Discourse markers tell an audience how to process an utterance before its main factual content is complete. In conversation, hát, szóval, and izé can claim time, resume a thread, or repair a word search. In planned argument, egyrészt–másrészt, összefoglalva, and formal metadiscourse expose the architecture of evidence and conclusions.
This page establishes their forms, positions, and internal morphology. Extended use and close alternatives are left to the companion pages. Unless labeled otherwise, examples are neutral modern standard Hungarian.
A compact map of marker architecture
| Marker | Typical position | Instruction to the audience | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| hát | turn-initial or integrated before a conclusion | the response needs planning, qualification, or follows from context | neutral in conversation; sparse in edited prose |
| szóval | turn-initial or at a resumption/conclusion boundary | return to the thread or state its upshot | especially spoken |
| izé | inside a hesitation or in place of a searched-for word | hold the slot while retrieving or avoiding an expression | (informal) |
| egyrészt ... másrészt | at the heads of two coordinated considerations | evaluate two sides or dimensions | neutral careful speech; common in writing |
| összefoglalva | before a summary unit | compress preceding material into a conclusion | (formal) or planned exposition |
| a következőkben | near the start of a section | preview the organization that follows | (academic/formal) |
| az eredmények alapján | before the supported claim | name the evidence base | neutral; frequent in (academic) prose |
These markers do more than express logical relation. They allocate turns, reveal stance, rank evidence, and distinguish temporary planning from the final line of argument. An English gloss such as well or so cannot predict the Hungarian form or its placement.
Hát: a turn opener and contextual bridge
Detached hát often begins a reply that is delayed, qualified, reluctant, or not fully straightforward. It can stand as its own prosodic unit and be followed by a pause.
– Elvállalod a szombati műszakot? – Hát... előbb meg kell néznem, ki vigyáz a gyerekekre.
‘Will you take the Saturday shift?’ ‘Well... first I need to see who can look after the children.’
Integrated hát can instead present a consequence as obvious from the situation.
Ha már mindenki itt van, hát kezdjük el a megbeszélést!
Since everyone is here, let's get the meeting started, then!
The same spelling does not encode these readings. Pause, contour, and the surrounding turn distinguish planning from an accepted consequence. Lengthened spellings such as háát imitate hesitation in messages (informal); edited standard prose keeps hát.
Szóval: resumption, summary, and upshot
Szóval can return to a topic after interruption or condense preceding material into its practical point. It is historically transparent as the instrumental form of szó “word,” but its discourse uses are lexicalized.
Szóval hol is tartottunk, mielőtt megszakadt a hívás?
So, where were we before the call dropped?
A tulajdonos elfogadta az ajánlatot, a bank pedig jóváhagyta a hitelt. Szóval jövő héten aláírhatjuk a szerződést.
The owner accepted the offer, and the bank approved the loan. So we can sign the contract next week.
The first manages the conversation; the second states an upshot. Result markers such as ezért and tehát encode related but not identical relations: szóval often foregrounds the speaker's act of resuming or summing up. It is not inserted wherever English happens to use so.
Izé: a placeholder, not an academic connector
Izé can be a filler during lexical search or a placeholder noun roughly equivalent to “thingy/what's-it.” It can also become a vague verb izél, but both are strongly conversational (informal).
Add ide az izét... a hosszabbító kábelt!
Pass me the thing... the extension cable! (informal word search)
Tegnap beszéltem azzal az izé... új könyvelővel.
Yesterday I spoke to that, um... new accountant. (informal self-repair)
The case of the final phrase supplies the actual syntax: az új könyvelővel is instrumental. Speakers may leave izé uninflected while searching, or inflect a placeholder when the slot is already clear (az izével), but these patterns are spontaneous and variable. Formal presentations replace it with a pause, hogy is mondjam “how shall I put it,” or an explicit repair such as pontosabban.
Planning and repair have visible boundaries
A filler holds the turn before formulation; a repair marker instructs the listener to replace or refine material already uttered.
A találkozó kedden lesz – pontosabban kedden délután fél háromkor.
The meeting will be on Tuesday—more precisely, at half past two on Tuesday afternoon.
Pontosabban looks backward to an imprecise phrase and supplies a narrower version. Úgy értem “I mean” reformulates an intended meaning; vagyis can state an interpretation or correct a slip. These forms belong at the boundary between old and replacement wording, not randomly inside the clause. See the earlier reformulation forms.
Egyrészt–másrészt: a paired frame
Egyrészt and másrészt are written as single words and conventionally occur as a pair. They introduce two considerations, dimensions, or sides; they do not merely enumerate chronological step one and step two.
Egyrészt olcsóbb lenne a javítás, másrészt az új készülék kevesebb energiát fogyasztana.
On the one hand, repairing it would be cheaper; on the other hand, the new device would use less energy.
A módszer egyrészt gyors, másrészt könnyen ellenőrizhető.
The method is both fast and easy to verify.
The two sides need not oppose each other: the second example adds two supporting properties. What matters is parallel argumentative status. Egyrészről–másrészről is a real longer alternative, also written as paired words, but learners should not mix half of one pair with an unrelated sequence marker.
Összefoglalva and formal metadiscourse
Összefoglalva is the adverbial participle of összefoglal “summarize”: prefix össze- + verb foglal + -va. Because prefix and verb are adjacent in this nonfinite form, they are written together.
Összefoglalva: a beavatkozás csökkentette a költségeket, de nem rövidítette le az átfutási időt.
To summarize, the intervention reduced costs but did not shorten the turnaround time. (formal)
The colon is natural when a clearly announced summary follows, but punctuation reflects the size of the boundary; it is not permanently attached to the marker. Other planned signposts perform distinct tasks:
- A következőkben azt vizsgálom, hogy... previews the section (academic).
- Érdemes kiemelni, hogy... directs attention to a significant point (formal/academic).
- Az eredmények alapján... exposes the evidential basis.
- Mindebből az következik, hogy... draws a conclusion from the whole discussion (academic).
- Végezetül... opens the final planned point (formal).
A következőkben azt vizsgálom, hogyan változott a résztvevők válasza a második mérés során.
In what follows, I examine how the participants' response changed during the second measurement. (academic)
Az eredmények alapján érdemes külön kezelni a két korcsoportot.
On the basis of the results, the two age groups should be treated separately. (academic)
These expressions organize evidence and authorial stance, not just logical sequence. Érdemes kiemelni raises salience; az eredmények alapján licenses a claim; a következőkben projects text structure.
Segmentation exercise
- hát: lexical discourse particle; do not confuse it with hát “back” merely because the spelling is identical.
- szó-val: noun “word” + instrumental -val, lexicalized as a discourse marker; long ó remains.
- izé-vel: placeholder noun + front-vowel instrumental; after the vowel-final stem, the suffix surfaces as -vel in izével.
- egy-rész-t / más-rész-t: paired lexicalized adverbs egyrészt/másrészt; the final -t is not the ordinary productive accusative meaning “part.”
- össze-foglal-va: verbal prefix + verb + adverbial-participle suffix.
- követ-kez-ő-k-ben: derived stem + participle + plural + inessive, in the fixed metadiscourse phrase a következőkben.
- eredmény-ek alapján: plural noun plus the postposition alapján, “on the basis of the results.”
Harmony remains visible in inflected forms such as izével and következőkben, while several markers are lexicalized wholes. Recognizing morphology supports spelling, but it does not generate discourse meaning automatically.
Common Mistakes
❌ Egyrészt csökkennek a költségek, másodszor gyorsul a folyamat.
Mismatched signposting for the intended paired argument — egyrészt predicts másrészt, while másodszor enumerates a second point.
✅ Egyrészt csökkennek a költségek, másrészt gyorsul a folyamat.
On the one hand costs decrease; on the other hand the process speeds up.
❌ Össze foglalva az eredmények biztatóak.
Incorrect spacing — the prefix is adjacent to the participle and must be joined in összefoglalva.
✅ Összefoglalva: az eredmények biztatóak.
To summarize, the results are encouraging. (formal)
❌ Az eredményeken alapján nem vonható le ez a következtetés.
Incorrect case before the postposition — alapján takes an unmarked noun phrase, az eredmények alapján, not superessive eredményeken.
✅ Az eredmények alapján nem vonható le ez a következtetés.
This conclusion cannot be drawn from the results. (academic)
⚠️ A kutatás izé... három fő kockázatot azonosított.
Possible spontaneous word search, but izé is too informal and imprecise for the intended prepared academic statement.
✅ A kutatás három fő kockázatot azonosított.
The study identified three main risks. (academic)
Key Takeaways
- Hát can hold a turn or connect an accepted consequence; prosody distinguishes the functions.
- Szóval resumes or sums up discourse and is not a universal translation of English so.
- Izé fills a word-search slot (informal); an explicit repair is preferable in planned speech.
- Egyrészt–másrészt pairs parallel considerations, whether opposed or mutually supporting.
- Összefoglalva announces compression of prior material; other formal signposts preview, rank evidence, emphasize, or infer.
- Marker placement organizes stance, evidence, and turns as well as logical relation.
Now practice Hungarian
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Hungarian →Related Topics
- Examples, Reformulation, and Topic Shift: Forms and Core PatternB1 — Learn the forms, punctuation, and core functions of Hungarian markers for examples, restatement, and topic management.
- Sequence and Addition Markers: Forms and Core PatternA2 — Build Hungarian sequences and cumulative arguments with először, aztán, végül, továbbá, ráadásul, and sőt.
- Disagreement, Evidence, Irony, and Turn Management: Forms and Core PatternB2 — Form Hungarian opinion markers, mitigated disagreement, evidence labels, ironic responses, listener signals, and conversational repairs with appropriate prosody.
- hát and ugye: Forms and Core PatternA2 — Use invariant Hungarian hát and ugye with appropriate position and prosody to open turns, infer conclusions, invoke shared assumptions, and seek confirmation.
- Statement, List, Polar, and Alternative Intonation: Forms and Core PatternA2 — Learn the core Hungarian contours for completed statements, continuing lists, yes–no questions, and genuine choices.
- Topics, Frames, and Multiple Topics: Forms and Core PatternA2 — Build Hungarian topic–comment clauses with aboutness topics, scene-setting frames, multiple topics, intonational boundaries, and topicless alternatives.