Time Expressions in Hungarian

Overview

Building on the basic days, months, and time-telling from A1, the CEFR B1 level introduces more complex time expressions. Hungarian uses a combination of case suffixes, postpositions, and standalone adverbs to express when, how long, how often, and since when something happens. The suffix -kor (at a specific time), adverbs like minden nap (every day), and temporal nouns like tavaly (last year) form the core of this system.

These expressions are essential for narrating events, describing routines, making appointments, and discussing past and future plans with precision.

How It Works

Specific Time: -kor

Hungarian	English
Három órakor jövök.	I'll come at three o'clock.
Délben találkozunk.	We meet at noon.
Éjfélkor kezdődik.	It starts at midnight.

Frequency Expressions

Hungarian	English
minden nap	every day
minden héten	every week
hetente	weekly
havonta	monthly
naponta / napjában	daily
hetente kétszer	twice a week
néha	sometimes
ritkán	rarely
gyakran	often
mindig	always

Duration: egész / -ig

Hungarian	English
egész nap	all day
egész héten	all week
két óráig	for two hours
három napig	for three days
reggeltől estig	from morning to evening

Past/Future Reference

Hungarian	English
tavaly	last year
tavalyelőtt	the year before last
jövőre	next year
múlt héten	last week
jövő héten	next week
tegnapelőtt	the day before yesterday
holnapután	the day after tomorrow
nemrég	recently
nemsokára	soon
régen	long ago

Since / From: óta

Hungarian	English
hétfő óta	since Monday
tavaly óta	since last year
reggel óta	since morning
két éve	for two years (ago-measuring)

Examples in Context

Hungarian	English	Note
Három órakor jövök.	I'll come at three.	specific time
Minden nap tanulok.	I study every day.	frequency
Tavaly voltam ott.	I was there last year.	past reference
Reggeltől estig.	From morning to evening.	range
Két éve tanulok magyarul.	I've been studying Hungarian for two years.	duration
Jövőre megyek.	I'll go next year.	future reference
Hétfő óta esik.	It's been raining since Monday.	since
Egész nap dolgoztam.	I worked all day.	duration
Nemrég jöttem.	I came recently.	recency
Hetente kétszer edzek.	I exercise twice a week.	frequency

Common Mistakes

Confusing -kor and -ban/-ben

• Wrong: Három órában jövök. (I'll come in three o'clock?)
• Right: Három órakor jövök.
• Why: Specific clock times use -kor. -ban/-ben is for months and enclosed time periods.

Using multiple time markers redundantly

• Wrong: Tegnap múlt héten...
• Right: Choose one: tegnap or múlt héten
• Why: Each time expression should contribute unique information.

Confusing óta (since) with -ig (until)

• Wrong: Hétfő óta nem megyek. (meaning "I won't go until Monday")
• Right: Hétfőig nem megyek. (until Monday)
• Why: Óta marks the starting point looking back; -ig marks the endpoint looking forward.

Usage Notes

Két éve (for two years / two years ago) is a versatile construction. With present tense, it means "for two years": Két éve tanulok (I've been studying for two years). With past tense, it means "two years ago": Két éve voltam ott (I was there two years ago).

Hungarian distinguishes múlt (last, as in "last week" = múlt héten) from utolsó (last, as in "the final one" = az utolsó hét).

Practice Tips

• Describe your weekly routine with frequency expressions: Minden nap dolgozom. Hetente kétszer sportolok.
• Practice temporal ranges: Reggel héttől este ötig dolgozom. Hétfőtől péntekig.
• Tell a story about last year using past time references: Tavaly nyáron..., múlt héten..., tegnap...

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Days, Months, and Time — the basic time vocabulary