Hungarian extends ordinary motion verbs into fixed expressions: machines tönkremennek “break down,” possibilities szóba jönnek “come into consideration,” people rájönnek valamire “realize something,” events valameddig tartanak “last until some point,” goods valamibe kerülnek “cost some amount,” and scheduled actions are introduced with sor kerül valamire. Each expression has a stable case frame and its own spelling. Prefix separation changes the word order of several forms without changing the idiomatic meaning.
Compact form table
| Expression | Required frame | Core meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| tönkremegy | subject + tönkremegy | break down, be ruined, go bankrupt | unmarked |
| szóba jön | subject + szóba jön | be considered/be a possible option | unmarked |
| rájön | valaki rájön valamire; rájön, hogy... | realize, figure out | unmarked |
| tart | valami valameddig/valamennyi ideig tart | last to an endpoint/for a duration | unmarked |
| kerül | valami valamibe kerül | cost money, time, effort, or sacrifice | unmarked |
| sor kerül | sor kerül valamire | a planned event takes place/comes up | (formal) or institutional |
These are not interchangeable instances of English go, come, last, and come to. Treat the Hungarian expression plus frame as the vocabulary item.
Tönkremegy: joined in neutral order, split under negation
In neutral affirmative order, tönkre- is written together with the finite verb: tönkremegy, tönkrement, tönkremenne. The irregular past of megy is ment, not megyett.
Már megint tönkrement a kávéfőző az irodában.
The coffee machine at the office has broken down again.
Negation, contrastive focus, and many questions separate the prefix-like element and put it after the verb.
A motor nem ment tönkre, csak kifogyott belőle az üzemanyag.
The engine didn't break down; it merely ran out of fuel.
Mi ment tönkre a mosogatógépben?
What broke in the dishwasher?
The spelling difference is grammatical: tönkremegy is one word in neutral order, while nem megy tönkre is three words around negation.
Szóba jön: a case-marked noun, always written separately
Szóba is the illative form of szó “word,” but szóba jön conventionally means that a person, plan, or object is a possible option. Unlike tönkremegy, the two words remain separate even in neutral order.
Ha esik, a szabadtéri helyszín nem jön szóba.
If it rains, the outdoor venue is not an option.
A három pályázó közül még ketten jöhetnek szóba.
Two of the three applicants may still be considered.
Neutral szóba jön becomes nem jön szóba under negation. Modal jöhet adds possibility: szóba jöhet “may be considered.” Do not spell the expression szóbajön.
Rájön valamire or rájön, hogy...
Neutral rájön is one word and selects -ra/-re for the thing realized: rájön a hibára. A finite content clause is introduced with hogy.
Dávid hamar rájött a számlázási hibára.
Dávid quickly realized there was an invoicing error.
Csak este jöttem rá, hogy rossz címre küldtem a csomagot.
I only realized in the evening that I had sent the parcel to the wrong address.
Negation and focus split the prefix: nem jött rá, Mire jött rá?, csak este jött rá. The case remains even when the prefix moves.
Valameddig tart: endpoint and duration
Intransitive tart takes an event or state as its subject. Terminative -ig marks an endpoint or bounded duration and never harmonizes: estig, péntekig, három óráig.
A kiállítás október végéig tart.
The exhibition lasts until the end of October.
A közvetlen vonatút körülbelül két és fél óráig tart.
The direct train journey lasts about two and a half hours.
Questions distinguish an endpoint from duration: Meddig tart? “Until when/how far does it last?” and Mennyi ideig tart? “How long does it last?” The terminative forms page explains final-vowel lengthening, as in óra → óráig.
Valamibe kerül: the price or cost is illative
With kerül, a price, amount of time, effort, or sacrifice takes -ba/-be. Back-vowel forint produces forintba; front-vowel idő produces időbe. The question is Mennyibe kerül?, not an accusative calque of English “How much?”
A családi belépő tizenkétezer forintba kerül.
The family ticket costs twelve thousand forints.
A teljes adatbázis átnézése rengeteg időbe került.
Reviewing the entire database took an enormous amount of time.
Past került preserves long ü. The thing costing something is the grammatical subject; the price is not a direct object.
Sor kerül valamire: an event enters the agenda
Sor kerül valamire means that a scheduled, expected, or institutionally relevant event takes place or comes up. Sor is a separate noun-like element, and the event takes sublative -ra/-re.
A költségvetésről szóló szavazásra csütörtökön kerül sor.
The vote on the budget will take place on Thursday. (formal)
A következő ülésen sor kerül az új tagok bemutatására is.
The new members will also be introduced at the next meeting. (formal)
The focused date in the first example places kerül sor after it. Under negation, use nem kerül sor valamire. This phrase is frequent in official and journalistic prose; everyday speech often chooses a direct verb instead.
Do not confuse sor kerül valamire “an event takes place” with valaki sorra kerül “someone's turn comes.” The latter contains the sublative form sorra written together.
Principal verb forms
| Verb | Present 3rd singular | Past 3rd singular | Conditional 3rd singular |
|---|---|---|---|
| megy | megy | ment | menne |
| jön | jön | jött | jönne |
| tart | tart | tartott | tartana |
| kerül | kerül | került | kerülne |
The idiom does not regularize an irregular verb. Rájött and szóba jött contain the same past jött; tönkrement contains ment.
Segmentation exercise
- tönkre-megy: prefix-like result element + megy; joined in neutral order.
- szó-ba jön: noun szó
- illative -ba
- separate jön.
- illative -ba
- rá-jön a hibá-ra: prefix rá-
- jön; the complement repeats the sublative relation.
- október vég-é-ig tart: possessed “end of October” + terminative endpoint + tart.
- tizenkétezer forint-ba kerül: price + illative -ba
- kerül.
- sor kerül a szavazás-ra: separate sor
- kerül
- sublative event.
- kerül
Common Mistakes
❌ A laptopom tegnap tönkre ment.
Incorrect neutral spelling: tönkre- is joined to the finite verb when it immediately precedes it.
✅ A laptopom tegnap tönkrement.
My laptop broke down yesterday.
❌ Végül rájöttem a megoldást.
Incorrect case: the nominal complement of rájön takes -ra/-re, not accusative.
✅ Végül rájöttem a megoldásra.
Eventually I figured out the solution.
❌ Mennyit kerül ez a havi bérlet?
Incorrect price frame: kerül asks for an illative amount with mennyibe.
✅ Mennyibe kerül ez a havi bérlet?
How much does this monthly pass cost?
❌ Holnap sor kerül a szerződés aláírását.
Incorrect case: the planned event after sor kerül takes -ra/-re.
✅ Holnap sor kerül a szerződés aláírására.
The contract will be signed tomorrow. (formal)
Key Takeaways
- Neutral tönkremegy and rájön are joined, but negation and focus split them: nem megy tönkre, mire jön rá?
- Szóba jön remains two words and means that something is a possible option.
- Rájön selects -ra/-re or a hogy content clause.
- Tart combines with terminative -ig for an endpoint or bounded duration.
- Kerül puts money, time, effort, or sacrifice in -ba/-be.
- Sor kerül valamire is a formal event expression; sorra kerül means that someone's turn comes.
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