Present Indefinite Conjugation in Hungarian

Overview

The present indefinite conjugation is one of two verb conjugation systems in Hungarian, used when there is no object or when the object is indefinite (unspecified). For CEFR A1 learners, this is typically the first conjugation pattern to master, as it covers intransitive verbs and the most basic transitive sentences.

The indefinite conjugation endings follow vowel harmony, meaning they come in back-vowel, front-unrounded, and front-rounded variants. The pattern is highly regular once you know which vowel set to use, though a few common verbs have irregular stems.

Understanding the indefinite conjugation is essential not just for present tense but as the foundation for past tense, conditional, and imperative forms, all of which build on the same personal endings with modifications.

How It Works

Indefinite Conjugation Endings

Person	Back vowel	Front unrounded	Front rounded
én	-ok	-ek	-ök
te	-sz (after vowel), -ol/-el/-öl	-sz/-el	-sz/-öl
ő	— (bare stem)	—	—
mi	-unk	-ünk	-ünk
ti	-tok	-tek	-tök
ők	-nak	-nek	-nek

Example: olvas (read) — back vowel

Person	Form
én	olvasok
te	olvasol
ő	olvas
mi	olvasunk
ti	olvastok
ők	olvasnak

Example: keres (search) — front vowel

Person	Form
én	keresek
te	keresel
ő	keres
mi	keresünk
ti	kerestek
ők	keresnek

Example: küld (send) — front rounded

Person	Form
én	küldök
te	küldesz
ő	küld
mi	küldünk
ti	küldtök
ők	küldenek

Third Person Singular

The third person singular has no ending — it is simply the bare verb stem. This makes it the dictionary form of Hungarian verbs.

Examples in Context

Hungarian	English	Note
Olvasok.	I read.	no object
Olvasol.	You read.	no object
Olvas.	He/She reads.	bare stem
Olvasunk.	We read.	no object
Olvastok.	You all read.	no object
Olvasnak.	They read.	no object
Látok egy kutyát.	I see a dog.	indefinite object
Eszem egy almát.	I eat an apple.	indefinite object (ik-verb)
Dolgozom.	I work.	intransitive
Megyünk haza.	We go home.	intransitive
Keresel valamit?	Are you looking for something?	indefinite pronoun

Common Mistakes

Forgetting vowel harmony in endings

• Wrong: keresok
• Right: keresek
• Why: Keres has front vowels, so it takes front-vowel endings (-ek, not -ok).

Adding an ending to third person singular

• Wrong: olvasa or olvasik
• Right: olvas
• Why: Third person singular indefinite is just the bare stem. No suffix is added.

Confusing indefinite with definite

• Wrong: Olvasok a könyvet. (I read the book)
• Right: Olvasom a könyvet.
• Why: "The book" (a könyvet) is definite, requiring the definite conjugation.

Mishandling -ik verbs

• Wrong: Én esz*ek.*
• Right: Én esz*em.* (though eszek is increasingly accepted colloquially)
• Why: Traditional -ik verbs (eszik, iszik, alszik) take -m in first person singular indefinite, though this rule is loosening in spoken Hungarian.

Usage Notes

In everyday speech, the indefinite conjugation is used slightly more often than the definite, since many common sentences are intransitive or have indefinite objects. When Hungarians speak quickly, the endings can blur, but the distinction remains grammatically important.

The -ik verb class (verbs whose third person singular ends in -ik, like eszik, iszik, alszik) traditionally takes slightly different first person endings (-m instead of -k). In modern colloquial Hungarian, the traditional -m ending is giving way to the regular -k ending, but formal and written Hungarian still prefers the traditional forms.

Practice Tips

• Conjugate five new verbs each day through all six persons. Say them aloud to build muscle memory with the vowel harmony patterns.
• Start with common regular verbs: olvas, ír, tanul, dolgozik, beszél, néz. Then move to irregular ones.
• Create simple sentences with indefinite objects: Látok egy..., Keresek egy..., Eszem egy... to practice the indefinite pattern in context.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Vowel Harmony — determines which ending variant to use
• Next steps: Basic Negation — how to negate verbs in indefinite conjugation
• Next steps: Infinitive Constructions — infinitive forms that pair with conjugated verbs