Hoz means “bring” or “carry toward a relevant reference point.” That reference point is often the speaker, but it can also be the addressee or a place treated as the conversational center. Its directional counterpart visz normally moves something away from that center. This deictic choice matters more than the English labels bring and take, whose use varies by dialect and viewpoint.
The verb is mostly regular, but z + j produces long zz throughout much of the imperative–subjunctive: hozz, hozzon, hozzunk. Definite present forms also contain zz in hozza, hozzuk, hozzátok, hozzák. See the separate visz reference for the opposing direction.
Principal parts and nonfinite forms
| Function | Form | Register or note |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary / present 3sg | hoz | neutral |
| Past 3sg | hozott | neutral |
| Infinitive | hozni | neutral |
| Imperative 2sg indefinite | hozz / hozzál | neutral; short form usual |
| Imperative 2sg definite | hozd / hozzad | hozd usual |
| Present participle | hozó | neutral, productive in compounds |
| Past participle | hozott | neutral |
| Future participle | hozandó | formal, especially instructions |
| Adverbial participle | hozva | neutral; hozván is literary/archaic |
Nóri friss pogácsát hozott a reggeli megbeszélésre.
Nóri brought fresh savory scones to the morning meeting.
A kirándulásra hozandó felszerelés listája az ajtón van.
The list of equipment to bring on the hike is on the door.
Present indicative and the long zz
The direct object controls definiteness: hozok egy széket but hozom a széket. A recipient in -nak/-nek and a source phrase do not control the verb ending.
| Person | Indefinite | Definite |
|---|---|---|
| én | hozok | hozom |
| te | hozol | hozod |
| ő / Ön | hoz | hozza |
| mi | hozunk | hozzuk |
| ti | hoztok | hozzátok |
| ők / Önök | hoznak | hozzák |
Hozok neked egy tiszta törölközőt a szekrényből.
I’ll bring you a clean towel from the cupboard.
A pincér már hozza a számlát az asztalunkhoz.
The waiter is already bringing the bill to our table.
When a first-person singular subject brings a second-person object, use hozlak: Hazahozlak “I’ll bring you home.” The -lak form is independent of ordinary definite versus indefinite third-person objects.
Past and conditional
| Person | Past indefinite | Past definite | Conditional indefinite | Conditional definite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| én | hoztam | hoztam | hoznék | hoznám |
| te | hoztál | hoztad | hoznál | hoznád |
| ő / Ön | hozott | hozta | hozna | hozná |
| mi | hoztunk | hoztuk | hoznánk | hoznánk |
| ti | hoztatok | hoztátok | hoznátok | hoznátok |
| ők / Önök | hoztak | hozták | hoznának | hoznák |
A szél behozott néhány száraz levelet az előszobába.
The wind blew a few dry leaves into the hallway.
Hoznál nekem egy kávét, amikor visszajössz?
Would you bring me a coffee when you come back?
Present tense plus a time phrase often has future meaning: Este elhozom a könyvet. The explicit future is fog + hozni: el fogom hozni a könyvet. The finite auxiliary, not the infinitive, carries the definite ending.
Imperative–subjunctive
The j of the mood marker fuses with final z, producing long zz. In the short definite 2sg hozd, however, spelling reflects the -d ending. Hozz means “bring something unspecified”; hozd means “bring the identified thing.”
| Person | Indefinite | Definite |
|---|---|---|
| én | hozzak | hozzam |
| te | hozz / hozzál | hozd / hozzad |
| ő / Ön | hozzon | hozza |
| mi | hozzunk | hozzuk |
| ti | hozzatok | hozzátok |
| ők / Önök | hozzanak | hozzák |
Hozz magaddal kényelmes cipőt a városi sétához!
Bring comfortable shoes with you for the city walk!
Hozd vissza a mérőszalagot, ha végeztél!
Bring the tape measure back when you’re finished!
Fontos, hogy mindenki hozzon fényképes igazolványt.
It is important that everyone bring photo identification.
Personal infinitive
The subject of hozni can be encoded on the infinitive, especially with kell and similar impersonal predicates. An overt infinitive subject is dative.
| Person | Personal infinitive |
|---|---|
| nekem | hoznom |
| neked | hoznod |
| neki / Önnek | hoznia |
| nekünk | hoznunk |
| nektek | hoznotok |
| nekik / Önöknek | hozniuk |
Holnap magammal kell hoznom a laptopomat a megbeszélésre.
Tomorrow I have to bring my laptop with me to the meeting.
Direction, recipients, and prefixes
The carried theme is accusative; a beneficiary or recipient is dative. Sources commonly use -ból/-ből “out of” or -tól/-től “from a person.” Magával hoz and magaddal hoz mean “bring along,” using the instrumental form of maga.
Prefixes specify route and viewpoint: behoz “bring in,” kihoz “bring out,” felhoz “bring up,” visszahoz “bring back,” and elhoz “bring/fetch from elsewhere to the reference point.” Meghoz appears in bounded or lexical combinations such as meghozza a döntést “make the decision.”
Several frequent uses are conventional rather than literal carrying. Szóba hoz egy témát means “bring up a topic,” zavarba hoz valakit means “embarrass someone,” and létrehoz valamit means “create something.” These compounds keep the conjugation of hoz, but their complements and meanings must be learned with the whole expression. They also preserve prefix movement: nem hozta szóba, nem hozta létre. English phrasal verbs happen to look similar, but the individual particles still do not correspond one for one.
A technikus felhozta a pincéből a tartalék monitort.
The technician brought the spare monitor up from the basement.
Ez a zene mindig jókedvet hoz a társaságba.
This music always brings a good mood to the group.
Negation and preverbal focus usually separate the prefix; the general word-order logic appears in prefix ordering.
A futár nem hozta fel a csomagot a harmadik emeletre.
The courier didn’t bring the parcel up to the third floor.
ANNA hozta vissza az elveszett jegyzetfüzetet.
It was ANNA who brought back the lost notebook.
Common Mistakes
❌ Holnap ide viszek neked egy ernyőt.
Incorrect for motion toward the speaker here — visz points away from the reference center.
✅ Holnap idehozok neked egy erős ernyőt.
Tomorrow I’ll bring you a sturdy umbrella here.
❌ A pincér hoz a megrendelt levest.
Incorrect — the identified soup requires definite conjugation.
✅ A pincér hozza a megrendelt levest.
The waiter is bringing the soup we ordered.
❌ Hozz ide a táskámat!
Incorrect — the definite object a táskámat requires the definite command.
✅ Hozd ide a táskámat az előszobából!
Bring my bag here from the hallway!
❌ Nem behozta a postát délelőtt.
Incorrect neutral negation — the prefix follows the negated verb.
✅ Nem hozta be a postát délelőtt.
He didn’t bring the mail in during the morning.
Key Takeaways
- Hoz usually carries something toward a conversational reference point; visz carries it away.
- The accusative theme determines hozok versus hozom; a dative recipient does not.
- Preserve long zz in hozza, hozzuk, hozz, and related forms.
- Personal infinitives are hoznom, hoznod, hoznia, hoznunk, hoznotok, hozniuk.
- In neutral negation and preverbal focus, a verbal prefix follows the finite verb.
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