hisz: Complete Conjugation and Usage

The irregular verb hisz covers “believe,” “believe in,” and, especially in azt hiszem, “think/suppose.” Its forms alternate sharply: hisz- in much of the present, hitt- in the past, hinn- in the conditional and infinitive, higgy- in the imperative–subjunctive, and hív- in the present participle. Its complement is just as important as its morphology.

English uses believe before a person, an idea, and a whole clause without visibly changing the noun. Hungarian distinguishes hisz valakinek “believe someone,” hisz valamiben “believe in something,” elhisz valamit “believe something,” and azt hiszi, hogy… “think/believe that….”

For the larger system behind hiszek versus hiszem, consult the definiteness-choice guide. Here the emphasis is the irregular paradigm and the complements licensed specifically by hisz.

Principal parts and meanings

Present indicative

Use the definite paradigm with a definite direct object such as ezt, az állítást, or the anticipatory object azt before a hogy clause. Use the indefinite paradigm with no direct object, with a dative or inessive complement, or with an indefinite object.

The form hisz also exists as a conjunction meaning roughly “after all/because,” as in Hisz ezt már megbeszéltük! That is a different lexical item and is not conjugated.

Past and conditional

The past uses hitt-, and the conditional uses hinn-. These forms preserve the object-conjugation contrast even though some cells are identical on the surface.

For explicit future reference use a time phrase or fog + hinni: Majd hinni fog nekem “He will believe me eventually.” Because nekem is dative, fog remains indefinite; a definite direct object would trigger fogja.

The personal infinitive forms are hinnem, hinned, hinnie, hinnünk, hinnetek, hinniük. They identify the believer when a construction such as kell or nehéz does not otherwise express that subject.

Imperative–subjunctive

The same paradigm expresses direct commands and the subjunctive required by certain higher clauses. With no direct object or an indefinite one, use higgy or higgyél in the second person. With a definite direct object, use hidd or the longer higgyed.

Complement frames: not one English pattern

The case ending changes the relationship. Valakinek hisz uses the dative for the person or source whose words are credited. Valakiben/valamiben hisz uses the inessive for faith, trust, or confidence. A claim can be a direct object, especially with perfective elhisz. To classify someone or something, Hungarian uses an accusative entity plus a dative predicate: valakit valaminek hisz “take someone to be something.”

The sublative -ra/-re is not the ordinary standard complement of hisz. English count on or rely on usually requires számít valakire, while “believe in someone” is hisz valakiben. A sublative phrase can occur as an independent circumstance, but it does not replace these lexical frames. This distinction is arbitrary enough that it must be learned with the verb.

In neutral affirmative clauses el- precedes the finite verb. Negation, commands, and preverbal focus separate it.

Common Mistakes

Key Takeaways

• Keep the stem set hisz – hitt – hinn- – higgy- – hív- together in memory.
• Distinguish dative hisz valakinek, inessive hisz valamiben, direct-object elhisz valamit, and azt hiszi, hogy….
• Do not copy English believe in/on into a Hungarian sublative complement.
• The direct object—not a dative or inessive phrase—controls definite versus indefinite conjugation.
• Separate el- after negation, in prohibitions, and when another constituent occupies preverbal focus.