These are delicious.”
• Azokat kérem. — “I would like those.”

Hungarian does not mark grammatical gender here. The same ez or az can refer to something that English later calls “he,” “she,” or “it,” although pointing at a person with a bare demonstrative can sound abrupt depending on the situation.

Before a noun: demonstrative + definite article + noun

The normal pattern is:

ez/az + definite article + noun

Pattern	Hungarian	English
before a consonant sound	ez a ház	this house
before a consonant sound	az a könyv	that book
before a vowel sound	ez az autó	this car
before a vowel sound	az az iskola	that school

The definite article is a before a consonant sound and az before a vowel sound. In az az iskola, the first az means “that,” while the second az is the article “the.” The repetition is correct and natural.

A useful contrast is:

• Ez egy könyv. — “This is a book.” Here ez stands alone as the subject, and egy könyv identifies it.
• Ez a könyv érdekes. — “This book is interesting.” Here ez a introduces the particular noun.

Case suffixes and agreement

When the demonstrative points to a noun and the phrase takes a case suffix, Hungarian usually marks the same relationship twice: once on the demonstrative and once on the noun. This matching is often called case agreement, meaning that the two words receive corresponding endings.

Meaning	Demonstrative phrase	Structure
this house (object)	ezt a házat	ezt + a + házat
in this house	ebben a házban	ebben + a + házban
from that school	abból az iskolából	abból + az + iskolából
with that friend	azzal a baráttal	azzal + a + baráttal

The article itself does not take the case ending. It remains a or az.

Why ez and az change shape

In the singular, the final -z of ez/az assimilates to many consonant-initial suffixes: it becomes the same consonant as the beginning of the suffix. Assimilation simply means that one sound changes to become more like a neighboring sound.

Case meaning	Near: ez	Far: az	Example phrase
direct object	ezt	azt	ezt a filmet
in	ebben	abban	abban a szobában
into	ebbe	abba	ebbe a dobozba
out of	ebből	abból	ebből a boltból
on/at (surface)	ezen	azon	ezen az oldalon
onto	erre	arra	arra az asztalra
from/off	erről	arról	erről a székről
at/by	ennél	annál	annál a háznál
to/toward	ehhez	ahhoz	ehhez az emberhez
from	ettől	attól	attól az ajtótól
for/to	ennek	annak	annak a diáknak
with	ezzel	azzal	ezzel a busszal

These are established forms, not combinations to spell as separate pieces. Vowel harmony still determines the appropriate ending on the noun: ebben a házban, but ebben a könyvben.

Plural forms

The basic plurals are ezek (“these”) and azok (“those”). Before a plural noun, the article and the plural noun remain present:

• ezek a házak — these houses
• azok a könyvek — those books
• ezekben a házakban — in these houses
• azokkal az emberekkel — with those people

Because ezek and azok end in -k, their case forms do not follow the singular doubling pattern: compare ebben but ezekben, and azzal but azokkal.

Examples in Context

Hungarian	English	Note
Ez a ház szép.	This house is beautiful.	ez a before a noun
Az a könyv jó.	That book is good.	az a before a consonant
Ez az étterem drága.	This restaurant is expensive.	Article az before a vowel
Az az iskola új.	That school is new.	Demonstrative az + article az
Mi ez?	What is this?	ez stands alone
Azt kérem.	I would like that one.	Accusative azt
Ezt a kávét kérem.	I would like this coffee.	The object ending appears on both words
Ebben a házban lakom.	I live in this house.	-ban/-ben means “in”
Abban az iskolában tanul.	He/She studies at that school.	Matching inessive endings
Tedd ezt ebbe a dobozba!	Put this into this box!	Standalone ezt and directional ebbe
Erről a buszról szállunk le.	We are getting off this bus.	-ról/-ről means “from/off”
Azzal a lánnyal beszélek.	I am speaking with that girl.	azzal ... lánnyal marks “with” twice
Ezek a cipők kényelmesek.	These shoes are comfortable.	Plural ezek
Azokban a szobákban nincs ablak.	There is no window in those rooms.	Plural case form azokban
Ez nehéz, de az könnyű.	This is difficult, but that is easy.	Contrast between two things

Common Mistakes

Omitting the definite article before a noun

• Wrong: ez ház
• Right: ez a ház
• Why: In the standard demonstrative construction, Hungarian keeps the definite article between the demonstrative and noun. English “this house” can tempt learners to leave it out.

Using only one case ending

• Wrong: ebben a ház
• Right: ebben a házban
• Why: When the demonstrative modifies a noun, the case is normally shown on both the demonstrative and the noun.

Treating the form as ez + ben

• Wrong: ezben a házban
• Right: ebben a házban
• Why: The z assimilates to the suffix’s first consonant. Learn the spoken and written result as one word.

Avoiding a correct repeated az

• Wrong: az a iskola
• Right: az az iskola
• Why: The article is az before the vowel sound in iskola. Two identical words next to each other are required here: “that” + “the.”

Forgetting plural marking on the noun

• Wrong: ezek a könyv
• Right: ezek a könyvek
• Why: Both the demonstrative and the noun are plural. The article stays unchanged.

Confusing demonstratives with place words

• Wrong: Ez lakom. for “I live here.”
• Right: Itt lakom.
• Why: Ez means “this,” while itt means “here.” Likewise, az is “that,” while ott is “there.”

Usage Notes

In face-to-face conversation, gesture, gaze, and shared context help determine whether ez or az is natural. The contrast often resembles English “this” versus “that,” but it is not a rigid measurement of distance. Ez can present the next point—Ez a probléma (“This is the problem”)—while az can refer back to something already mentioned—Az igaz (“That is true”).

Hungarian frequently uses a demonstrative where English chooses “it” or “that.” For example, Ez jó may be translated naturally as “That’s good” in a particular conversation. Translation therefore depends on viewpoint and context, not only on the dictionary meaning.

In speech, az also occurs as a filler or hesitation word in informal Hungarian, rather like beginning with “that…” while searching for words. This is separate from the clear demonstrative pattern taught here and is not something beginners need to imitate.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master every form at A1, but you will encounter the same agreement principle with a wide range of case suffixes. It also applies with postpositions (words placed after a noun that express relationships similar to English prepositions). Some postpositions require the demonstrative to carry a matching case form, while others form their own patterns, so learn each construction as a phrase rather than guessing.

Demonstratives can refer to whole statements, not only visible objects:

• Azt mondja, hogy fáradt. — “He/She says that he/she is tired.” Here azt anticipates the following clause.
• Annak örülök, hogy itt vagy. — “I am glad that you are here.” The dative form annak belongs to the larger construction.
• Arról beszélünk, hogy mit tegyünk. — “We are talking about what we should do.” Arról refers forward to the topic clause.

These clause patterns are best learned together with the verb or expression that selects the case. They show why forms such as azt, annak, and arról remain important far beyond beginner-level pointing.

Hungarian can also use ezen and azon in a more formal or written style where everyday speech might choose another construction. Fixed expressions preserve demonstrative case forms too, such as ezért (“therefore; for this reason”) and azért (“therefore; for that reason,” also used in other common constructions). Their meanings may become less literally spatial, so treat frequent expressions as complete units.

Practice Tips

1. Build phrases in three steps. Start with ház, add the article (a ház), then add the demonstrative (ez a ház). Finally apply a case to both relevant words: ebben a házban.
2. Learn near–far pairs aloud. Practice ezt–azt, ebben–abban, erről–arról, and ezzel–azzal. Pairing the forms makes the vowel and consonant changes easier to remember.
3. Point and describe. Choose objects near and far from you: Ez a toll kék. Az a szék barna. Then make the same nouns plural or add one familiar location case.

Related Concepts

• Foundation: Articles — explains why a changes to az before a vowel sound.
• Next step: Introduction to Cases — introduces the endings that attach to demonstratives and nouns.
• Next step: Basic Location Cases — develops contrasts such as ebben, ebbe, and ebből.
• Next step: Plural Formation — helps with ezek a házak and azok a könyvek.