Hungarian distinguishes an exact measurement, a loose estimate, an amount-like -nyi expression, and a one-sided limit. These are not stylistic versions of the same thought: körülbelül tíz perc “about ten minutes” allows values on either side of ten, while legfeljebb tíz perc “at most ten minutes” sets a hard upper boundary.
All of these constructions preserve the central Hungarian number rule: a noun quantified by a number remains grammatically singular. The companion measurement forms page presents the complete patterns; this page concentrates on choices and traps.
Exact measurement versus approximation
An unmodified number is normally interpreted as exact enough for the context. Add an approximator only when the uncertainty matters.
A csomag pontosan két kiló.
The package weighs exactly two kilos.
A csomag körülbelül két kiló.
The package weighs about two kilos.
A csomag majdnem két kiló.
The package weighs almost two kilos.
Pontosan fixes the value, körülbelül allows a range around it, and majdnem locates the actual value below the stated point. English almost behaves similarly, but about must not be confused with a maximum.
The singular unit is visible throughout: két kiló, not két kilók. Decimal quantities also take the ordinary singular form.
A palackban 1,5 liter víz van.
There are 1.5 liters of water in the bottle.
Körülbelül, mintegy, and everyday alternatives
Körülbelül is the broad neutral word for “approximately/about” in speech and writing. Nagyjából “roughly” is also neutral but often sounds more conversational or emphasizes a rough calculation. Mintegy is common in formal, journalistic, and statistical prose.
Körülbelül húsz perc múlva ott leszek.
I'll be there in about twenty minutes.
Nagyjából két méter hosszú az asztal.
The table is roughly two meters long.
A felmérésben mintegy ezer ember vett részt.
Approximately one thousand people took part in the survey.
The register difference does not change grammar: ezer ember retains singular ember and singular verb vett. In informal speech, úgy húsz perc can mean “about twenty minutes,” but it is less suitable in a technical report.
Do not stack near-synonyms merely to sound cautious. Körülbelül mintegy száz is redundant; choose one marker that matches the setting.
-nyi: an amount or extent viewed as a unit
The suffix -nyi forms an adjective expressing an amount or extent. With a conventional measure noun it can invite an approximate reading, but it does not simply replace körülbelül before every numeral.
Egyórányi séta után értünk a kilátóhoz.
After an hour's walk, we reached the lookout point.
Csak tenyérnyi hely maradt az asztalon.
Only a palm-sized space was left on the table.
Méternyi hó torlaszolta el az utat.
A meter or so of snow blocked the road.
Egyórányi packages an hour as the extent of the walk; tenyérnyi uses a comparison standard; méternyi presents an approximate stretch or quantity. By contrast, körülbelül egy órát sétáltunk directly estimates the duration of the event.
Körülbelül egy órát sétáltunk.
We walked for about an hour.
The choice changes syntax and viewpoint. Egyórányi séta is a noun phrase with an attributive -nyi form; egy órát sétáltunk marks the duration noun with accusative.
Scalar limits: inclusive and exclusive boundaries
Approximation is two-sided. Limits are one-sided and may include or exclude the boundary.
| Expression | Meaning | Is ten allowed? |
|---|---|---|
| körülbelül tíz | about ten | yes; nearby values also allowed |
| legalább tíz | at least ten | yes; lower boundary |
| több mint tíz | more than ten | no; value must exceed ten |
| legfeljebb tíz | at most ten | yes; upper boundary |
| kevesebb mint tíz | fewer/less than ten | no; value must be below ten |
A terembe legfeljebb harminc ember fér be.
At most thirty people fit in the room.
A javítás legalább három napig tart.
The repair will take at least three days.
Kevesebb mint két liter festék maradt.
Less than two liters of paint remained.
English speakers sometimes use around when they mean a deadline or capacity. Hungarian forces the same conceptual choice: körülbelül harminc does not promise that thirty will not be exceeded.
Where the case ending goes
Case attaches to the element that heads the measured phrase, usually the singular measured noun or unit—not to the cardinal modifier.
Két kiló almát vettem a piacon.
I bought two kilos of apples at the market.
Három kilométert futottunk a folyóparton.
We ran three kilometers along the riverbank.
In két kiló almát, accusative appears on alma, the final measured substance. In három kilométert, the distance unit itself is the measured head and takes -t. If the substance is omitted, the unit can carry case: Két kilót vettem “I bought two kilos.”
A bolt körülbelül ötszáz méterre van innen.
The shop is about five hundred meters from here.
Sublative -re on méterre marks distance from a reference point. The approximator stands outside the quantity phrase and receives no suffix.
Decimal comma versus grouping marks
Standard Hungarian writes decimals with a comma: 2,5 kilogramm, 3,14 méter. In numbers of five or more digits, a space separates three-digit groups: 20 000, 5 600 000. Copying English punctuation can change the value rather than merely look foreign.
A deszka 2,5 méter hosszú.
The plank is 2.5 meters long.
In ordinary prose the unit remains singular after a decimal. Technical style may use symbols—2,5 m—but the decimal comma stays. Dates use points for another function; see the date contrasts page.
In careful speech, 2,5 can be read kettő egész öt tized “two and five tenths.” Egész names the whole-number part, and the fractional denominator tized remains singular after öt. Everyday speakers may shorten a familiar decimal reading, but technical, medical, and educational settings favor an explicit form that cannot be mistaken for a digit sequence.
A pontos érték kettő egész öt tized milliméter.
The exact value is two point five millimeters.
Information structure and focus
An entire measurement phrase moves as one constituent. Focusing it does not change its internal singular form or case.
Pontosan két liter vizet ivott meg, nem hármat.
He drank exactly two liters of water, not three.
The focused quantified object precedes the finite verb, and prefix meg- follows ivott. The contrast falls on the quantity. In neutral order, Megivott körülbelül két liter vizet presents the event first and the amount as noncontrastive information.
Decision tree
- Is the value intended as exact? Use the bare number or add pontosan for explicit precision.
- Is uncertainty allowed on both sides? Use neutral körülbelül, conversational nagyjából, or formal mintegy.
- Are you packaging an extent as an adjective? Consider -nyi: órányi várakozás, méternyi kötél.
- Is there a one-sided boundary? Choose legalább, legfeljebb, több mint, or kevesebb mint.
- Add plural nowhere after the number. Put case on the measured head.
- In digit notation, use a decimal comma and Hungarian grouping conventions.
Diagnostic exercise
- “about ten minutes” → körülbelül tíz perc: two-sided estimate, singular unit.
- “no more than ten minutes” → legfeljebb tíz perc: inclusive upper limit.
- “more than ten minutes” → több mint tíz perc: ten itself excluded.
- “an hour-long wait” → egyórányi várakozás: extent packaged with -nyi.
- “we waited for an hour” → egy órát vártunk: accusative duration.
- “2.5 liters” → 2,5 liter: decimal comma and singular unit.
Common Mistakes
❌ Körülbelül húsz perceket vártam.
Incorrect — a quantified duration noun remains singular.
✅ Körülbelül húsz percet vártam.
I waited for about twenty minutes.
❌ Kétet kiló almát vettem.
Incorrect — case does not attach to the cardinal before an overt unit phrase.
✅ Két kiló almát vettem.
I bought two kilos of apples.
❌ A kötél 3.5 méter hosszú.
Incorrect Hungarian decimal notation — use a comma.
✅ A kötél 3,5 méter hosszú.
The rope is 3.5 meters long.
❌ A legtöbb tíz percet kell várni.
Incorrect — ‘at most’ before a quantity is legfeljebb, not the superlative noun phrase a legtöbb.
✅ Legfeljebb tíz percet kell várni.
The wait will be at most ten minutes.
Key Takeaways
- Measured nouns and units remain singular after numbers, including decimals.
- Körülbelül is neutral, nagyjából often conversational, and mintegy formal/journalistic.
- -nyi packages an amount or extent as an attributive property; it is not a universal synonym for “about.”
- Approximation allows values on both sides; scalar limits set inclusive or exclusive one-sided boundaries.
- Case attaches to the measured head: percet, almát, kilométerre, or the unit when the substance is omitted.
- Hungarian decimals use a comma, and focused measurement phrases retain their internal grammar.
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