That-Clauses with Hogy in Hungarian

Overview

The conjunction hogy (that) is the most common subordinating conjunction in Hungarian, used to connect a main clause to a subordinate clause that provides information, opinion, desire, or purpose. At the CEFR A1 level, hogy enables learners to combine simple sentences into more complex thoughts: Tudom, hogy jön. (I know that he's coming.)

Hogy clauses appear after verbs of knowing, saying, thinking, wanting, and feeling. They are always separated from the main clause by a comma. The main clause often contains the correlative pronoun azt (that) pointing forward to the hogy clause.

Unlike English, where "that" can often be omitted ("I know he's coming"), Hungarian generally requires hogy to be present in standard speech and writing.

How It Works

Basic Pattern

Main clause + (azt,) + hogy + subordinate clause

Hungarian	English
Tudom, hogy jön.	I know (that) he's coming.
Azt mondta, hogy szép.	She said (that) it's beautiful.
Fontos, hogy tanulj.	It's important that you study.

Common Main Clause Verbs

Verb	Example	English
tud (know)	Tudom, hogy hol van.	I know where it is.
mond (say)	Azt mondja, hogy jön.	She says she's coming.
gondol (think)	Azt gondolom, hogy igaz.	I think it's true.
akar (want)	Azt akarom, hogy maradj.	I want you to stay.
lát (see)	Látom, hogy esik.	I see that it's raining.
hall (hear)	Hallom, hogy szép.	I hear that it's beautiful.

Hogy in Expressions of Desire/Purpose

When hogy introduces a desired action, the verb in the subordinate clause often takes the imperative/subjunctive:

Hungarian	English
Azt akarom, hogy gyere.	I want you to come.
Fontos, hogy tanulj.	It's important that you study.
Azt kérem, hogy maradj.	I ask you to stay.

With Correlative Azt

With correlative	Without	Both correct
Azt mondta, hogy jön.	Mondta, hogy jön.	Both fine
Azt tudom, hogy szép.	Tudom, hogy szép.	Both fine

Examples in Context

Hungarian	English	Note
Tudom, hogy jön.	I know he's coming.	knowledge
Azt mondta, hogy szép.	She said it's beautiful.	speech
Fontos, hogy tanulj.	It's important that you study.	necessity
Azt akarom, hogy maradj.	I want you to stay.	desire
Látom, hogy esik.	I see it's raining.	perception
Gondolom, hogy igaz.	I think it's true.	opinion
Remélem, hogy jössz.	I hope you're coming.	hope
Sajnálom, hogy nem jöhetsz.	I'm sorry you can't come.	regret
Hallottam, hogy elment.	I heard he left.	information
Biztos, hogy jön?	Is it certain he's coming?	certainty

Common Mistakes

Omitting hogy

• Wrong: Tudom jön. (I know comes.)
• Right: Tudom, hogy jön.
• Why: Unlike English, hogy cannot be dropped in standard Hungarian.

Forgetting the comma

• Wrong: Tudom hogy jön.
• Right: Tudom, hogy jön.
• Why: Hungarian punctuation requires a comma before subordinating conjunctions.

Using wrong mood after desire verbs

• Wrong: Akarom, hogy jössz. (indicative in subordinate)
• Right: Akarom, hogy gyere. (imperative/subjunctive)
• Why: After verbs of wanting and requesting, the subordinate clause verb takes the imperative mood.

Usage Notes

Hogy is the workhorse of Hungarian subordination. It introduces indirect statements, questions (with hogy + question word), desires, purposes, and results. Mastering it at A1 opens the door to significantly more complex expression.

In fast casual speech, hogy is sometimes reduced to 'gy or nearly swallowed, but it remains present grammatically.

Practice Tips

• Combine simple sentences using hogy: Tudom. + Jön. → Tudom, hogy jön.
• Practice with different main verbs: Mondja, hogy... Gondolom, hogy... Akarom, hogy...
• Pay attention to whether the subordinate clause needs indicative or imperative mood.

Related Concepts

• Next steps: Purpose and Result Clauses — hogy in purpose expressions