Fizet means “pay,” but Hungarian assigns a different case to each part of a transaction. The amount is accusative (ötezer forintot fizet), the purchase or reason takes -ért (a jegyért fizet), the recipient is dative (a pénztárosnak fizet), and the means is instrumental (kártyával fizet). The bill or sum paid can also be a direct object.
English freely says pay the waiter, pay for dinner, pay twenty euros, and pay by card. Hungarian learners need the whole frame valaki fizet valakinek valamennyit valamiért valamivel rather than one gloss. Only an accusative direct object determines indefinite versus definite conjugation; the other cases do not.
The ending on the purchase is the causal-final -ért, whose wider uses are covered in the causal-final case guide. With fizet, record it as part of the lexical transaction frame rather than translating English for mechanically.
Principal parts and nonfinite forms
| Function | Form | Register or note |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary / present 3sg | fizet | neutral |
| Past 3sg | fizetett | neutral |
| Infinitive | fizetni | neutral |
| Present participle | fizető | paying; payer/customer |
| Past participle | fizetett | paid |
| Future participle | fizetendő | common in (formal) billing language: “payable/due” |
| Adverbial participle | fizetve | neutral, especially result-state uses |
A fizetendő összeg a számla jobb alsó sarkában látható.
The amount payable is shown in the bottom-right corner of the invoice. (formal)
A szállás előre ki van fizetve, csak az idegenforgalmi adó maradt hátra.
The accommodation has been paid in advance; only the tourist tax remains.
The personal infinitive is fizetnem, fizetned, fizetnie, fizetnünk, fizetnetek, fizetniük: Mennyit kell fizetnünk? “How much do we have to pay?”
Present indicative
| Person | Indefinite | Definite |
|---|---|---|
| én | fizetek | fizetem |
| te | fizetsz | fizeted |
| ő / Ön | fizet | fizeti |
| mi | fizetünk | fizetjük |
| ti | fizettek | fizetitek |
| ők / Önök | fizetnek | fizetik |
An indefinite amount such as kétezer forintot selects indefinite fizetek. A definite bill or known sum selects definite fizetem. A definite-looking a vacsoráért is not an object because it carries -ért, so it does not itself license definite conjugation.
A javításért harmincezer forintot fizetek a szerelőnek.
I’m paying the mechanic thirty thousand forints for the repair.
Én fizetem a villanyszámlát, a lakótársam pedig az internetet.
I pay the electricity bill, while my flatmate pays for the internet.
Ebben az étteremben csak kártyával fizetünk.
At this restaurant we pay only by card.
Past and conditional
| Person | Past indefinite | Past definite | Conditional indefinite | Conditional definite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| én | fizettem | fizettem | fizetnék | fizetném |
| te | fizettél | fizetted | fizetnél | fizetnéd |
| ő / Ön | fizetett | fizette | fizetne | fizetné |
| mi | fizettünk | fizettük | fizetnénk | fizetnénk |
| ti | fizettetek | fizettétek | fizetnétek | fizetnétek |
| ők / Önök | fizettek | fizették | fizetnének | fizetnék |
A belépőért tegnap fejenként négyezer forintot fizettünk.
Yesterday we paid four thousand forints per person for admission.
Többet fizetnék egy tartósabb kabátért, de ez túl drága.
I would pay more for a more durable coat, but this one is too expensive.
Imperative–subjunctive: fizess-
Short-vowel-plus-t changes to ss before the imperative–subjunctive endings: fizess, not fizetj. Definite 2sg is fizesd or longer fizessed.
| Person | Indefinite | Definite |
|---|---|---|
| én | fizessek | fizessem |
| te | fizess / fizessél | fizesd / fizessed |
| ő / Ön | fizessen | fizesse |
| mi | fizessünk | fizessük |
| ti | fizessetek | fizessétek |
| ők / Önök | fizessenek | fizessék |
Fizess készpénzzel, mert a terminál megint nem működik!
Pay in cash because the card terminal is not working again!
Fizesd be a tandíjat a hónap utolsó munkanapjáig!
Pay the tuition fee by the last working day of the month!
A tulajdonos azt kérte, hogy a bérlők péntekig fizessék ki a tartozást.
The owner asked the tenants to pay the debt by Friday.
Building the complete payment frame
The most informative order is not mechanically fixed, but the roles remain distinct:
| Role | Hungarian marking | Example |
|---|---|---|
| amount | accusative | tízezer forintot |
| purchase/reason | -ért | a javításért |
| recipient | dative | a szerelőnek |
| method | -val/-vel | bankkártyával |
A vendégek a recepción fizettek a reggeliért bankkártyával.
The guests paid for breakfast by bank card at reception.
A cég minden túlóráért pótlékot fizet a munkavállalóknak.
The company pays employees an allowance for every hour of overtime.
Hungarian fizet valakinek means pay money to someone, not necessarily pay a person’s expenses. “I’ll pay for you” in a café is naturally Fizetek helyetted or Meghívlak depending intent; fizetek neked means “I pay you.”
Prefixes and information structure
Kifizet means pay a bill, person, or sum fully/out; befizet means pay in or remit; visszafizet means repay; megfizet often means pay a price, literally or figuratively; ráfizet valamire means lose money or come off badly on something.
A biztosító végül kifizette a teljes kártérítést.
The insurer finally paid the full compensation.
Jövő hónapban visszafizetem az utolsó részletet is.
Next month I’ll repay the final installment too.
Negation and focus separate prefixes: nem fizette ki, A BIZTOSÍTÓ fizette ki. The definite ending continues to reflect the object.
A megrendelő még nem fizette ki a második számlát.
The client has not yet paid the second invoice.
ÁTUTALÁSSAL fizették be a foglalót, nem készpénzzel.
They paid the deposit BY BANK TRANSFER, not in cash.
Common Mistakes
❌ Fizetek a számlát indulás előtt.
Incorrect — the definite bill requires definite fizetem.
✅ Fizetem a számlát, te pedig hívd ide a taxit!
I’ll pay the bill; you call the taxi over!
❌ Kártyán fizettem a vacsorát.
Incorrect — the payment method normally takes -val/-vel.
✅ Kártyával fizettem a vacsoráért, mert nem volt nálam készpénz.
I paid for dinner by card because I had no cash on me.
❌ Fizetj be még ma egy részletet!
Incorrect — the imperative stem is fizess-.
✅ Fizess be még ma egy részletet, ha tudsz!
Pay an installment today if you can!
❌ Nem kifizették időben a beszállítókat.
Incorrect neutral prefix order after negation.
✅ Nem fizették ki időben a beszállítókat.
They did not pay the suppliers on time.
Key Takeaways
- Amounts are accusative, purchases take -ért, recipients are dative, and payment methods take -val/-vel.
- Only a direct object determines definite conjugation.
- Short-vowel fizet has imperative fizess-, including definite fizesd.
- Prefixed kifizet, befizet, visszafizet, megfizet, and ráfizet have distinct meanings.
- Negation and focus separate the prefix without changing object agreement.
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