Verb Type Classes in Hungarian

Overview

While most Hungarian verbs follow regular conjugation patterns, several important verb classes have irregular or distinctive conjugation patterns. At the CEFR B2 level, understanding these classes — -ik verbs, sz-verbs, v-stem verbs, and others — is essential for producing grammatically correct Hungarian with high-frequency verbs.

These irregular classes contain some of the most commonly used verbs in the language: eszik (eat), iszik (drink), alszik (sleep), vesz (buy/take), tesz (put), lesz (become), jön (come). Knowing their patterns is non-negotiable for fluent communication.

The irregularities affect different parts of the conjugation — some verbs have stem changes, others have unique personal endings, and some combine both.

How It Works

-ik Verbs

Verbs whose third person singular indefinite ends in -ik:

Verb	3sg	1sg (traditional)	Note
eszik (eat)	eszik	eszem	-m instead of -k
iszik (drink)	iszik	iszom	-m instead of -k
alszik (sleep)	alszik	alszom	-m instead of -k
dolgozik (work)	dolgozik	dolgozom	-m instead of -k
lakik (live)	lakik	lakom	-m instead of -k

Traditional rule: -ik verbs take -m (not -k) in first person singular indefinite. In modern colloquial speech, -k is increasingly accepted.

sz-Verbs

Verbs with stems alternating between -sz and other forms:

Infinitive	Present (3sg)	Past	Other forms
vesz (buy)	vesz	vett	veszek, vettem
tesz (put)	tesz	tett	teszek, tettem
lesz (become)	lesz	lett	leszek, lettem
visz (carry)	visz	vitt	viszek, vittem
hisz (believe)	hisz	hitt	hiszek, hittem
eszik (eat)	eszik	evett	eszem, ettem

v-Stem Verbs

Verbs whose stem includes a -v- in certain forms:

Verb	Present	Other form	Note
jön (come)	jövök, jössz, jön	jöttem (past)	v appears in some forms
megy (go)	megyek, mész, megy	mentem (past)	completely irregular
lő (shoot)	lövök, lősz, lő	lőttem	v in some forms

The Most Irregular: megy (go)

Tense	1sg	2sg	3sg
Present	megyek	mész/mégy	megy
Past	mentem	mentél	ment
Conditional	mennék	mennél	menne
Imperative	menjek	menj	menjen

Examples in Context

Hungarian	English	Note
eszem / eszel (ik-verb)	I eat / you eat	-m ending
veszek / veszel (sz-verb)	I take / you take	sz-stem
jövök (v-stem)	I come	v appears
iszom / iszol (ik-verb)	I drink / you drink	-m ending
teszek / teszel (sz-verb)	I put / you put	sz-stem
megyek / mész	I go / you go	fully irregular
alszom (ik-verb)	I sleep	-m ending
leszek (sz-verb)	I will be/become	sz-stem
hittem (sz-verb past)	I believed	past: hitt-
mentem (irregular past)	I went	men- stem in past

Common Mistakes

Using -k with -ik verbs (in formal contexts)

• Wrong: Eszek. (in formal writing)
• Right: Eszem.
• Why: Traditional grammar requires -m for first person singular of -ik verbs. While -k is acceptable in casual speech, formal contexts expect -m.

Regularizing sz-verb past forms

• Wrong: vesztem (past of vesz)
• Right: vettem
• Why: The sz disappears in past tense, and the stem changes: vesz → vett-.

Confusing megy forms

• Wrong: megysz or megyel
• Right: mész or mégy
• Why: Megy is completely irregular. The second person is mész (or colloquially mégy), not formed from the megy- stem.

Usage Notes

The -ik verb rule is one of the most actively changing features of modern Hungarian. In casual speech, many speakers use -k endings (eszek instead of eszem), and this is increasingly accepted. However, formal writing, education, and language exams still expect the traditional -m forms.

The sz-verbs (vesz, tesz, lesz, visz, hisz, eszik, iszik) are among the most frequently used verbs in Hungarian, so their irregular patterns must be memorized thoroughly.

Practice Tips

• Create a reference chart for all sz-verb forms (present, past, conditional, imperative) and review it regularly.
• Practice -ik verb conjugation in both traditional (-m) and colloquial (-k) forms.
• Drill megy through all tenses and moods — it is the most irregular verb in Hungarian.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Definite Conjugation — the regular patterns these verbs deviate from