Mos means “wash” and normally takes an accusative object: ruhát mos, mossa az autót. Its final s assimilates before j-initial endings, producing mossa, mossuk, and imperative moss. To say “wash oneself” generally, Hungarian prefers the self-directed verb mosakszik, not a literal reflexive pronoun after mos.
Body parts create another important contrast. Kezet mosok is the conventional objectless-looking routine “I wash my hands,” while megmosom a kezemet presents the speaker’s possessed hands as a definite object. English uses a possessive in both, so its surface pattern does not predict the Hungarian construction.
Principal parts and nonfinite forms
| Function | Form | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary / present 3sg | mos | neutral |
| Past 3sg | mosott | neutral |
| Infinitive | mosni | neutral |
| Present participle | mosó | washing; one who washes |
| Past participle | mosott | washed |
| Future participle | mosandó | neutral in household language: “to be washed/laundry” |
| Adverbial participle | mosva | neutral: washed/by washing |
A frissen mosott törölközőket kiteregettem az erkélyre.
I hung the freshly washed towels out on the balcony.
Ez a pulóver csak kézzel mosva őrzi meg a formáját.
This sweater keeps its shape only when washed by hand.
The personal infinitive is mosnom, mosnod, mosnia, mosnunk, mosnotok, mosniuk: Még hajat kell mosnom “I still have to wash my hair.”
Present indicative
| Person | Indefinite | Definite |
|---|---|---|
| én | mosok | mosom |
| te | mosol | mosod |
| ő / Ön | mos | mossa |
| mi | mosunk | mossuk |
| ti | mostok | mossátok |
| ők / Önök | mosnak | mossák |
Assimilation appears in mossa, mossuk, mossátok, mossák, but not in forms whose suffix lacks j, such as mosom, mosod. The 2pl indefinite mostok happens to look like most “now” plus -ok, but its structure is simply the verb stem and ending.
Szombatonként ágyneműt és törölközőket mosok.
On Saturdays I wash bed linen and towels.
Gábor a ház előtt mossa az autóját.
Gábor is washing his car in front of the house.
Mi mossuk az ablakokat, ti pedig töröljétek le a polcokat!
We’ll wash the windows; you wipe down the shelves!
Past and conditional
| Person | Past indefinite | Past definite | Conditional indefinite | Conditional definite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| én | mostam | mostam | mosnék | mosnám |
| te | mostál | mostad | mosnál | mosnád |
| ő / Ön | mosott | mosta | mosna | mosná |
| mi | mostunk | mostuk | mosnánk | mosnánk |
| ti | mostatok | mostátok | mosnátok | mosnátok |
| ők / Önök | mostak | mosták | mosnának | mosnák |
Reggel gyorsan megmostam a hajamat, ezért még nedves.
I quickly washed my hair this morning, so it is still wet.
Nem mosnám gépben ezt a gyapjúkabátot.
I wouldn’t wash this wool coat in a machine.
Imperative–subjunctive
| Person | Indefinite | Definite |
|---|---|---|
| én | mossak | mossam |
| te | moss / mossál | mosd / mossad |
| ő / Ön | mosson | mossa |
| mi | mossunk | mossuk |
| ti | mossatok | mossátok |
| ők / Önök | mossanak | mossák |
Indefinite moss contrasts with definite mosd. The longer definite variant mossad makes the assimilated stem visible. Direct commands separate a prefix: mosd meg, not megmosd in neutral command order.
Moss kezet, mielőtt hozzányúlsz az ételhez!
Wash your hands before you touch the food!
Mosd le a sarat a cipődről, mielőtt bejössz!
Wash the mud off your shoes before you come in!
Az orvos azt kérte, hogy naponta kétszer mossuk le a sebet.
The doctor asked us to wash the wound twice a day.
Body parts and mosakszik
Routine bare-object expressions include kezet mos and hajat mos. A possessed definite body part triggers definite conjugation: megmosom a kezemet, megmosta a haját. Hungarian normally uses the possessor’s person on the body-part noun rather than a separate possessive adjective.
Edzés után mindig hajat mosok.
I always wash my hair after training.
A gyerek már egyedül mossa meg az arcát.
The child already washes his face by himself.
For general self-washing, use mosakszik: mosakszom, mosakszol, mosakszik. Outside the short present series, the verb uses mosakod-: mosakodni, mosakodtam, mosakodnék, mosakodj. It is an intransitive self-directed verb and does not need magamat in its ordinary meaning. The reflexive comparison explains why Hungarian often lexicalizes self-directed actions.
A túrázók a hideg patak vizében mosakodtak meg.
The hikers washed themselves in the cold stream water.
Objects and prefixed meanings
Megmos presents a bounded wash. Kimos means wash out, launder, or remove a stain by washing; lemos means wash something off a surface; felmos means mop; átmos means rinse or wash through. Dishwashing normally uses mosogat, not bare mos.
Sikerült kimosnom a kávéfoltot az ingből.
I managed to wash the coffee stain out of the shirt.
Vacsora után én mosogatok, te pedig tedd el a maradékot!
After dinner I’ll wash the dishes; you put away the leftovers!
Neutral kimosta joins the prefix. Negation and focus separate it: nem mosta ki, A FOLTOS INGET mosta ki.
A tisztító nem mosta ki teljesen a függönyből a füstszagot.
The cleaner did not wash the smell of smoke completely out of the curtain.
A KONYHÁT mostuk fel reggel, nem a folyosót.
We mopped THE KITCHEN this morning, not the corridor.
Common Mistakes
❌ Péter mosa a biciklijét az udvaron.
Incorrect spelling — present definite mossa has long ss.
✅ Péter mossa a biciklijét az udvaron, mert csupa sár.
Péter is washing his bicycle in the yard because it is covered in mud.
❌ Minden reggel mosom magamat.
Unnatural transfer for routine ‘wash myself’ — use mosakszik.
✅ Minden reggel gyorsan megmosakszom, aztán felöltözöm.
Every morning I wash quickly, then get dressed.
❌ Moss meg a kezedet szappannal!
Incorrect — the definite object requires mosd.
✅ Mosd meg a kezedet szappannal, mielőtt asztalhoz ülsz!
Wash your hands with soap before you sit down at the table!
❌ Nem kimostam tegnap a munkaruhámat.
Incorrect neutral prefix order after negation.
✅ Nem mostam ki tegnap a munkaruhámat, mert elromlott a gép.
I didn’t wash my work clothes yesterday because the machine broke down.
Key Takeaways
- Sibilant assimilation produces mossa, mossuk, and imperative moss, while definite 2sg is mosd.
- Use accusative objects with indefinite or definite conjugation as their reference requires.
- Routine kezet mosok contrasts with definite possessed megmosom a kezemet.
- Prefer mosakszik for washing oneself and mosogat for washing dishes.
- Prefixed verbs have distinct meanings, and prefixes separate under negation, focus, and direct commands.
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