Subjectless Constructions in Hungarian

Overview

Hungarian makes extensive use of subjectless (impersonal) constructions — sentences with no grammatical subject. These are built with expressions like kell (must/necessary), szabad (may/allowed), lehet (possible/can), tilos (forbidden), and érdemes (worth), typically followed by an infinitive. While English usually requires a subject ("you must," "one should"), Hungarian naturally omits it.

At the CEFR C1 level, fluency in subjectless constructions is essential because they pervade everyday Hungarian — from signs (Tilos dohányozni — No smoking) to polite conversation (Lehet kérdeznem? — May I ask?) to philosophical statements (Érdemes élni — Life is worth living).

These constructions connect to the conjugated infinitive (learned at B1), which optionally specifies who the unexpressed subject is.

How It Works

Common Impersonal Expressions

Expression	Meaning	Example
kell	must/necessary	El kell menni. (One must go.)
szabad	may/allowed	Szabad bemenni. (One may enter.)
lehet	possible/can	Lehet, hogy esik. (It might rain.)
tilos	forbidden	Tilos dohányozni. (Smoking forbidden.)
érdemes	worth	Érdemes megpróbálni. (Worth trying.)
muszáj	must (colloquial)	Muszáj menni. (Gotta go.)
illik	proper/fitting	Illik köszönni. (It's proper to greet.)
nem szabad	not allowed	Nem szabad zavarni. (Must not disturb.)

With and Without Conjugated Infinitive

Without (general)	With (specific person)	English
El kell menni.	El kell mennem.	One/I must go.
Nem szabad dohányozni.	Nem szabad dohányoznod.	Smoking is/you are not allowed.
Lehet, hogy esik.	Lehet megcsinálni.	It's possible it rains. / It can be done.

Lehet as Modal and as "Maybe"

Lehet has two distinct uses:

Use	Example	English
Possibility (modal)	Lehet bemenni?	Can one enter?
Maybe (adverb-like)	Lehet, hogy esik.	Maybe it's raining.

Examples in Context

Hungarian	English	Note
El kell menni.	One must go.	general impersonal
Nem szabad dohányozni.	Smoking is not allowed.	prohibition
Lehet, hogy esik.	It's possible it's raining.	maybe
Érdemes megpróbálni.	It's worth trying.	recommendation
Tilos belépni!	Entry forbidden!	sign/prohibition
Illik köszönni.	It's proper to greet.	social norm
Muszáj menni.	Gotta go.	colloquial obligation
Lehet kérdezni?	May one ask?	permission
Nem érdemes várni.	It's not worth waiting.	advice
Kell, hogy menj.	You have to go.	hogy-clause alternative

Common Mistakes

Adding an unnecessary subject

• Wrong: Én kell menni. or Te szabad menni.
• Right: El kell menni. (general) or Mennem kell. (conjugated inf. for "I")
• Why: These expressions are inherently subjectless. The person is indicated by the conjugated infinitive, not by a subject pronoun.

Confusing kell + infinitive with kell + hogy

• Wrong: Treating them as identical
• Right: Mennem kell (infinitive, preferred) vs Kell, hogy menjek (hogy-clause, acceptable but less elegant)
• Why: Both work, but the infinitive construction is considered better style.

Using tilos as a verb

• Wrong: Tilosok dohányozni. (conjugating tilos)
• Right: Tilos dohányozni.
• Why: Tilos is a predicate adjective, not a verb. It does not conjugate.

Usage Notes

Subjectless constructions are found everywhere in public life: signs (Tilos dohányozni, Nem szabad parkolni), announcements (Kérjük a kedves utasokat... Tessék felszállni), and official documents.

In the spoken language, muszáj (must, gotta) is the colloquial equivalent of kell in casual contexts. It is informal and should not be used in writing.

Practice Tips

• Read Hungarian signs and public notices — identify the subjectless constructions.
• Practice with conjugated infinitives: El kell mennem / menned / mennie / mennünk / mennetek / menniük.
• Create recommendation sentences: Érdemes megnézni / elolvasni / megkóstolni...

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Infinitive Constructions — the infinitive forms used in these expressions