Hungarian coordinators join units of equal status: one noun with another noun, one phrase with another phrase, or one clause with another clause. És and meg add, vagy offers alternatives, and de, viszont, and azonban mark different kinds of contrast. Their forms do not inflect, but their register, position, and punctuation are not interchangeable.
English encourages a one-word equation—“and” = és, “or” = vagy, “but/however” = one Hungarian form. That is a useful first approximation, not a complete system. Natural Hungarian chooses among several connectors according to speech style and the information structure of the second member.
The core set
| Coordinator | Basic relation | Typical position | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| és | addition: “and” | between coordinated units | neutral in speech and writing |
| meg | addition: “and” | between coordinated units | informal/conversational as a coordinator |
| vagy | alternative: “or” | between coordinated units | neutral |
| de | direct contrast/concession: “but” | at the boundary before the second member | neutral |
| viszont | counterbalancing or topic contrast | often after the topic of the second clause | neutral, frequent in speech |
| azonban | measured adversative: “however” | initially or inside the second clause | formal/written |
All six forms are invariant. Vowel harmony continues normally on the words around them—kenyeret és sajtot, teával vagy kávéval—but the coordinator itself receives no suffix. This is simpler than Hungarian case morphology; the real work is choosing the relation and deciding whether the joined units are phrases or clauses.
Neutral addition with és
Use és for the unmarked addition of people, things, properties, or events. It fits everyday conversation, formal writing, and everything between.
Vettem rozskenyeret és füstölt sajtot.
I bought rye bread and smoked cheese.
A recepciós kedves és türelmes volt.
The receptionist was kind and patient.
These sentences coordinate phrases within one clause. Each item has the form required by its role: rozskenyeret and sajtot are both accusative objects. Hungarian does not require an article before every coordinated noun when the intended reference does not require one.
És also joins clauses:
Noémi ellenőrizte a számlákat, és Gábor elküldte az összesítést.
Noémi checked the invoices, and Gábor sent the summary.
The two sides have separate subjects and finite predicates, so a comma marks the clause boundary. The connector is the same; punctuation reveals the larger structure.
Conversational addition with meg
As a coordinator, meg often gives the relaxed rhythm of a list or spoken continuation. It is normal (informal) Hungarian, not an error, but és is usually safer in a formal report, contract, or academic argument.
Hozz légy szíves paradicsomot meg paprikát!
Please bring some tomatoes and peppers!
Lili megsütötte a tortát, meg a díszítést is ő készítette.
Lili baked the cake, and she made the decorations too.
In the second example meg introduces an afterthought-like addition, reinforced by is “too.” This conversational flavor would be less appropriate in (formal) minutes, where és would be the neutral choice.
Do not confuse coordinator meg with the identically written verbal prefix meg-. The coordinator is a separate word between parallel units. The prefix belongs to a verb’s lexical-aspectual structure and may stand before or after its verb according to syntax.
Megérkezett a szerelő, és rögtön megvizsgálta a kazánt.
The technician arrived and immediately examined the boiler.
Both instances of meg- in this sentence belong to verbs; és is the coordinator. The verbal-prefix forms page explains their movement.
Alternatives with vagy
Vagy links alternatives. The listener may be asked to select one, or the speaker may state that at least one alternative applies. Context decides whether the alternatives exclude each other.
Szombaton vagy vasárnap jöttök hozzánk?
Are you coming to our place on Saturday or Sunday?
Az űrlapot kézzel vagy elektronikusan is kitöltheti.
You can fill in the form by hand or electronically.
The first context normally invites one day; the second presents two available methods without making a logical claim that only one can ever be used. Hungarian vagy, like English “or,” can be exclusive or inclusive according to context.
When vagy joins two full clauses, write a comma before it:
Eljössz velünk a piacra, vagy inkább itthon maradsz?
Are you coming to the market with us, or would you rather stay home?
Questions with vagy nem and other special alternatives are treated on the alternative-question page.
Three ways to mark contrast
De: direct contrast
De is the ordinary neutral “but.” It introduces information that conflicts with an expectation raised by the first member. Both members remain true.
A hátizsák könnyű, de meglepően erős.
The backpack is light but surprisingly strong.
Szerettem volna tovább maradni, de elment az utolsó busz.
I wanted to stay longer, but the last bus left.
Unlike English “but,” Hungarian de is normally preceded by a comma even when it links contrasting adjectives or phrases, as in könnyű, de erős.
Viszont: balanced topic contrast
Viszont often sets one topic against another: “as for the other side, however/by contrast.” It frequently follows the topic expression in the second clause rather than standing rigidly at the left edge.
Én reggel vagyok gyorsabb, a testvérem viszont este dolgozik jobban.
I am quicker in the morning, whereas my sibling works better in the evening.
A régi lakás közelebb volt, ez viszont sokkal világosabb.
The old apartment was closer; this one, however, is much brighter.
Here a testvérem and ez establish the second topics; viszont follows them and signals the counterbalance. English usually places “but” before the subject, so viszont a testvérem... is not always the most natural mapping of the intended topic contrast, although initial viszont is possible in suitable contexts.
Azonban: a formal adversative
Azonban expresses an adversative relation similar to “however.” It is especially common in edited, official, or argumentative prose (formal/written). It may begin the second sentence or appear after an opening topic or frame.
A javaslat elsőre olcsónak tűnik. Hosszú távon azonban jelentős kockázatot jelent.
The proposal seems inexpensive at first. In the long term, however, it poses a significant risk.
In casual conversation, de or viszont would usually sound less ceremonious. The difference is register and discourse organization, not truth conditions: all three can signal a clash, but they do not package it in the same way.
Comma rules: phrase or clause?
The main punctuation decision follows constituent size.
- Do not normally place a comma between simple words or phrases joined by és, meg, or vagy: tea és sütemény, hétfőn vagy kedden.
- Place a comma when these coordinators separate full clauses with their own clause structure: Anna telefonált, és Péter válaszolt.
- Place a comma before adversative de and before a contrasting second member with viszont/azonban.
- A sequence with a shared subject and tightly linked predicates can function as one clause: Misi felállt és kiment “Misi stood up and went out.” A comma may signal a more independent afterthought, so meaning and prosody can affect borderline cases.
Misi felvette a kabátját és kisietett a kapun.
Misi put on his coat and hurried out through the gate.
There is no comma because the two predicates form one tight event sequence under the shared subject. This boundary is genuinely sometimes interpretive; punctuation reflects the writer’s syntactic grouping rather than a word-counting formula.
Coordination versus correlative subordination
Coordination joins equals. Hungarian subordination often does something structurally different: the main clause contains a demonstrative correlate, and a subordinate conjunction or relative expression identifies its content.
Azért maradtunk bent, mert hirtelen jégeső kezdődött.
We stayed inside because a hailstorm suddenly started.
Akkor szólj, amikor elkészült a végleges változat!
Let me know when the final version is ready!
In azért ... mert, main-clause azért points forward to the reason clause. In akkor ... amikor, akkor supplies a time slot that amikor specifies. This demonstrative-correlate architecture is a hallmark of Hungarian subordination; it is not a second kind of és. The subordination contrast page places these pairs in the larger clause-linking system.
Segmentation exercise
Analyze A kisebb terem csendes, a nagyobb viszont világos és jól szellőzik.
- A kisebb terem csendes is the first clause and establishes one topic-property pair.
- the comma separates the contrasting second clause.
- a nagyobb is the contrasting topic; the omitted noun terem is recoverable.
- viszont follows that topic and marks counterbalance.
- világos and jól szellőzik are two properties joined by neutral és.
A kisebb terem csendes, a nagyobb viszont világos és jól szellőzik.
The smaller room is quiet, whereas the larger one is bright and well ventilated.
Common Mistakes
❌ Kérünk két levest, és egy salátát.
Incorrect — és joins two objects inside one clause, so no comma is needed.
✅ Kérünk két levest és egy salátát.
We would like two soups and a salad.
❌ Zita bezárta az ablakot és Tamás lekapcsolta a lámpát.
Incorrect punctuation — two clauses with separate subjects need a comma before és.
✅ Zita bezárta az ablakot, és Tamás lekapcsolta a lámpát.
Zita closed the window, and Tamás turned off the light.
❌ A szálloda régi de nagyon tiszta.
Incorrect punctuation — adversative de is preceded by a comma here.
✅ A szálloda régi, de nagyon tiszta.
The hotel is old but very clean.
❌ Nem a piros bögrét kérem, de a kéket.
Incorrect for a replacement — de does not introduce the corrected alternative.
✅ Nem a piros bögrét kérem, hanem a kéket.
I'd like the blue mug, not the red one.
Key Takeaways
- És is the neutral additive; coordinator meg is a natural conversational alternative.
- Vagy presents alternatives, whose exclusivity usually comes from context.
- De marks direct contrast, viszont often balances contrasting topics, and azonban favors formal written transitions.
- The coordinators are invariant; ordinary case suffixes and vowel harmony remain on their surrounding phrases.
- With és/meg/vagy, phrase coordination normally has no comma, while coordination of full clauses does.
- Hungarian subordination often uses a demonstrative correlate such as azért or akkor paired with a subordinate connector.
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Start learning Hungarian →Related Topics
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