Hungarian clause linkers form systems rather than one-to-one equivalents of English words. Amikor locates an event in time, while miután orders one event after another. Mint makes an actual comparison, whereas mintha builds an “as if” world and normally selects conditional mood. Bár introduces a concession and may be answered by mégis in the main clause. The paired frames nemcsak ... hanem ... is and minél ... annál distribute information across two linked members.
The common thread is correlation: a subordinate or first member often predicts a partner in the other clause. This page emphasizes boundaries and decisions; the forms page and usage page provide their broader paradigms.
Amikor versus miután
Both forms can be translated “when” in English, but they encode different temporal relations. Amikor identifies a time at which events overlap, occur, or habitually coincide. Miután explicitly presents its clause as completed before the main event: “after.”
Amikor bezárt a könyvtár, még a jegyzeteimet rendeztem.
When the library closed, I was still organizing my notes.
Miután bezárt a könyvtár, beültünk egy közeli kávézóba.
After the library closed, we went to a nearby café.
The first sentence places the ongoing organizing at the closing time. The second establishes a sequence: closing first, café second. English “when” can cover both, so translate the relation, not the word.
The subordinate clause may follow the main clause without changing that relation:
Mindig lenémítom a telefonomat, amikor kezdődik az előadás.
I always silence my phone when the performance begins.
Elküldtük a meghívókat, miután mindenki jóváhagyta a dátumot.
We sent the invitations after everyone approved the date.
A comma separates the clauses in either order. Factual temporal clauses normally use the indicative. Hungarian does not insert a future auxiliary merely because the event is future: amikor megérkezel means “when you arrive/will arrive.”
Mint versus mintha
Mint compares an actual person, thing, amount, or proposition. Mintha introduces an apparent or imagined similarity: the speaker does not commit to the comparison as fact.
Janka gyorsabban gépel, mint én.
Janka types faster than I do.
Janka úgy gépel, mintha versenyezne valakivel.
Janka types as if she were racing someone.
The first has an ordinary comparative gyorsabban and an elliptical comparison clause. The second evokes a hypothetical scene and uses conditional versenyezne. In modern standard Hungarian, irrealis mintha is written as one word and characteristically combines with the conditional.
Compare mintha with mint aki:
Ádám úgy magyaráz, mint aki alaposan ismeri a szabályokat.
Ádám explains things like someone who knows the rules thoroughly.
Ádám úgy magyaráz, mintha ő írta volna a szabályzatot.
Ádám explains things as if he had written the regulations himself.
Mint aki compares Ádám with a type of person; the relative clause can present knowledge as a normal property. Mintha ... írta volna constructs a past counterfactual comparison. Past conditional consists of a past-tense verb plus invariant volna.
There is a separate spelling mint ha when a real conditional clause itself is the second term of a comparison: Jobban haladunk, ha előre tervezünk, mint ha rögtönözünk “We make better progress if we plan ahead than if we improvise.” This is advanced and relatively infrequent; it does not license splitting ordinary “as if” mintha.
Bár and mégis: concession across two clauses
Concessive bár means “although/even though”: it presents a fact that could have blocked the main outcome. Mégis means “nevertheless/still” and highlights that the unexpected outcome occurred. Hungarian can use both in one sentence.
Bár egész délután fújt a szél, megtartották a kerti fogadást.
Although the wind blew all afternoon, they held the garden reception.
Bár egész délután fújt a szél, mégis megtartották a kerti fogadást.
Although the wind blew all afternoon, they nevertheless held the garden reception.
The version without mégis is complete and neutral. Adding it strengthens the counterexpectation. Unlike edited English, which often discourages “although ... but,” Hungarian bár ... mégis is a regular correlative pattern, not redundant grammar.
Factual concessions take the indicative, as in esett and megtartották. Bár also has a different use as a wish particle, normally with conditional mood:
Bár lenne még egy szabadnapunk a költözés előtt!
If only we had one more day off before the move!
This is not a subordinate concession and has no required main clause. The exclamation and conditional lenne diagnose the wish reading. In careful (formal/written) prose, noha and jóllehet can introduce factual concessions; everyday speech usually prefers bár.
Nemcsak ... hanem ... is
This frame adds a second, often stronger item: “not only X but Y too.” X is not rejected. Nemcsak presents it as insufficient by itself; hanem introduces Y, and is follows the constituent that is added.
Nemcsak a jegyeket foglalta le, hanem a szállást is.
She booked not only the tickets but the accommodation too.
A javítás nemcsak drága volt, hanem három hétig is tartott.
The repair was not only expensive but also took three weeks.
The paired members should be parallel in grammatical and discourse function. The first example coordinates two accusative objects. The second coordinates two predicates, so English may need to reshape the sentence. Is does not necessarily stand beside hanem: it follows a szállást in the first example and the duration három hétig in the second.
Compare simple correction:
Nem a szállást foglalta le, hanem a repülőjegyet.
She did not book the accommodation; she booked the plane ticket.
Here X is denied and Y replaces it, so there is no additive is. The coordination contrast page develops hanem versus adversative de.
Minél ... annál: linked degrees
Minél ... annál expresses proportional change: as one degree rises or falls, another changes with it. The two clauses normally contain a comparative or another scalar expression.
Minél korábban foglalsz, annál olcsóbb lesz a szoba.
The earlier you book, the cheaper the room will be.
Minél többet gyakoroljuk ezt a mozdulatot, annál természetesebbé válik.
The more we practice this movement, the more natural it becomes.
Minél opens the variable that supplies the scale; main-clause annál points back to that degree. It is a demonstrative correlate, not temporal akkor. Neutral modern Hungarian retains both halves. The compact saying Minél hamarabb, annál jobb “The sooner, the better” simply omits recoverable predicates.
Clause order and information structure
Temporal and concessive subordinate clauses can precede or follow the main clause. Initial position makes the subordinate relation a frame; final position often supplies the explanation or timing after the main news.
Amikor végre felszabadult egy asztal, gyorsan leültünk.
When a table finally became free, we quickly sat down.
Gyorsan leültünk, amikor végre felszabadult egy asztal.
We quickly sat down when a table finally became free.
Truth conditions are close, but discourse organization differs. The first prepares the time frame before the event; the second announces the action first. Fixed paired constructions are less freely reversed: minél ... annál and nemcsak ... hanem ... is have a conventional first-to-second progression.
Decision tree
- Is one event explicitly later than a completed event? Use miután. Is it merely located at a time? Use amikor.
- Are you comparing facts, people, or degrees? Use mint. Are you constructing an apparent or unreal scenario? Use mintha plus conditional mood.
- Does a fact fail to prevent an unexpected result? Use bár; add mégis when the counterexpectation deserves emphasis.
- Are both X and Y true, with Y added? Use nemcsak X, hanem Y is. Is X false and replaced by Y? Use nem X, hanem Y.
- Do two degrees change together? Use minél ... annál, not amikor ... akkor.
Diagnostic exercise
Choose the connector and check the explanation.
- _ leadtuk a kulcsokat, kaptunk egy átvételi elismervényt. Choose Miután if the receipt followed the handover; amikor merely locates it at that time.
- Úgy zörög az ablak, _ valaki kopogna. Choose mintha, with conditional kopogna, because the knocking is only an apparent comparison.
- fáradt volt, végighallgatta a vitát. Choose bár ... mégis for an emphasized counterexpectation; mégis may be omitted without making the clause incomplete.
- részletesebb az útmutató, könnyebb követni. Choose minél ... annál, because two degrees vary proportionally.
- Nemcsak a dátumot módosították, hanem a helyszínt _. Choose is after the added object.
Miután leadtuk a kulcsokat, kaptunk egy átvételi elismervényt.
After we handed in the keys, we received a receipt.
Úgy zörög az ablak, mintha valaki kopogna.
The window is rattling as if someone were knocking.
Common Mistakes
❌ Úgy tesz, mintha nem tudja, miről beszélünk.
Incorrect — standard irrealis mintha requires conditional mood here.
✅ Úgy tesz, mintha nem tudná, miről beszélünk.
He acts as if he did not know what we are talking about.
❌ Olyan hideg van, mint ha tél lenne.
Incorrect spelling for the intended unreal comparison — mintha is one word.
✅ Olyan hideg van, mintha tél lenne.
It is so cold that it feels like winter.
❌ Nemcsak az ebédet fizette ki, hanem a taxit.
Incorrect — the added second object needs is in this paired construction.
✅ Nemcsak az ebédet fizette ki, hanem a taxit is.
She paid not only for lunch but for the taxi too.
❌ Minél később indulsz, akkor nagyobb lesz a forgalom.
Incorrect — the proportional correlate of minél is annál, not akkor.
✅ Minél később indulsz, annál nagyobb lesz a forgalom.
The later you leave, the heavier the traffic will be.
Key Takeaways
- Amikor locates events in time; miután explicitly orders its event before the main one.
- Mint compares actual terms; irrealis mintha normally selects conditional mood.
- Bár can stand alone as a concessive linker; mégis makes the unexpected result emphatic.
- Nemcsak X, hanem Y is asserts both X and Y, unlike corrective nem X, hanem Y.
- Minél ... annál pairs two changing degrees and normally preserves that order.
- Initial subordinate clauses frame the message; final ones often add timing or concession after the main news.
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Start learning Hungarian →Related Topics
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