Speakers use már and még to update a shared timeline. Már announces that a relevant change has happened by now; még keeps attention on a state that continues or a change that remains pending. That shared expectation explains why the same particles can convey relief, surprise, reassurance, or impatience without changing the event itself. The forms page presents the four basic positive and negative patterns.
Reporting progress and changed states
When a task crosses from incomplete to complete, már marks the new side of the boundary. It can translate “already,” but English often omits it where Hungarian naturally signals the update.
Már elküldtem a szerződést, nézd meg a postaládádat.
I've sent the contract now; check your inbox.
A gyerekek már alszanak, beszéljünk halkabban.
The children are asleep already, so let's speak more quietly.
Még presents a situation as persisting. The implication is often that change is expected, possible, or relevant.
Még dolgozom, de fél óra múlva indulok.
I'm still working, but I'll leave in half an hour.
Ez a jegy még érvényes, ne dobd ki.
This ticket is still valid; don't throw it away.
In a simple timeless description, neither particle may be needed. A jegy érvényes merely states validity. A jegy még érvényes compares the present with an anticipated expiry. A jegy már érvényes says the validity period has begun. The particles contribute a viewpoint, not just time.
Reassuring someone that movement has begun
Hungarian Már jövök! often means “I'm coming!” or “I'm on my way now,” not the unnatural English “I already come.” The speaker reassures the listener that the waiting-to-coming boundary is being crossed. Similar updates include már megyek “I'm leaving now” and már csinálom “I'm doing it now.”
Már jövök, csak felveszem a kabátomat!
I'm coming; I'm just putting on my coat!
Jól van, már hívom is a szerelőt.
All right, I'm calling the repair technician right now.
In the second sentence már ... is reinforces immediate compliance: the action follows directly from the decision. English translations such as “right away” often sound more natural than a literal “already.”
Not yet versus no longer
Negative environments make the boundary especially clear. Még nem keeps the expected positive event in the future; már nem says the earlier positive state has ended.
Még nem kaptam választ, ezért holnap újra írok nekik.
I haven't received a reply yet, so I'll write to them again tomorrow.
Már nem várok válaszra; másik szolgáltatót választottam.
I'm no longer waiting for a reply; I chose another provider.
The distinction applies to ability and permission too. Még nem tud járni means “cannot walk yet” and anticipates development. Már nem tud járni means “can no longer walk” and presupposes an earlier ability. Because the second can describe serious decline, confusing the particles can reverse the life story.
A kisfiú még nem tud olvasni, de már felismeri a betűket.
The little boy can't read yet, but he already recognizes the letters.
A régi nyomtató már nem működik, úgyhogy újat kell vennünk.
The old printer no longer works, so we need to buy a new one.
Reference time in stories
The boundary need not be speech time. In a past narrative, már and még relate events to a past reference point.
Mire odaértünk, a vendégek már elmentek.
By the time we arrived, the guests had already left.
Amikor felhívtam, Júlia még az irodában volt.
When I called, Júlia was still at the office.
Hungarian uses ordinary past morphology in both sentences. English may require a past perfect in the first, but már itself is not a tense marker. It tells the listener that departure preceded the past reference point.
Added amounts and additional attempts
Before a number or quantified phrase, még adds to what already exists: még egy, még három nap, még egy kis idő. The following noun remains singular after a numeral.
Adj még öt percet, és befejezem.
Give me five more minutes and I'll finish.
Szükségünk lesz még két önkéntesre a regisztrációnál.
We'll need two more volunteers at registration.
Position can distinguish an added amount from continued availability. Még két jegy van normally means “there are two tickets left/still available,” while Kérek még két jegyet means “I would like two more tickets.” The verb and conversation determine whether még extends a state or adds a quantity.
Még egyszer requests repetition; még mindig emphasizes persistence, often beyond expectation. Már megint presents recurrence as having happened yet again and frequently conveys annoyance.
Még mindig ugyanarra a válaszra várunk.
We are still waiting for the same answer.
Már megint elromlott a lift.
The lift has broken down yet again.
Reduced remainder and early stage
Már csak looks at what remains after reduction: már csak egy hely van “only one place is left now.” Még csak says the process remains at an unexpectedly early or limited stage: még csak tíz óra van “it is only ten o'clock,” még csak most kezdem “I am only just starting.”
Már csak egy szabad szoba maradt a hétvégére.
Only one room is left for the weekend now.
Még csak a jelentés felét olvastam el.
I've only read half of the report so far.
The two combinations can point in opposite practical directions. Már csak tíz percünk van warns that little time remains. Még csak tíz perce várunk downplays the elapsed duration: we have been waiting for only ten minutes so far.
Questions and expectation
Már kész vagy? checks whether completion has been reached. It may express pleasant surprise, impatience, or a neutral readiness check. Még készülődsz? asks whether preparation continues. Prosody and context supply the emotional reading.
Már hazaértél? Azt hittem, csak később jössz.
Are you home already? I thought you'd come later.
Még mindig a buszra vársz?
Are you still waiting for the bus?
An English question with “yet” often maps to már, because the question tests the positive boundary: Megérkezett már a csomag? “Has the parcel arrived yet?” Both Már megérkezett a csomag? and Megérkezett már a csomag? are possible, with different rhythmic focus; the second is a common neutral information question.
Short answers and ellipsis
The boundary particles can answer a question without repeating the full predicate when the missing content is obvious. Még nem means “not yet,” már igen means “yes now/by now,” and már nem means “not anymore.” Még igen means “still yes/for now,” often implying that a change may follow.
Nyitva van már a pénztár? — Még nem.
Is the ticket office open yet? — Not yet.
Érvényes még a bérleted? — Még igen, de holnap lejár.
Is your pass still valid? — For now, yes, but it expires tomorrow.
These replies depend on recoverable context. In formal records or writing for an unknown audience, repeat the relevant predicate so the boundary is explicit.
Urging and impatience
In a familiar imperative, már pressures a delayed transition: Induljunk már! “Let's get going!” A warm, playful tone can soften it, but a sharp fall makes it irritated (informal).
Kapcsold már le a lámpát, kérlek!
Turn off the light already, please!
Adding kérlek does not automatically remove the impatience. In service encounters or hierarchical settings, a conditional request is safer: Le tudná kapcsolni a lámpát? (formal/polite).
A short dialogue
Kész vagy már? — Még nem, még két oldalt át kell néznem.
Are you finished yet? — Not yet; I still need to review two more pages.
De már csak tíz percünk van. — Tudom, máris befejezem.
But we only have ten minutes left now. — I know; I'll finish right away.
The dialogue moves through four viewpoints: már? tests completion, még nem denies it so far, még két adds work, and már csak reduces remaining time. Máris is written as one word and adds immediacy: “right away/already.”
Formal and informal presentation
Az adatok már rendelkezésre állnak, azonban az elemzéshez még két munkanap szükséges.
The data are now available; however, two further working days are required for the analysis.
Már megvannak az adatok, de még kell két nap az elemzéshez.
We've got the data now, but we still need two days for the analysis.
The first is report style (formal); the second is natural conversation (informal/neutral). The particles themselves belong to every register. Formality comes from the surrounding vocabulary and clause structure, not from replacing már and még.
Common Mistakes
❌ Már nem olvastam el a könyvet, de hétvégén fogom.
Incorrect for 'not yet' — the reading is still expected.
✅ Még nem olvastam el a könyvet, de hétvégén fogom.
I haven't read the book yet, but I will this weekend.
❌ Még nem működik a régi telefonom, ezért kidobtam.
Incorrect for a function that has ceased — use már nem.
✅ Már nem működik a régi telefonom, ezért kidobtam.
My old phone no longer works, so I threw it away.
❌ Kérek két kávét még.
Incorrect in the neutral added-quantity reading — még precedes the quantity.
✅ Kérek még két kávét.
I'd like two more coffees.
❌ Meg mindig itt várunk.
Incorrect — 'still' is még mindig, with é.
✅ Még mindig itt várunk.
We are still waiting here.
Key Takeaways
- Már updates the conversation after a change; még presents continuation or a pending change.
- The contrast works at past reference times as well as now.
- Még + quantity adds more; már csak warns of a reduced remainder; még csak marks an early stage.
- Még egyszer, még mindig, and már megint express different kinds of repetition or persistence.
- Question intonation turns the boundary model into surprise, checking, or impatience.
- Urging már is informal and socially forceful even when the proposition is a simple request.
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Start learning Hungarian →Related Topics
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