Eszik is the basic verb “eat,” but its short English gloss hides an irregular family of stems: esz- in the present, ev- in several third-person and participial forms, ett- in most past forms, enn- in the infinitive and conditional, and egy- in the imperative–subjunctive. It is also a traditional -ik verb, so its first-person singular varies in modern usage.
Because eating normally affects something, eszik is an ideal verb for learning Hungarian object conjugation. Kenyeret eszem has a bare, nonidentified object; a kenyeret eszem has a definite object. English uses “I’m eating” in both settings, but Hungarian lets the object determine the verb ending.
The broader historical and modern pattern of this verb class is explained in the guide to -ik verbs. This reference concentrates on the lexical forms and frames of eszik itself.
Principal parts and stem map
| Function | Form | Register or note |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary / present 3sg | eszik | neutral |
| Present 1sg indefinite | eszem, eszek | eszem careful/standard; eszek widespread informal |
| Past 3sg | evett | neutral |
| Infinitive | enni | neutral |
| Imperative 2sg indefinite | egyél | neutral |
| Imperative 2sg definite | edd, egyed | edd usual; egyed longer alternative |
| Present participle | evő | neutral |
| Past participle | evett | neutral |
| Future participle | eendő / evendő | historical or deliberately archaizing; not a productive modern form |
| Adverbial participle | éve / evén | literary/archaic, not everyday speech |
Reggelente zabkását eszem friss gyümölccsel.
I eat oatmeal with fresh fruit in the mornings.
A gyerekek már megették a vacsorát, mire hazaértünk.
The children had already eaten dinner by the time we got home.
Present indicative and -ik variation
The careful standard first-person indefinite form is eszem. Eszek is extremely common in informal speech and follows the productive non-ik ending -ek. It is useful to recognize both; use eszem in formal writing and in contexts where a conservative standard is expected. This variation concerns the indefinite form. With a definite object, eszem is the only ordinary first-person form.
| Person | Indefinite | Definite |
|---|---|---|
| én | eszem / eszek (informal) | eszem |
| te | eszel | eszed |
| ő / Ön | eszik | eszi |
| mi | eszünk | esszük |
| ti | esztek | eszitek |
| ők / Önök | esznek | eszik |
The written difference between eszünk and esszük reflects a real consonant-length difference. Also note that eszik can be either third-person singular indefinite or third-person plural definite; the subject and object resolve the meaning.
Bence éppen egy almát eszik a buszmegállóban.
Bence is eating an apple at the bus stop.
A vendégek a teraszon eszik a desszertet.
The guests are eating the dessert on the terrace.
Past and conditional
Most past forms show ett-, but the third-person singular indefinite is evett. The conditional has enn- throughout. Definite and indefinite forms coincide in several persons, so the surrounding object still matters.
| Person | Past indefinite | Past definite | Conditional indefinite | Conditional definite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| én | ettem | ettem | ennék | enném |
| te | ettél | etted | ennél | ennéd |
| ő / Ön | evett | ette | enne | enné |
| mi | ettünk | ettük | ennénk | ennénk |
| ti | ettetek | ettétek | ennétek | ennétek |
| ők / Önök | ettek | ették | ennének | ennék |
Ebédre egy könnyű levest ettem, mert nem voltam nagyon éhes.
I had a light soup for lunch because I wasn’t very hungry.
Megenném az utolsó palacsintát, ha senki más nem kéri.
I’d eat the last pancake if no one else wants it.
Future time is normally expressed by the present with context (Este otthon eszünk) or by fog + enni (Este otthon fogunk enni). The auxiliary takes the person and, where relevant, object-conjugation marking.
The personal infinitive forms are ennem, enned, ennie, ennünk, ennetek, enniük.
Indulás előtt ennünk kell valamit.
We have to eat something before leaving.
Imperative–subjunctive
The imperative stem is egy-, where gy is one Hungarian consonant, not a sequence of g plus y. The short definite 2sg form is edd. Third-person egyen is neutral; egyék is a traditional ik-form heard particularly in polite/formal address.
| Person | Indefinite | Definite |
|---|---|---|
| én | egyek | egyem |
| te | egyél | edd / egyed |
| ő / Ön | egyen / egyék (careful/formal) | egye |
| mi | együnk | együk |
| ti | egyetek | egyétek |
| ők / Önök | egyenek | egyék |
Egyél valamit indulás előtt, mert hosszú lesz az út!
Eat something before we leave, because the journey will be long!
Edd meg a levest, amíg még meleg!
Eat the soup while it’s still warm!
Az orvos azt javasolta, hogy kevesebb sót egyek.
The doctor recommended that I eat less salt.
Object frames, meals, and prefixes
The food is normally an accusative object: eszik egy szendvicset or eszi a szendvicset. A bare substance noun is also indefinite: kenyeret eszik. To mean “eat some of/from,” use the elative -ból/-ből: eszik a süteményből. Meals commonly take -ra/-re in reggelire, ebédre, and vacsorára, expressing what is eaten for that meal.
Kóstolj bele, és egyél a gombás rizottóból is!
Have a taste and eat some of the mushroom risotto too!
Mit szoktatok enni vacsorára hétköznap?
What do you usually eat for dinner on weekdays?
Perfective meg- presents the eating as completed: megeszi az almát “eats up the apple.” Bele- highlights eating into/from a larger whole, and fel- appears in feleszik “eat up/consume.” Prefix meanings are lexical, so learn them with examples rather than translating English particles.
In neutral affirmative clauses the prefix precedes the verb. Negation, prohibition, and preverbal focus separate it.
Lili nem ette meg a szendvicset, mert túl csípős volt.
Lili didn’t eat the sandwich because it was too spicy.
A süteménynek CSAK A FELÉT eszem meg.
I’m eating ONLY HALF of the cake.
Common Mistakes
❌ Én eszik egy szendvicset.
Incorrect — the first-person subject requires a first-person verb form.
✅ Én egy sajtos szendvicset eszem a vonaton.
I’m eating a cheese sandwich on the train.
❌ A kisfiú eszi egy almát minden reggel.
Incorrect — egy almát is indefinite, so the definite form eszi does not fit.
✅ A kisfiú eszik egy almát minden reggel.
The little boy eats an apple every morning.
❌ Egyed valamit, mielőtt elmész!
Incorrect — the indefinite object valamit requires the indefinite command egyél.
✅ Egyél valamit, mielőtt elmész!
Eat something before you go!
❌ Nem megeszem a maradékot.
Incorrect neutral negation — meg follows the verb.
✅ Nem eszem meg a maradékot, inkább elteszem holnapra.
I’m not eating the leftovers; I’ll save them for tomorrow instead.
Key Takeaways
- Treat esz-, ev-, ett-, enn-, and egy- as one irregular stem network.
- Use eszem in careful standard Hungarian; recognize widespread informal eszek.
- Let the food object determine indefinite versus definite conjugation.
- Use -ból/-ből for eating some of something and -ra/-re in meal expressions.
- With meg-, neutral affirmative order is joined, while negation and focus normally separate the prefix.
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