Basic Questions in Hungarian

Overview

Forming questions in Hungarian is straightforward at the basic level but introduces an important concept: the focus position. Question words in Hungarian always occupy the position immediately before the verb, which is the same focus position used for emphasis in statements. This makes question formation a natural extension of Hungarian word order rules.

At the CEFR A1 level, learners need to master the essential question words (ki, mi, hol, mikor, hogyan, miért), understand how yes/no questions work through intonation, and begin to recognize the formal -e question particle. These tools unlock the ability to ask for information, make requests, and navigate daily situations.

Hungarian does not use auxiliary verbs for questions — there is no equivalent of English "do/does." You simply place the question word before the verb or raise your intonation for yes/no questions.

How It Works

Essential Question Words

Hungarian	English	Example
Ki?	Who?	Ki vagy? (Who are you?)
Mi? / Mit?	What?	Mit csinálsz? (What are you doing?)
Hol?	Where? (static)	Hol laksz? (Where do you live?)
Hova? / Hová?	Where to?	Hova mész? (Where are you going?)
Honnan?	Where from?	Honnan jössz? (Where are you from?)
Mikor?	When?	Mikor jössz? (When are you coming?)
Hogyan? / Hogy?	How?	Hogyan mész? (How do you go?)
Miért?	Why?	Miért mész? (Why are you going?)
Hány?	How many?	Hány éves vagy? (How old are you?)
Mennyi?	How much?	Mennyibe kerül? (How much does it cost?)

Yes/No Questions

Yes/no questions are formed by rising intonation alone — no word order change:

• Magyar vagy? ↗ — Are you Hungarian?
• Tudsz úszni? ↗ — Can you swim?
• Van időd? ↗ — Do you have time?

The -e Question Particle

In formal or written Hungarian, -e is attached to the verb for yes/no questions:

• Magyar vagy-e? — Are you Hungarian?
• Tudod-e? — Do you know?
• Eljössz-e? — Will you come?

Question Word Position

The question word always goes in focus position (immediately before the verb):

• MIT eszel? — What are you eating?
• HOL lakik? — Where does he/she live?
• MIKOR jössz? — When are you coming?

Examples in Context

Hungarian	English	Note
Ki vagy?	Who are you?	identity
Hol laksz?	Where do you live?	location
Mit csinálsz?	What are you doing?	activity
Magyar vagy?	Are you Hungarian?	yes/no, intonation
Mikor jössz?	When are you coming?	time
Hogyan mondják?	How do they say it?	manner
Miért nem jössz?	Why aren't you coming?	reason
Hány óra van?	What time is it?	time-telling
Mennyibe kerül?	How much does it cost?	price
Van kutyád?	Do you have a dog?	yes/no possession

Common Mistakes

Placing question word away from the verb

• Wrong: Te mit ma csinálsz?
• Right: Mit csinálsz ma?
• Why: The question word must be immediately before the verb. Nothing can intervene.

Using English-style auxiliary "do"

• Wrong: Trying to form "Do you speak Hungarian?"
• Right: Beszélsz magyarul? (simply raise intonation)
• Why: Hungarian has no auxiliary verb for questions. Just use the main verb with question intonation.

Confusing hol/hova/honnan

• Wrong: Hol mész? (Where are you going?)
• Right: Hova mész?
• Why: Hol = where (static location), hova = where to (direction), honnan = where from (origin). Hungarian distinguishes these precisely.

Misplacing -e

• Wrong: -E tudod?
• Right: Tudod-e?
• Why: The -e particle attaches to the verb (or auxiliary), never at the start of a sentence.

Usage Notes

In spoken Hungarian, the -e particle is less common than in written language. Most everyday yes/no questions rely on intonation alone. However, -e appears frequently in formal speech, official documents, and embedded questions (Kérdezte, hogy tudod-e — She asked whether you know).

The casual hogy (how) is used much more often in speech than the full hogyan. Both are correct.

Practice Tips

• Practice question-answer pairs: Hol laksz? — Budapesten lakom. / Mit eszel? — Almát eszem. Match the question word to the appropriate answer.
• Take any statement and convert it to a question by adding a question word: Megyek. → Hova mész? / Almát eszem. → Mit eszel?
• Drill the three-way location questions: Hol vagy? (where), Hova mész? (where to), Honnan jössz? (where from).

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Subject Pronouns — pronoun forms in questions
• Next steps: Question Formation — advanced question patterns including -e and embedded questions