Örül means “be glad, be pleased, rejoice.” The person experiencing joy is the subject; its cause normally takes dative -nak/-nek: örül a hírnek, “is glad about the news.” Superessive -n/-on/-en/-ön is also possible in established contexts, especially with azon/rajta, and a hogy clause can state the joyful fact directly.
The verb is intransitive and has only the indefinite conjugation. Its front rounded vowels determine endings such as örülök, örültök, örüljön, while the infinitive's personal forms include örülnöm and örülnötök. The case form itself is surveyed under the dative case.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present 3sg | Past 3sg | Imperative 2sg | Conditional 3sg | Present participle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| örülni | örül | örült | örülj | örülne | örülő |
The stem remains örül-. Past -t attaches directly, and the imperative inserts j: örültem, örülnék, örülj. There is no definite counterpart such as örülöm, because the cause is not an accusative object.
Nagyon örülök a váratlan meghívásnak.
I'm very pleased about the unexpected invitation.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| én | örülök |
| te | örülsz |
| ő / ön | örül |
| mi | örülünk |
| ti | örültök |
| ők / önök | örülnek |
The dative complement may denote a thing, event, person encountered, or benefit. Personal pronouns use dative forms nekem, neked, neki, nekünk, nektek, nekik.
A gyerekek már néhány hópehelynek is örülnek, még akkor is, ha a hó gyorsan elolvad.
The children are delighted by even a few snowflakes, although the snow melts quickly.
Örülök a sikerednek, de leginkább annak, hogy közben jól is érezted magad.
I'm glad about your success, but most of all that you enjoyed yourself along the way.
Minek örülsz ennyire?
What are you so happy about? (informal)
Past and conditional
| Person | Past | Conditional |
|---|---|---|
| én | örültem | örülnék |
| te | örültél | örülnél |
| ő / ön | örült | örülne |
| mi | örültünk | örülnénk |
| ti | örültetek | örülnétek |
| ők / önök | örültek | örülnének |
A kollégák őszintén örültek a közös sikernek.
The colleagues were genuinely pleased about their shared success.
Örülnék egy nyugodt estének, de még be kell fejeznem a jelentést.
I'd be glad of a quiet evening, but I still have to finish the report.
Biztosan örült volna, ha személyesen is átadhatta volna a díjat.
He/She would surely have been pleased if able to present the prize in person.
The analytic future is örülni fogok, but present plus a future clause is more common for anticipated pleasure: Örülök majd, ha találkozunk. Majd locates the state in the future without changing the verb's complement structure.
Imperative–subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| én | örüljek |
| te | örülj / örüljél |
| ő / ön | örüljön |
| mi | örüljünk |
| ti | örüljetek |
| ők / önök | örüljenek |
Positive commands can encourage acceptance—Örülj neki!—but may sound dismissive if they minimize another person's disappointment. Long örüljél is (informal) and typically emphatic.
Örülj neki, hogy időben észrevetted a hibát!
Be glad that you noticed the error in time! (informal)
A szülők csak azt szeretnék, hogy a gyerekük örüljön az új osztályának.
The parents only want their child to be happy with the new class.
Nem várható el, hogy mindenki ugyanannak örüljön.
One cannot expect everyone to be pleased about the same thing.
Infinitive and participles
The infinitive is örülni; personal forms are örülnöm, örülnöd, örülnie, örülnünk, örülnötök, örülniük. Rounded ö in örülnöm/örülnöd/örülnötök follows front rounded harmony.
Fontos lenne mások eredményeinek is őszintén örülnöm.
It would be important for me to feel genuinely happy about other people's achievements too.
| Form | Function | Typical example |
|---|---|---|
| örülő | being glad, rejoicing | a hírnek örülő család |
| örült | having been glad; usually finite | inkább relative clause |
| örülendő | to be welcomed | örülendő fejlemény (formal) |
| örülve | gladly, rejoicing | az eredménynek örülve |
A döntésnek örülő lakók aznap este közös vacsorát szerveztek.
The residents who were pleased with the decision organized a communal dinner that evening.
Különösen örülendő, hogy a program vidéki iskolákhoz is eljutott.
It is particularly welcome that the program also reached rural schools. (formal)
Bare past örült rarely functions naturally as an adjective; contemporary Hungarian generally uses a finite relative clause. Formal örülendő remains productive in evaluations and reports.
Dative and superessive complements
The unmarked general pattern is örül valakinek/valaminek. It works across people, gifts, news, outcomes, and opportunities and should be the learner's default.
Lilla nagyon örült az új munkalehetőségnek.
Lilla was very pleased about the new job opportunity.
Superessive örül valamin, with pronominal rajta or demonstrative azon, is also established. It foregrounds the circumstance that provokes the reaction and is especially natural with clauses anchored by azon/rajta. With another person's misfortune, it can suggest taking pleasure in that misfortune, so context matters.
Utólag már örülök rajta, hogy nem siettük el a döntést.
Looking back, I'm glad that we didn't rush the decision.
Nem szép mások kudarcán örülni.
It isn't nice to rejoice at other people's failure.
There is no fully mechanical meaning split: örül a sikernek is the safest neutral form, while örül a sikeren is possible but highlights the event as the occasion of reaction. Fixed usage and discourse perspective both influence the choice.
Hogy clauses
A finite hogy clause states the fact causing joy. It can stand directly after örül, or correlate with annak/azon. Annak örül, hogy... is the broad neutral form; azon örül, hogy... is possible with the superessive construal.
Örülünk, hogy végül mindenki épségben hazaért.
We're glad that everyone eventually got home safely.
Annak örültem a legjobban, hogy maradt időnk beszélgetni.
What pleased me most was that we still had time to talk.
The clause is not a direct accusative object and does not create a definite conjugation. Compare transitive szeretem, hogy... with intransitive örülök, hogy....
Megörül and lexical aspect
Megörül valaminek presents the onset of joy, often an immediate reaction to seeing or receiving something. Bare örül profiles the resulting state. The complement remains dative.
A túrázók nagyon megörültek a tisztás szélén álló kútnak.
The hikers were delighted to discover the well at the edge of the clearing.
Nem örültem meg rögtön az ajánlatnak, mert gyanúsan kedvezőnek tűnt.
I wasn't immediately delighted by the offer because it seemed suspiciously favorable.
Minek örültél meg ennyire, amikor kibontottad a csomagot?
What made you so happy when you opened the package? (informal)
Negation nem and focused minek separate meg from the finite verb. The prefix retains its inchoative meaning after separation.
Elevated örvend valaminek is a stylistic synonym (formal/literary). It appears in ceremonial prose and fixed courteous language, but ordinary conversation strongly favors örül.
Common Mistakes
❌ Örülöm az ajándékot.
Incorrect accusative object and definite verb: use a dative complement.
✅ Örülök az ajándéknak.
I'm pleased with the gift.
❌ Nagyon örülök erről a hírről.
Incorrect transfer of English about: the neutral Hungarian frame is dative.
✅ Nagyon örülök ennek a hírnek.
I'm very glad about this news.
❌ Örülök, hogy találkozni veled.
Incorrect clause structure: use a finite hogy clause or a natural dative greeting.
✅ Örülök, hogy találkoztunk.
I'm glad we met.
⚠️ Nem megörültem a levélnek.
Possible only under corrective contrast; neutral negation separates meg.
✅ Nem örültem meg a levélnek.
I wasn't delighted by the letter.
Key Takeaways
- Örül is intransitive and follows rounded front-vowel harmony.
- Dative -nak/-nek is the broad neutral complement; -n/-on/-en/-ön also occurs with a different discourse perspective.
- A hogy clause states the fact causing joy without triggering definite conjugation.
- Megörül presents the onset of joy and keeps the same complement case.
- Use örvend only when its elevated (formal/literary) tone suits the context.
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