Advanced Sentence Structure in Hungarian

Overview

At the CEFR C2 level, learners encounter the full complexity of Hungarian sentence structure: multiple embedded subordinate clauses, long-distance dependencies, the correlative pronoun system in complex environments, and literary constructions. Hungarian's flexible word order and rich morphology enable sentences of remarkable structural depth.

The correlative pronoun system — where the main clause contains a demonstrative pronoun (az, azt, ott, úgy) pointing forward to a subordinate clause introduced by a relative word (aki, ami, ahol, ahogy) — reaches its full complexity in multi-clause sentences. Understanding these patterns is essential for academic writing, literary analysis, and advanced professional communication.

Complex sentences in Hungarian are not merely long — they have systematic structure. Each subordinate clause links to the main clause through a correlative-relative pair, and clauses can embed within clauses to considerable depth.

How It Works

Multi-Level Embedding

Subordinate clauses can contain their own subordinate clauses:

Azt mondta, hogy ha jössz, elmegyünk oda, ahol tegnap voltunk. (He said that if you come, we'll go where we were yesterday.)

Structure: main → that-clause → conditional → relative

Correlative-Relative Pairs

Main clause (correlative)	Subordinate (relative)	English
az ...	aki/ami/amely	the one who/which
azt	amit	that which
ott	ahol	there where
úgy	ahogy/ahogyan	in the way that
akkor	amikor	then when
azért	amiért	for the reason that
annyira	amennyire	to the extent that

Mintha (As If) Constructions

Mintha combines mint (as) + ha (if) and takes conditional mood:

Hungarian	English
Úgy csinált, mintha nem hallotta volna.	He acted as if he hadn't heard.
Úgy tűnik, mintha tudná.	It seems as if he knows.
Mintha álmodtam volna.	As if I had dreamed it.

Bár/Bármennyire (Concessive)

Hungarian	English
Bár tudtam volna!	If only I had known!
Bármennyire is akartam volna, nem tehettem.	No matter how much I would have wanted, I couldn't.
Bármit is mondj, nem változtat.	Whatever you say, it won't change anything.

Akit...az / Amit...azt (Correlative Focus)

Hungarian	English
Akit láttál, az az, akire gondolok.	The one you saw is the one I'm thinking of.
Amit mondtál, az igaz.	What you said is true.
Ahol laksz, ott szép.	Where you live, it's nice there.

Examples in Context

Hungarian	English	Note
Azt mondta, hogy ha jössz, elmegyünk.	He said if you come, we'll go.	embedded conditional
Akit láttál, az az, akire gondolok.	The one you saw is the one I think of.	correlative chain
Úgy csinált, mintha nem hallotta volna.	He acted as if he hadn't heard.	mintha + past conditional
Bármennyire is akartam volna, nem tehettem.	No matter how much I wanted, I couldn't.	concessive
Ahol lakom, ott mindig szép az idő.	Where I live, the weather is always nice.	correlative-relative
Annyira fáradt voltam, hogy elaludtam.	I was so tired that I fell asleep.	result clause
Azt hiszem, hogy azt mondta, hogy jön.	I think he said he's coming.	triple embedding
Mindegy, mit mondasz.	Whatever you say, it doesn't matter.	free relative
Amint megláttalak, tudtam.	As soon as I saw you, I knew.	temporal
Bárki is legyen, ne engedjétek be.	Whoever it is, don't let them in.	universal concessive

Common Mistakes

Missing correlative in complex sentences

• Wrong: Mondta, hogy ha jössz, megyünk ahol voltunk.
• Right: Azt mondta, hogy ha jössz, elmegyünk oda, ahol voltunk.
• Why: Complex sentences need correlative pronouns (azt, oda) to anchor the subordinate clauses to the main clause.

Wrong mood with mintha

• Wrong: Mintha tud. (as if he knows — indicative)
• Right: Mintha tudná. (conditional)
• Why: Mintha requires conditional or past conditional mood.

Losing track of clause boundaries

• Wrong: Incorrect comma placement or clause order
• Right: Each subordinate clause is comma-separated and linked by a conjunction
• Why: In deeply embedded sentences, maintaining clear clause boundaries is essential for grammaticality.

Usage Notes

Complex sentence structures are the hallmark of educated Hungarian prose. While casual speech tends toward shorter sentences, formal writing, academic texts, and literary Hungarian routinely use multi-level embedding.

The correlative system keeps even complex sentences trackable: each subordinate clause's connection to the main clause is explicitly signaled by its correlative partner.

Practice Tips

• Analyze complex sentences from Hungarian journalism: identify every clause, its conjunction, and its correlative partner.
• Practice building up from simple to complex: Jön. → Tudja, hogy jön. → Azt mondta, hogy tudja, hogy jön.
• Read Hungarian literary prose (e.g., Krúdy, Márai) and map the sentence structures.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Reported Speech — subordinate clauses with hogy