Infinitive Constructions in Hungarian

In Brief

The Hungarian infinitive—the basic verb form corresponding to English “to do”—normally ends in -ni: olvasni “to read,” menni “to go.” It remains plain after verbs such as akar “want” and tud “be able,” but with impersonal expressions such as kell “must” and szabad “may,” it can take endings that identify the person: mennem kell “I must go,” látnia kell “he/she must see.”

Overview

Hungarian uses the főnévi igenév, or infinitive, when one verb depends on another expression: wanting to read, being able to swim, or having to leave. Although English usually marks this form with to, Hungarian normally marks it with a suffix, most often -ni. At B1, the main task is not only recognizing forms such as olvasni, but choosing between a plain infinitive and a personal infinitive—an infinitive with an ending that shows who performs its action.

Two sentence patterns need to be kept separate. With a conjugated verb such as akarok “I want” or tudsz “you can,” that verb already identifies the subject, so the infinitive normally has no personal ending: Olvasni akarok “I want to read.” By contrast, kell, szabad, lehet, tilos, and érdemes often function as impersonal modal expressions. When a particular person is involved, Hungarian can mark that person on the infinitive: Indulnunk kell “We must leave.”

This differs sharply from English. English changes a pronoun—I must go, she must go—while go stays unchanged. Hungarian may omit the pronoun and put the person directly on the infinitive: mennem, mennie. Once this division of labor is clear, forms that first look unusual become highly systematic.

How It Works

Forming the plain infinitive

For many verbs, add -ni to the verb stem. Sound changes and established stem shapes mean that it is best to learn each infinitive with the dictionary verb rather than build every form mechanically.

Verb meaning	Present form	Infinitive	English
read	olvas	olvasni	to read
ask	kérdez	kérdezni	to ask
wait	vár	várni	to wait
speak	beszél	beszélni	to speak
see	lát	látni	to see
go	megy	menni	to go
come	jön	jönni	to come
be	van	lenni	to be
eat	eszik	enni	to eat
drink	iszik	inni	to drink

The forms menni, jönni, lenni, enni, and inni are especially worth memorizing. They cannot be predicted reliably just by removing the ending from the everyday third-person form.

Plain infinitive after a conjugated verb

When the first verb carries an ordinary person ending, the infinitive generally stays plain. The subject of both actions is normally the same.

Pattern	Hungarian	Literal structure
want + infinitive	Olvasni akarok.	read-INF want-I
can + infinitive	Tudok úszni.	can-I swim-INF
like + infinitive	Szeretek főzni.	like-I cook-INF
begin + infinitive	Elkezdett beszélni.	began-he/she speak-INF
go + infinitive	Vásárolni megyünk.	shop-INF go-we

Hungarian word order responds to focus, so both Olvasni akarok and Akarok olvasni are possible in suitable contexts. The first is a neutral, useful model. With a verbal prefix, the neutral order is commonly el akarok menni “I want to leave,” with el attached to the infinitive menni.

Personal infinitives

A personal infinitive adds a suffix showing its subject. The ending follows vowel harmony, the Hungarian pattern in which suffix vowels adapt to the vowels of the word. Compare back-vowel várnom and front-vowel kérnem.

Person	Back-vowel model: várni	Front-vowel model: kérni	Meaning
én (I)	várnom	kérnem	for me to wait/ask
te (you, singular)	várnod	kérned	for you to wait/ask
ő (he/she)	várnia	kérnie	for him/her to wait/ask
mi (we)	várnunk	kérnünk	for us to wait/ask
ti (you, plural)	várnotok	kérnetek	for you all to wait/ask
ők (they)	várniuk	kérniük	for them to wait/ask

In the first and second persons, the i of -ni is not visible: vár-ni-om → várnom, kér-ni-ed → kérned. It remains in the third-person forms várnia, kérnie, várniuk, kérniük. The plural forms must be learned carefully: -nunk/-nünk, -notok/-netek/-nötök, and -niuk/-niük.

Common irregular infinitives use the same personal system but may alter their stem:

Plain infinitive	I	he/she	we
menni (to go)	mennem	mennie	mennünk
lenni (to be)	lennem	lennie	lennünk
enni (to eat)	ennem	ennie	ennünk
inni (to drink)	innom	innia	innunk

When person marking is needed

Use the personal infinitive when an impersonal expression applies to a particular known subject:

• Mennem kell. — I must go.
• Pihenned kell. — You must rest.
• Annának korán kell indulnia. — Anna has to leave early.
• Többet kell gyakorolnunk. — We need to practise more.
• Szabad kérdeznem? — May I ask?

The person can also be stated with a dative form—a noun or pronoun marked as “to/for someone”: nekem “for me,” neked “for you,” Péternek “for Péter.” The infinitive still agrees with that person:

• Nekem most mennem kell. — I have to go now.
• Neked többet kell aludnod. — You need to sleep more.
• Péternek be kell fejeznie a munkát. — Péter must finish the work.

The dative phrase is not always needed. Add it for contrast, emphasis, or clarity: Nekem mennem kell, de te maradhatsz “I have to go, but you can stay.”

Plain infinitive in general statements

If no particular person is responsible, Hungarian uses the plain infinitive. English often translates this with one, passive wording, or an -ing form:

• Itt nem szabad dohányozni. — Smoking is not allowed here.
• Korán kell indulni. — One has to leave early.
• Érdemes megpróbálni. — It is worth trying.
• Tilos belépni. — Entry is forbidden / Do not enter.

This creates an important contrast:

General or impersonal	Particular person
Korán kell indulni. One must leave early.	Korán kell indulnom. I must leave early.
Nem szabad zajt csapni. One must not make noise.	Nem szabad zajt csapnotok. You all must not make noise.
Érdemes várni. It is worth waiting.	Érdemes várnunk. It is worth our waiting.

Verbal prefixes and the infinitive

A verbal prefix such as el- “away/completely,” meg- “completed,” or be- “in” often stays attached to the infinitive in neutral sentences:

• El akarok menni. — I want to leave.
• Meg tudom csinálni. — I can do it.

With impersonal modals, the common neutral pattern places the prefix before the modal expression and the infinitive later:

• El kell mennem. — I must leave.
• Be kell fejeznie. — He/she must finish it.
• Meg szabad kérdeznem? — May I ask it?

Negation and focus can change the placement, so do not treat word order as a purely mechanical formula. At B1, learn complete chunks such as el kell mennem and meg tudom csinálni.

Examples in Context

Hungarian	English	Note
Olvasni akarok.	I want to read.	Plain infinitive after conjugated akarok.
Tudsz vezetni?	Can you drive?	Tudsz identifies the subject.
Szeretünk együtt főzni.	We like cooking together.	Same subject for both actions.
Holnap vásárolni megyek.	I’m going shopping tomorrow.	Infinitive expresses purpose.
El akarják adni a házat.	They want to sell the house.	Prefix stays with adni.
Mennem kell.	I must go.	First-person personal infinitive.
Pihenned kell egy kicsit.	You need to rest a little.	Second-person singular.
Látnia kell az eredményt.	He/She must see the result.	Third-person singular.
Korábban kell indulnunk.	We need to leave earlier.	First-person plural.
Be kell fejeznetek a feladatot.	You all must finish the task.	Second-person plural.
A vendégeknek várniuk kell.	The guests have to wait.	The dative noun names the subject.
Szabad kérdeznem?	May I ask?	Polite request for permission.
Itt nem szabad parkolni.	Parking is not allowed here.	General prohibition; plain infinitive.
Nekem ma nem kell dolgoznom.	I don’t have to work today.	nem kell means lack of necessity.
Ezt meg tudom javítani.	I can repair this.	Definite tudom reflects the definite object ezt.

Common Mistakes

Using a plain infinitive for a clearly stated person

• Wrong: Nekem menni kell. (in careful standard usage)
• Right: Nekem mennem kell.
• Why: nekem identifies “me” as the person who must go, so the infinitive takes the first-person ending -nem. Plain forms do occur colloquially in some speakers’ usage, but the agreeing form is the safe standard model.

Conjugating the infinitive like a present-tense verb

• Wrong: Megyek kell.
• Right: Mennem kell.
• Why: After kell, “go” is an infinitive, not the present-tense form megyek. The personal infinitive mennem carries the first-person meaning.

Keeping the full -ni before every ending

• Wrong: várniom kell
• Right: várnom kell
• Why: In first- and second-person forms, the i disappears: várnom, várnod, várnunk. It remains in forms such as várnia and várniuk.

Copying English must not too literally

• Wrong meaning: Nem kell elmenned for “You must not leave.”
• Right: Nem szabad elmenned. — You must not leave.
• Why: nem kell means “do not need to,” not prohibition. Use nem szabad or tilos when something is not allowed.

Adding a personal ending after an ordinary conjugated verb

• Wrong: Olvasnom akarok.
• Right: Olvasni akarok.
• Why: akarok already shows first person, so the dependent infinitive stays plain. Personal infinitives belong mainly with impersonal predicates and a few more advanced constructions.

Ignoring a definite object on akar or tud

• Wrong: El akarok olvasni ezt a könyvet.
• Right: El akarom olvasni ezt a könyvet.
• Why: With a definite object such as ezt a könyvet “this book,” Hungarian normally uses the definite conjugation akarom. The infinitive itself does not mark the object.

Usage Notes

Kell expresses necessity and is not conjugated like English must: person is shown on the infinitive or by context. Nem kell removes necessity: Nem kell várnod means “You don’t have to wait.” For a prohibition, use nem szabad or tilos.

Szabad + infinitive can ask permission. Szabad bejönnöm? is literally close to “Is it permitted for me to come in?” and sounds natural and polite. In everyday conversation, Bejöhetek? “May I come in?”—using the potential form—is also very common.

Hungarian often omits an explicit subject because the personal ending is enough. Indulnunk kell already says “we.” A dative phrase such as nekünk is useful when contrasting people, but repeating it without a reason may sound heavy.

Colloquial usage does not always follow the neat written paradigm. You may hear a plain infinitive where formal grammar favors agreement, especially when the person is obvious. As a learner, consistently producing nekem mennem kell, neked menned kell, and neki mennie kell gives you a reliable standard foundation.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Personal infinitives outside kell and szabad

Personal infinitives also occur after adjectives, nouns, and impersonal evaluations when the performer needs to be named:

• Fontos időben érkeznünk. — It is important for us to arrive on time.
• Nehéz volt döntenem. — It was difficult for me to decide.
• Ideje indulnunk. — It is time for us to leave.
• Kár volt elmenned. — It was a pity that you left.

These patterns are related to the central rule: the main expression does not itself carry the subject of the dependent action, so the infinitive can carry it.

The infinitive’s logical subject is dative

In Péternek el kell mennie, Péternek has a dative ending, even though English treats Péter as the subject of “must leave.” Grammatically, Hungarian presents the necessity impersonally: roughly, “for Péter, leaving is necessary.” This same structure explains nekem, neked, and neki with personal infinitives.

The dative phrase and infinitive should refer to the same person:

Dative subject	Matching infinitive
nekem	mennem
neked	menned
neki / Annának	mennie
nekünk	mennünk
nektek	mennetek
nekik / a diákoknak	menniük

Object definiteness belongs to the finite verb

A personal ending on an infinitive identifies its subject, not its object. In constructions with akar or tud, the conjugated—or finite—verb (the verb carrying tense and person) may take indefinite or definite conjugation according to the object of the infinitive:

• El akarok olvasni egy könyvet. — I want to read a book.
• El akarom olvasni a könyvet. — I want to read the book.
• Tudok javítani kerékpárokat. — I can repair bicycles.
• Meg tudom javítani ezt a kerékpárt. — I can repair this bicycle.

English gives no warning that want or can should change here, so this is an especially important Hungarian pattern. It builds directly on the present indefinite and definite conjugations.

Infinitives used like nouns

Because főnévi igenév literally means “nominal verb form,” an infinitive can name an activity in contexts where English uses an -ing form:

• Úszni egészséges. — Swimming is healthy.
• Jó újra itthon lenni. — It is good to be home again.
• Tanulni sosem késő. — It is never too late to learn.

This does not make every infinitive an ordinary noun, but it explains why the form fits impersonal statements so naturally.

Practice Tips

1. Build six-person chains. Start with mennem kell, then say menned kell, mennie kell, mennünk kell, mennetek kell, menniük kell. Repeat with one front-vowel verb such as kérni so that vowel harmony becomes automatic.
2. Contrast general and personal meanings. Pair Itt várni kell “One must wait here” with Itt várnom kell “I must wait here.” Make five similar pairs using szabad, érdemes, and tilos.
3. Learn whole prefix chunks. Record phrases such as el akarok menni, el kell mennem, and meg tudom csinálni rather than memorizing isolated word-order rules. Then substitute new subjects and objects.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Indefinite Conjugation — needed for forms such as akarok, tudsz, and szeretünk.
• Closely related: Modal Expressions — develops the meanings and contrasts of kell, szabad, lehet, tilos, and érdemes.
• Advanced continuation: Subjectless Constructions — explores impersonal sentences in which no specific subject is named.