Plural Formation in Hungarian

Overview

Hungarian forms plurals by adding the suffix -k to nouns, typically with a linking vowel determined by vowel harmony. The system is regular and predictable, with only a few exceptions. At the CEFR A1 level, learners must also internalize the critical rule that nouns stay singular after numbers — öt ház (five house), not öt házak.

Plural formation is one of the first demonstrations of Hungarian's agglutinative nature and vowel harmony system in action. The linking vowel before -k follows the same back/front/rounded patterns as other suffixes, making it a natural practice ground for vowel harmony.

A few common nouns have irregular plural forms with stem changes, but these are limited in number and must simply be memorized.

How It Works

Regular Plural: Linking Vowel + -k

Noun ending	Linking vowel	Example
Back vowel, consonant	-ak/-ok	ház → házak, toll → tollak
Front unrounded, consonant	-ek	szék → székek, kert → kertek
Front rounded, consonant	-ök	tükör → tükrök
Ends in vowel	just -k	autó → autók, alma → almák*

*Short final -a lengthens to -á: alma → almák. Short final -e lengthens to -é.

Common Irregular Plurals

Singular	Plural	Note
ember (person)	emberek	regular but note linking vowel
gyerek (child)	gyerekek	regular
szó (word)	szavak	stem change (ó → av)
tó (lake)	tavak	stem change (ó → av)
ló (horse)	lovak	stem change (ó → ov)
kő (stone)	kövek	stem change (ő → öv)

The Singular-After-Numbers Rule

Correct	Incorrect	English
öt ház	öt házak	five houses
három könyv	három könyvek	three books
tíz ember	tíz emberek	ten people

This rule applies to all numbers, including large ones: száz ház (100 houses, singular).

Examples in Context

Hungarian	English	Note
ház → házak	house → houses	back, regular
szék → székek	chair → chairs	front, regular
ember → emberek	person → people	front, regular
öt ház	five houses	singular after number!
autó → autók	car → cars	vowel-final
alma → almák	apple → apples	a → á before -k
szó → szavak	word → words	irregular stem
A házak szépek.	The houses are beautiful.	plural subject + plural predicate
Vannak gyerekek.	There are children.	plural existential
Két könyv van az asztalon.	There are two books on the table.	singular after number

Common Mistakes

Using plural after numbers

• Wrong: öt házak
• Right: öt ház
• Why: Hungarian nouns always stay singular after any number. The number itself conveys plurality.

Wrong linking vowel

• Wrong: székok (chairs)
• Right: székek
• Why: Szék has front vowels, requiring the front linking vowel -e- before -k.

Not lengthening short final vowels

• Wrong: almak (apples)
• Right: almák (a → á before -k)
• Why: Short final -a and -e lengthen to -á and -é before the plural suffix.

Regularizing irregular stems

• Wrong: szók (words)
• Right: szavak
• Why: Some nouns have stem changes in the plural that must be memorized.

Usage Notes

The singular-after-numbers rule is one of the most counterintuitive features for English speakers. It extends to quantifiers: sok ház (many houses, singular noun), néhány ember (a few people, singular noun), minden ház (every house, singular noun).

Plurals interact with possessive suffixes: könyveim (my books), házaid (your houses). The plural marker -i- is inserted between the stem and the possessive suffix.

Practice Tips

• Take twenty common nouns and form their plurals, paying attention to vowel harmony and linking vowels.
• Practice the singular-after-numbers rule until it becomes automatic: count objects (két szék, három asztal, öt ablak).
• Memorize the irregular plurals — they are few but common.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Vowel Harmony — determines the linking vowel