Present Indefinite Conjugation in Hungarian

In Brief

Hungarian uses the present indefinite conjugation when a verb has no direct object or has a non-specific object: Olvasok means “I read,” while Olvasok egy könyvet means “I am reading a book.” The core endings are -ok/-ek/-ök, -sz or -ol/-el/-öl, zero, -unk/-ünk, -tok/-tek/-tök, and -nak/-nek. Vowel harmony selects the appropriate vowel in each ending.

Overview

Hungarian verb endings tell you who performs an action. They often make a separate subject pronoun unnecessary: olvasok already means “I read” or “I am reading.” A subject is the person or thing performing the action; in this form, the ending -ok identifies the subject as “I.”

Hungarian also makes a distinction that English verbs do not: the ending can depend on the direct object (the person or thing directly affected by the action). The indefinite conjugation is used when there is no direct object, as in Futok (“I run”), or when the object is indefinite or non-specific, as in Látok egy kutyát (“I see a dog”). A different set of endings, called the definite conjugation, is normally used with a specific object such as a kutyát (“the dog”).

This is a core A1 pattern. First learn to recognize the six persons and the main vowel-harmony choices. The choice between indefinite and definite conjugation has additional details, but those can be added after the basic forms feel automatic.

How It Works

The basic pattern

The dictionary form of a Hungarian verb is normally the third-person singular indefinite form. For olvas (“read”), the stem and dictionary form look the same. Add the following endings:

Person	Pronoun	Main ending	olvas (“read”)	English
1st singular	én	-ok/-ek/-ök	olvasok	I read / I am reading
2nd singular	te	-sz or -ol/-el/-öl	olvasol	you read / you are reading
3rd singular	ő	no ending	olvas	he/she reads; he/she is reading
1st plural	mi	-unk/-ünk	olvasunk	we read / we are reading
2nd plural	ti	-tok/-tek/-tök	olvastok	you all read / are reading
3rd plural	ők	-nak/-nek	olvasnak	they read / are reading

Hungarian does not mark gender in these forms: ő and olvas can refer to “he” or “she.” The pronouns are shown for reference, but they are usually omitted unless the speaker wants contrast or emphasis.

Vowel harmony

Most Hungarian suffixes have several forms. Vowel harmony means that the vowels in the verb guide the vowel in the ending.

• Verbs with back vowels such as a, á, o, ó, u, ú generally take back-vowel endings: tanulok, tanulunk, tanultok, tanulnak.
• Verbs with front unrounded vowels such as e, é, i, í generally take e-type endings: kérek, kérünk, kértek, kérnek.
• In some endings, verbs with front rounded vowels ö, ő, ü, ű take an ö-type form: ülök, ültök. Other endings have only a two-way choice: ülünk, ülnek.

Harmony group	“I”	“we”	“you all”	“they”
Back: tanul (“study”)	tanulok	tanulunk	tanultok	tanulnak
Front unrounded: kér (“ask for”)	kérek	kérünk	kértek	kérnek
Front rounded: ül (“sit”)	ülök	ülünk	ültök	ülnek

Loanwords and verbs containing mixed vowels do not always let you predict the ending perfectly from a quick glance. Learn an unfamiliar verb together with its first-person form when necessary.

The second-person singular

The ending for informal singular “you” needs special attention. -sz is extremely common:

• vársz — you wait
• kérsz — you ask for
• ülsz — you sit
• tanulsz — you study

After stems ending in sibilant sounds, especially -s, -sz, and -z, Hungarian generally uses -ol/-el/-öl instead because another -sz would be awkward:

• olvasol — you read
• nézel — you look/watch
• főzöl — you cook

Some stem shapes require a linking vowel before -sz, as in tanítasz (“you teach”). It is therefore safer to learn the second-person form as part of each verb’s mini-paradigm rather than applying “add -sz” mechanically.

The third-person singular and -ik verbs

For many verbs, third-person singular has no added ending: vár (“waits”), kér (“asks for”), ül (“sits”). However, many common dictionary forms end in -ik:

Person	lakik (“live/reside”)	dolgozik (“work”)
én	lakom	dolgozom / dolgozok
te	laksz	dolgozol
ő	lakik	dolgozik
mi	lakunk	dolgozunk
ti	laktok	dolgoztok
ők	laknak	dolgoznak

In the plural, -ik is removed before the personal ending. Traditional -ik conjugation uses first-person -om/-em/-öm with many verbs, such as lakom and alszom. Forms with -ok/-ek/-ök, especially dolgozok, are also widespread in contemporary usage. Individual verbs differ, so a dictionary or reliable conjugation reference is useful.

When to choose the indefinite conjugation

Use it in these beginner situations:

1. No direct object: Énekelek. — “I sing / I am singing.”
2. An object introduced by egy (“a/an, one”): Veszek egy kávét. — “I’m buying a coffee.”
3. A bare, non-specific object: Kávét kérek. — “I’d like coffee.”
4. An indefinite pronoun or question word: Látok valamit. — “I see something.” Mit keresel? — “What are you looking for?”

The object often carries the accusative ending -t, which marks it as the direct object: könyv (“book”) becomes könyvet. Object marking and the choice of verb conjugation are separate decisions: egy könyvet has accusative -t, but it is still indefinite.

For contrast, a specific object normally triggers the definite conjugation: Olvasom a könyvet (“I am reading the book”). English relies mainly on words such as “a” and “the”; Hungarian reflects this distinction both in the object phrase and in the verb ending.

What the Hungarian present can mean

Hungarian does not have separate simple-present and present-progressive forms like English “I read” and “I am reading.” Context supplies the difference:

• Minden este olvasok. — “I read every evening.”
• Most olvasok. — “I am reading now.”

The present can also refer to a scheduled or contextually clear future event: Holnap dolgozunk (“We are working tomorrow”).

Examples in Context

Hungarian	English	Note
Olvasok.	I read. / I am reading.	No object; 1st person singular
Olvasol.	You read. / You are reading.	-ol after the final s sound
Anna sokat olvas.	Anna reads a lot.	3rd person singular, no added ending
Este olvasunk.	We read in the evening.	Back-vowel -unk
Mit olvastok?	What are you all reading?	Question word; indefinite conjugation
A diákok könyveket olvasnak.	The students read books.	Non-specific plural object
Kérek egy teát.	I’d like a tea.	Object introduced by egy
Te mit kérsz?	What would you like?	Pronoun adds contrast; -sz ending
Látok egy kutyát az utcán.	I see a dog in the street.	Indefinite object
Valaki kopog.	Someone is knocking.	Intransitive verb; no direct object
Magyarul tanulunk.	We are learning Hungarian.	No direct object here; magyarul means “in Hungarian”
A gyerekek a kertben játszanak.	The children are playing in the garden.	Location, not a direct object
Most főzöl?	Are you cooking now?	Front rounded -öl
Nem értek valamit.	I don’t understand something.	Negation does not change the person ending
Holnap Budapestre utazom.	I am travelling to Budapest tomorrow.	Present form with future time reference; common -ik verb

Common Mistakes

Using one conjugation regardless of the object

• Wrong: Látok a kutyát.
• Right: Látom a kutyát. (“I see the dog.”)
• Why: A kutyát is a definite, specific object, so the verb normally needs the definite form. Use látok with an indefinite object: Látok egy kutyát.

Treating every accusative object as definite

• Wrong: Kérem egy kávét.
• Right: Kérek egy kávét. (“I’d like a coffee.”)
• Why: The accusative -t in kávét marks the object, but egy kávét remains indefinite.

Adding -sz after every verb stem

• Wrong: Te olvassz.
• Right: Te olvasol. (“You read.”)
• Why: Verbs ending in -s normally use -ol/-el/-öl in the second-person singular. The command olvass! (“read!”) belongs to a different pattern; do not mix it with present olvasol.

Choosing the wrong harmony vowel

• Wrong: Én ülok.
• Right: Én ülök. (“I sit / I am sitting.”)
• Why: Ül contains a front rounded vowel, so first-person singular takes -ök. Hungarian accents are part of the spelling: o and ö are different letters.

Keeping -ik before a plural ending

• Wrong: Ők dolgoziknak.
• Right: Ők dolgoznak. (“They work / are working.”)
• Why: Remove the third-person singular -ik before adding the plural ending.

Repeating subject pronouns automatically

• Less natural without emphasis: Én olvasok, én tanulok, én dolgozok.
• More neutral: Olvasok, tanulok és dolgozom. (“I read, study, and work.”)
• Why: The endings already identify “I.” Use én when contrasting yourself with someone else or correcting an assumption.

Usage Notes

The name “indefinite conjugation” can be slightly misleading because many verbs have no object at all. You may also see it called the subjective conjugation: its endings mainly identify the subject, in contrast to the definite or “objective” set. Both labels refer to the same basic paradigm taught here.

Hungarian word order is flexible and is strongly influenced by focus. Moving a phrase does not by itself change which conjugation is required. Both Egy könyvet olvasok and Olvasok egy könyvet use the indefinite form because the object remains “a book.” The first order puts more attention on what is being read.

Do not translate English tense forms word for word. Dolgozom can be “I work” or “I am working”; adverbs such as mindennap (“every day”) and most (“now”) make the intended time clearer.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following details at A1, but they explain forms you will soon encounter.

Objects are not classified solely by the presence of a/az (“the”). Proper names, possessive objects, demonstratives, and third-person pronouns commonly count as definite: Ismerem Annát (“I know Anna”), Látom a házadat (“I see your house”), and Értem ezt (“I understand this”). By contrast, question words and indefinite pronouns generally take the indefinite conjugation: Kit vársz? (“Who are you waiting for?”), Várok valakit (“I’m waiting for someone”).

First- and second-person object pronouns behave differently from ordinary third-person definite objects. Forms such as engem (“me”) and téged (“you”) occur with the indefinite paradigm: Látsz engem? (“Can you see me?”). When the subject is “I” and the object is singular informal “you,” Hungarian has a special -lak/-lek ending: Szeretlek (“I love you”), Várlak (“I’m waiting for you”).

Some very frequent verbs have irregular stems or forms and must be learned individually: megyek, mész, megy (“go”); jövök, jössz, jön (“come”); teszek, teszel, tesz (“put/do”). Their endings still express person, but the stem may change.

Verb prefixes also interact with sentence focus and negation. For example, bemegyek means “I go in,” but nem megyek be means “I am not going in.” This word-order behavior does not replace the indefinite endings; it is an additional system to learn later.

Practice Tips

1. Learn four anchor forms for each new verb: dictionary form, “I,” “you,” and “they”—for example, olvas, olvasok, olvasol, olvasnak. These reveal the most useful stem and ending patterns.
2. Sort objects into two columns. Build pairs such as Látok egy autót (“I see a car”) and Látom az autót (“I see the car”). Say the contrast aloud so the article and verb ending become one choice.
3. Add time words to one present form. Compare Mindennap tanulok (“I study every day”), Most tanulok (“I am studying now”), and Holnap tanulok (“I am studying tomorrow”). This prevents English tense habits from creating unnecessary Hungarian forms.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Vowel Harmony — explains why endings alternate between forms such as -ok, -ek, and -ök.
• Next step: Basic Negation — shows how nem and negative words combine with present verb forms.
• Later development: Infinitive Constructions — builds phrases such as Olvasni akarok (“I want to read”) from a conjugated verb and an infinitive.