Nyugszik covers several related states: a person or body “rests,” the sun “sets,” and an argument or institution “rests/is based on” something. The frequent prefixed verb megnyugszik means “calm down, become reassured.” English assigns separate verbs to these scenes; Hungarian connects them while changing the stem between nyugsz-, nyugod-, and nyugv-.
Principal parts and stem architecture
| Function | Form | Stem |
|---|---|---|
| dictionary form / present 3sg | nyugszik | nyugsz- |
| past 3sg | nyugodott | nyugod- |
| conditional 3sg | nyugodna | nyugod- |
| imperative–subjunctive 2sg | nyugodj | nyugod- |
| infinitive | nyugodni | nyugod- |
| present participle | nyugvó | nyugv- |
The d is not part of the ordinary present forms, but it appears throughout the past, conditional, imperative–subjunctive, and infinitive. The participle nyugvó preserves a third stem. Learn the sequence nyugszik – nyugodott – nyugodj – nyugodni – nyugvó, not simply the translation “rest.”
Modern common plural presents are nyugszotok and nyugszanak. Forms built with nyugod- in the present, such as nyugodtok, are attested variants but are elevated or old-fashioned for many speakers; learners can recognize them without adopting them as the default.
Complete indefinite conjugation
Nyugszik is intransitive. Its complement is a location, basis, or circumstance—not an accusative object—so it has no ordinary definite conjugation.
| Person | Present | Past | Conditional | Imperative–subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| én | nyugszom | nyugodtam | nyugodnék | nyugodjak |
| te | nyugszol | nyugodtál | nyugodnál | nyugodj / nyugodjál |
| ő | nyugszik | nyugodott | nyugodna | nyugodjon |
| mi | nyugszunk | nyugodtunk | nyugodnánk | nyugodjunk |
| ti | nyugszotok | nyugodtatok | nyugodnátok | nyugodjatok |
| ők | nyugszanak | nyugodtak | nyugodnának | nyugodjanak |
The forms nyugodtak “they rested” and nyugodtak “calm” (plural adjective) look identical. Syntax resolves the difference: Tegnap nyugodtak has a past-tense verb, whereas A gyerekek nyugodtak has a plural predicate adjective.
Resting and lying at a place
For literal repose, nyugszik is more elevated and less conversational than pihen “rest” or fekszik “lie.” On monuments and in memorial language, itt nyugszik means “here lies/is buried” and is (formal) or (literary).
A költő hamvai a szülővárosában nyugszanak.
The poet’s remains rest in his hometown.
Nyugodj békében, drága barátunk!
Rest in peace, our dear friend!
For an ordinary living person taking a break, pihen is usually the unmarked choice:
A hosszú út után egy órát pihenünk a szállodában.
After the long journey, we’re resting at the hotel for an hour.
Saying egy órát nyugszunk would sound marked in contemporary everyday conversation. This lexical restriction matters more than the shared English gloss “rest.”
A basis “rests on” something
The productive abstract frame is valamin nyugszik, with the superessive -on/-en/-ön. It says that a conclusion, system, or relationship has something as its foundation.
A kutatás következtetése több év adatain nyugszik.
The study’s conclusion rests on several years of data.
A jó együttműködés kölcsönös bizalmon nyugszik.
Good cooperation is based on mutual trust.
English allows both “rest on” and “be based on.” Hungarian does not use an accusative object here: bizalmon is a superessive complement. The plural verb or definite conjugation is not triggered by how specific the foundation is. The superessive usage guide explains the broader surface-and-basis connection.
The location can also be physical, especially in careful description:
A gerenda két vastag kőoszlopon nyugszik.
The beam rests on two thick stone pillars.
In this frame, fekszik would describe the beam’s position, while nyugszik highlights support and load-bearing.
Sunset and the prefixed change of state
A nap nyugszik means “the sun is setting” and belongs mainly to careful descriptive language. Lenyugszik a nap presents sunset as a completed boundary and is common in narrative descriptions.
A nap lassan lenyugszik a dombok mögött.
The sun is slowly setting behind the hills.
For emotion, megnyugszik is far more frequent than bare nyugszik. It denotes entry into calmness, often with a cause in -tól/-től or after receiving information.
A vizsgálat eredményétől végre megnyugodtam.
The test result finally reassured me.
The Hungarian subject is the experiencer: literally, “I became calm from the result.” English often makes the result the subject—“the result reassured me”—and uses an object. The causative transitive Hungarian verb is megnyugtat: Az eredmény megnyugtatott engem.
Ne aggódj, a gyerekek már megnyugodtak.
Don’t worry; the children have calmed down already.
Prefix position with meg-
Neutral affirmative megnyugszik keeps the prefix attached. Negation, wh-focus, and contrastive focus normally place the finite verb before it.
A beteg nem nyugodott meg az első magyarázattól.
The patient was not reassured by the first explanation.
Mitől nyugodtál meg ilyen hirtelen?
What made you calm down so suddenly?
Csak akkor nyugszom meg, ha mindenki hazaért.
I’ll only relax once everyone has arrived home.
In the last example, csak akkor carries focus and meg follows nyugszom. The main clause present can refer to a future state because the conditional time clause supplies the future context.
Participles and nonfinite forms
The personal infinitive forms are nyugodnom, nyugodnod, nyugodnia, nyugodnunk, nyugodnotok, nyugodniuk.
Mielőtt válaszolok, előbb meg kell nyugodnom.
Before I reply, I need to calm down first.
| Form | Typical use | Register |
|---|---|---|
| nyugodni | hagy valakit nyugodni “let someone rest” | unmarked |
| nyugvó | bizalmon nyugvó kapcsolat “a relationship based on trust” | (formal) or (academic) |
| nyugodott | rare unprefixed past participle | (literary) |
| megnyugodva | megnyugodva távozott “left feeling reassured” | unmarked |
| nyugodandó | historical or deliberately archaizing future-participial form; not productive in modern prose | (archaic) or (literary) |
A bizottság ellenőrzött adatokon nyugvó javaslatot fogadott el.
The committee adopted a proposal based on verified data.
Common Mistakes
❌ Tegnap csak délután nyugszott meg a kisbaba.
Incorrect — the past uses nyugod-, not a regularized nyugsz- stem.
✅ Tegnap csak délután nyugodott meg a kisbaba.
The baby did not calm down until the afternoon yesterday.
❌ A tervünk egyetlen bizonyítékot nyugszik.
Incorrect — the abstract basis is not an accusative object.
✅ A tervünk több független mérésen nyugszik.
Our plan is based on several independent measurements.
❌ A jó hír megnyugodta a családot.
Incorrect — the intransitive verb cannot take the family as its object.
✅ A kedvező diagnózis megnyugtatta az egész családot.
The favorable diagnosis reassured the whole family.
⚠️ A tárgyalás után sem megnyugodtam.
Possible only with explicit corrective contrast; neutral negation separates meg- from the verb.
✅ A hosszú megbeszélés után sem nyugodtam meg teljesen.
I still wasn’t completely reassured after the long discussion.
Key Takeaways
- The principal parts are nyugszik – nyugodott – nyugodj – nyugodni – nyugvó.
- The base verb is intransitive and has no ordinary definite-object paradigm.
- Literal nyugszik is elevated in many human contexts; everyday “rest” is often pihen.
- Abstract valamin nyugszik means “rest/be based on something” and requires -on/-en/-ön.
- Megnyugszik is an experiencer-centered change “become calm”; megnyugtat valakit is transitive “reassure someone.”
- Negation and preverbal focus normally separate meg- from the finite verb.
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