Question Formation in Hungarian

Overview

Building on the basic question words learned at A1, the CEFR A2 level deepens understanding of how questions are structurally formed in Hungarian. The two main mechanisms are intonation (for yes/no questions in speech) and the -e particle (for yes/no questions in formal/written contexts). Question words always occupy the focus position immediately before the verb.

At this level, learners should master the -e particle, understand how question words interact with word order, and begin forming more complex questions with case-marked question words. The distinction between colloquial (intonation-based) and formal (-e based) questioning is important for register awareness.

Hungarian question formation is notable for not requiring any auxiliary verbs or word order inversion — the main verb stays conjugated normally, and only the question marker or question word signals that a question is being asked.

How It Works

Yes/No Questions: Three Methods

Method	Example	Register
Intonation only	Magyar vagy? ↗	colloquial
-e particle	Magyar vagy-e?	formal/written
Ugye tag	Magyar vagy, ugye?	conversational tag

The -e Particle

Attached to the verb (or auxiliary) with a hyphen:

Statement	Question with -e
Tudod. (You know.)	Tudod**-e**? (Do you know?)
Látod. (You see it.)	Látod**-e**? (Do you see it?)
Eljössz. (You'll come.)	Eljössz**-e**? (Will you come?)

Position: -e always attaches to the verb, not to other words.

Question Words in Focus Position

The question word must be immediately before the verb:

Question	Focus position
Ki jön?	Who is coming?
Mit csinálsz?	What are you doing?
Hova mész?	Where are you going?
Mikor jössz?	When are you coming?

Case-Marked Question Words

Question words take case suffixes like nouns:

Base	With case	Meaning
ki	kinek	to whom
ki	kivel	with whom
mi	miben	in what
mi	miért	for what / why
mi	mire	onto what / for what purpose
melyik	melyikben	in which one

Examples in Context

Hungarian	English	Note
Látod-e?	Do you see it?	-e particle
Ki jön?	Who is coming?	question word
Mit csinálsz?	What are you doing?	question word
Hova mész?	Where are you going?	directional
Kinek adod?	To whom do you give it?	dative question
Kivel mész?	With whom are you going?	instrumental question
Melyiket kéred?	Which one do you want?	accusative question
Mikor jöttél?	When did you come?	past tense question
Tudod-e, hol van?	Do you know where it is?	embedded question
Szép, ugye?	Beautiful, isn't it?	tag question

Common Mistakes

Misplacing -e

• Wrong: -E tudod? or Tudod azt -e?
• Right: Tudod-e?
• Why: The -e particle attaches only to the verb, with a hyphen, after the verb form.

Separating question word from verb

• Wrong: Ki holnap jön?
• Right: Ki jön holnap?
• Why: The question word must be immediately before the verb. Other elements go after the verb.

Using -e in casual conversation

• Wrong: Using -e in every question (sounds overly formal)
• Right: Use intonation for casual yes/no questions; reserve -e for formal contexts
• Why: In everyday speech, rising intonation is the standard way to ask yes/no questions. -e sounds formal or written.

Forgetting case on question words

• Wrong: Ki adsz? (Who do you give to?)
• Right: Kinek adsz? (To whom do you give?)
• Why: Question words must take the same case suffix that the answer would have.

Usage Notes

In embedded (indirect) questions, -e replaces intonation: Kérdezte, hogy tudod-e. (She asked whether you know.) This is one context where -e is used even in casual speech.

The tag question ugye? (isn't it? / right?) is extremely common in Hungarian conversation, functioning like English "right?" or French "n'est-ce pas?"

Practice Tips

• Convert ten statements into yes/no questions using both intonation and -e.
• Practice question words with different cases: ki → kinek, kivel, kit, kiről and mi → minek, mivel, mit, miről.
• Create question-answer pairs where the answer fills the question word's role with the matching case.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Questions — the foundational question words and patterns