érkezik: Complete Conjugation and Usage | Hungarian Grammar

Érkezik means “arrive.” It presents the person, vehicle, message, or shipment that reaches a destination as the subject, so it is intransitive: Hungarian does not conjugate it for a direct object. Accurate use depends on a direction case, a time expression, and the discourse difference between unprefixed érkezik and prefixed megérkezik.

Principal parts and the -ik form

The dictionary form contains long é and ends in -ik. Most endings attach to the stem érkez-, not to the whole citation form.

Function	Form	Note
dictionary / present 3sg	érkezik	-ik appears here
past 3sg	érkezett	linking vowel before past -tt
conditional 3sg	érkezne	front-vowel ending
imperative–subjunctive 2sg	érkezz	z + j → zz
infinitive	érkezni	stem + -ni
present participle	érkező	long ő in the ending

Traditional careful usage favors first-person érkezem. Regularized érkezek also occurs in contemporary speech (informal), but érkezem is the safest neutral form for edited writing and formal interaction. This variation does not affect the other persons.

Complete indefinite conjugation

Person	Present	Past	Conditional	Imperative–subjunctive
én	érkezem	érkeztem	érkeznék	érkezzek
te	érkezel	érkeztél	érkeznél	érkezz / érkezzél
ő	érkezik	érkezett	érkezne	érkezzen
mi	érkezünk	érkeztünk	érkeznénk	érkezzünk
ti	érkeztek	érkeztetek	érkeznétek	érkezzetek
ők	érkeznek	érkeztek	érkeznének	érkezzenek

A kollégáim fél órával utánam érkeznek a konferenciára.

My colleagues are arriving at the conference half an hour after me.

There is no definite paradigm for this intransitive verb. In megérkezett a csomag, “the package” is the subject, not an object. For “receive the package,” use transitive megkapja a csomagot.

Subject number controls the verb in the usual way: érkezik a vendég, but érkeznek a vendégek. After a numeral, however, Hungarian normally keeps the counted noun and verb singular: három vendég érkezik, literally with singular vendég and érkezik. English speakers often overcorrect this to három vendégek érkeznek. The numeral already supplies plurality, so Hungarian does not repeat it on the noun or verb.

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Do not let English word order hide the roles: the person or thing arriving is always the Hungarian subject. A destination may be definite, but it is case-marked and never selects definite conjugation.

Destination cases

Arrival normally answers “where to?”, so the destination takes a directional case rather than a static location form. The lexical choice depends on how Hungarian conceptualizes the goal.

Goal type	Typical form	Example
surface/institutional goal	-ra/-re	az állomásra, Budapestre
interior goal	-ba/-be	a szállodába, Debrecenbe
person or point	-hoz/-hez/-höz	az orvoshoz, hozzánk

A gyorsvonat néhány perc múlva érkezik a negyedik vágányra.

The express train will arrive on track four in a few minutes.

Késő este érkeztünk meg a hegyek közötti szállodába.

We arrived at the hotel among the mountains late in the evening.

A szerelő várhatóan délután érkezik hozzánk.

The repair technician is expected to arrive at our place in the afternoon.

English at/in/to offers no dependable shortcut. Learn the Hungarian place name or noun with its static and directional family: Budapesten → Budapestre, but Debrecenben → Debrecenbe.

Sources and routes

The source belongs to the corresponding “from” family: -ról/-ről from a surface, -ból/-ből from inside, and -tól/-től from a person or point.

A vendégek egyenesen a repülőtérről érkeztek a fogadásra.

The guests arrived at the reception directly from the airport.

A küldemény tegnap érkezett Bécsből a budaörsi raktárba.

The shipment arrived from Vienna at the Budaörs warehouse yesterday.

The route may take át/keresztül or a superessive form in established expressions:

A mentőautó a déli kapun keresztül érkezett az udvarra.

The ambulance arrived in the courtyard through the south gate.

People, deliveries, and incoming information

The subject need not move under its own power. Messages, requests, payments, and reports can all érkezik at an office, account, or system. This perspective is especially frequent in administrative and news language (formal).

Délelőtt három új panasz érkezett az ügyfélszolgálathoz.

Three new complaints reached customer service during the morning.

A visszatérítés két munkanapon belül érkezik a bankszámládra.

The refund will reach your bank account within two business days.

Hungarian keeps the incoming item as subject: három panasz érkezett, a visszatérítés érkezik. English may choose active we received three complaints, but translating that structure directly requires transitive kap or fogad, not a definite form of érkezik.

The source of a message can be personal -tól/-től, and the channel or means can take -on/-en/-ön or keresztül, depending on the noun.

Hajnali öt órakor érkezett egy üzenet a műszakvezetőtől.

A message arrived from the shift supervisor at five in the morning.

A jelentkezések kizárólag az online felületen keresztül érkeznek.

Applications arrive exclusively through the online interface.

With human guests, the imperative–subjunctive often appears in requests and purpose clauses. The short imperative can sound direct; politeness comes from the full sentence and address form, not from a special polite conjugation.

Kérjük, legalább húsz perccel a kezdés előtt érkezzen a helyszínre.

Please arrive at the venue at least twenty minutes before the start.

This sentence is (formal) and addresses one person with third-person agreement. To a friend (informal), say érkezz. In a purpose clause, the same mood is not a command: Korán indulunk, hogy időben érkezzünk “We’re leaving early so that we arrive on time.”

Present tense also handles firmly expected future arrivals. Holnap érkezem is the normal “I arrive/I’m arriving tomorrow”; no future auxiliary is required. Holnap fogok érkezni is possible when prediction or the future itself is contrasted, but it can sound needlessly heavy in a simple travel update. Conversely, past érkeztem means the arrival is located before speech time; Hungarian does not use it merely because an English itinerary says “was arriving.”

Korábban indulunk, hogy még világosban érkezzünk a menedékházhoz.

We’re leaving earlier so that we arrive at the mountain hut while it is still light.

Clock time, target time, and approximation

Nyolckor érkezik gives an arrival time: “arrives at eight.” Nyolcra érkezik treats eight as a target and often means “arrives by/for eight.” Nyolc körül means “around eight.”

A járat menetrend szerint 18:40-kor érkezik.

According to the timetable, the flight arrives at 6:40 p.m.

Kérlek, érkezz kilencre, hogy együtt nyissuk ki a termet.

Please arrive by nine so that we can open the room together.

A többiek valószínűleg tíz körül érkeznek meg.

The others will probably arrive around ten.

The suffix -kor is invariant: it does not alternate for vowel harmony. The target-time -ra/-re does harmonize. English at/by/for overlaps differently, so the intended temporal relation must choose the form.

The clock-time guide develops the point-time versus target-time contrast beyond arrival expressions.

Érkezik and megérkezik

Unprefixed érkezik is especially natural in timetables, ongoing arrival scenes, and statements that profile who or what is incoming. Megérkezik often profiles successful completion: the expected participant or item has reached the endpoint.

Egész délután érkeztek a résztvevők a regisztrációs pulthoz.

Participants kept arriving at the registration desk all afternoon.

Végre megérkezett az alkatrész, amelyre hetek óta vártunk.

The part we had been waiting for for weeks has finally arrived.

This is a strong tendency, not a mechanical English tense contrast. Mikor érkezik a vonat? and Mikor érkezik meg a vonat? can both be natural; the second foregrounds reaching the endpoint. Do not insert meg- into every translation of English arrive.

Negation and focus separate the prefix:

Az értesítés még nem érkezett meg a telefonomra.

The notification hasn’t arrived on my phone yet.

Melyik terminálra érkezett meg a londoni gép?

Which terminal did the flight from London arrive at?

Here the focused destination precedes the verb, and meg follows it. Compare neutral A londoni gép megérkezett a kettes terminálra.

This ordering follows the general verb-prefix pattern.

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Use érkezik naturally in timetable and incoming-flow contexts; use megérkezik when successful endpoint attainment matters. Then apply ordinary prefix order: megérkezett, but nem érkezett meg.

Infinitive and participles

The personal infinitive forms are érkeznem, érkezned, érkeznie, érkeznünk, érkeznetek, érkezniük.

Legkésőbb fél nyolcra kell érkeznünk a hangpróbára.

We have to arrive at the sound check by half past seven at the latest.

Form	Typical use	Register
érkezni	időben érkezni “arrive on time”	unmarked
érkező	az este érkező vendég “the guest arriving this evening”	unmarked
érkezett	a tegnap érkezett levél “the letter that arrived yesterday”	unmarked
érkezve	a helyszínre érkezve “upon arriving at the site”	mainly (formal) narrative
érkezendő	az érkezendő delegáció “the delegation due to arrive”	(formal), uncommon

Common Mistakes

❌ Holnap délben érkezikek a pályaudvarra.

Incorrect — -ik is removed before the first-person ending.

✅ Holnap délben érkezem a Keleti pályaudvarra.

I’ll arrive at Keleti railway station at noon tomorrow.

❌ A külföldi vendégek este érkeznek Budapesten.

Incorrect — arrival requires a directional destination, not a static city form.

✅ A külföldi vendégek este érkeznek Budapestre.

The international guests will arrive in Budapest in the evening.

❌ Mikor megérkezik a futár a csomaggal?

Incorrect — the question word occupies the preverbal focus position, so meg follows the verb.

✅ Mikor érkezik meg a futár a csomaggal?

When will the courier arrive with the package?

❌ Megérkeztem a levelet ma reggel.

Incorrect — érkezik is intransitive; use megkap for receiving an object.

✅ Ma reggel megkaptam a visszaigazoló levelet.

I received the confirmation letter this morning.

Key Takeaways

The principal forms are érkezik – érkezett – érkezne – érkezz – érkezni – érkező.
Careful first person is érkezem; érkezek is common (informal) variation.
The arriver is the subject, so érkezik has no definite paradigm.
Messages, payments, and requests can also be subjects of érkezik, especially in administrative language.
Destinations use directional cases, and sources use the corresponding “from” case families.
-kor marks a clock point, -ra/-re a target time, and körül approximation.
Megérkezik often foregrounds reaching the endpoint, but the contrast with érkezik is discourse-sensitive rather than absolute.

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