Vesz covers two central English ideas, “buy” and “take,” but neither gloss predicts all its Hungarian frames. Buying introduces a seller, price, and definite or indefinite purchase; taking combines with source cases and a large family of prefixes. The verb alternates among vesz-, ve- / vev-, vett-, venn-, and vegy-.
This page gives the complete core paradigm and the valency, aspect, and information structure that make the forms usable. Unlabeled forms are neutral standard Hungarian. The closely parallel stem alternations of tesz provide a useful comparison, but the two verbs have different lexical frames.
Principal parts and a crucial spelling contrast
| Infinitive | Present 3sg | Past 3sg | Imperative 2sg | Conditional 3sg | Present participle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| venni | vesz | vett | végy / vegyél; vedd | venne | vevő |
Vowel length distinguishes verbs in prefixed forms. Elvesz means “takes away” (and in the frame feleségül vesz, “marries”), while elvész means “gets lost/perishes.” Their past forms are elvett versus elveszett.
Ha nem teszed vissza rögtön, megint elvész a garázskapu távirányítója.
If you don't put it back immediately, the garage-door remote will get lost again.
Here the subject itself gets lost, so the verb is elvész, not transitive elvesz.
Present: indefinite and definite objects
| Person | Indefinite | Definite |
|---|---|---|
| én | veszek | veszem |
| te | veszel | veszed |
| ő / ön | vesz | veszi |
| mi | veszünk | vesszük |
| ti | vesztek | veszitek |
| ők / önök | vesznek | veszik |
Útközben veszek friss kenyeret és néhány almát.
I'll buy fresh bread and a few apples on the way.
Ezt a sajtot mindig ugyanattól a termelőtől vesszük.
We always buy this cheese from the same producer.
The first object is indefinite; the demonstrative ezt makes the second definite. The seller takes -tól/-től, not an English-style preposition translated independently.
Past and conditional
| Person | Past indefinite | Past definite | Conditional indefinite | Conditional definite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| én | vettem | vettem | vennék | venném |
| te | vettél | vetted | vennél | vennéd |
| ő / ön | vett | vette | venne | venné |
| mi | vettünk | vettük | vennénk | vennénk |
| ti | vettetek | vettétek | vennétek | vennétek |
| ők / önök | vettek | vették | vennének | vennék |
As with tesz, some forms overlap across the two paradigms. Vettem can be indefinite or definite; vennénk can be first-person plural in either paradigm. The object supplies the distinction.
A szomszédaink tavaly vettek egy kis házat a Tisza mellett.
Our neighbors bought a small house by the Tisza last year.
Megvenném a kabátot, ha egy kicsit olcsóbb lenne.
I would buy the coat if it were a little cheaper.
Ennyi pénzért inkább használt biciklit vennénk.
For this amount of money, we'd rather buy a used bicycle.
Prices normally take -ért: ötezer forintért vettem “I bought it for five thousand forints.” Hungarian does not use the instrumental for the price in this frame.
In the analytic future, object agreement is carried by fog: venni fogok egy lámpát, but meg fogom venni a kiválasztott lámpát. With a prefix, neutral order places it before the auxiliary rather than attaching it to the infinitive.
Imperative–subjunctive
| Person | Indefinite | Definite |
|---|---|---|
| én | vegyek | vegyem |
| te | végy / vegyél | vedd / vegyed |
| ő / ön | vegyen | vegye |
| mi | vegyünk | vegyük |
| ti | vegyetek | vegyétek |
| ők / önök | vegyenek | vegyék |
Short végy is (formal/literary) or found in set formulations; everyday conversation favors vegyél. Definite vedd is the ordinary compact command, with longer vegyed also grammatical and carrying regional or stylistic variation.
Vegyél két üveg ásványvizet is a kirándulásra!
Buy two bottles of mineral water for the hike too! (informal)
Vedd le a cipődet, mert éppen most mosták fel a padlót!
Take off your shoes because the floor has just been mopped! (informal)
A könyvelő azt kérte, hogy vegyük figyelembe az árfolyamváltozást.
The accountant asked us to take the exchange-rate change into account. (formal workplace context)
Infinitive and major participles
The infinitive is venni; personal forms are vennem, venned, vennie, vennünk, vennetek, venniük.
A pályaudvaron kell jegyet vennünk, mert az automata nem működik.
We have to buy a ticket at the station because the machine isn't working.
| Form | Function | Example phrase |
|---|---|---|
| vevő | present participle; lexical noun “buyer/customer” | lakást vevő család |
| vett | completed/result participle | tavaly vett laptop |
| veendő | future/necessitative participle | figyelembe veendő körülmény |
| véve | adverbial participle | mindent figyelembe véve |
A lakást vevő pár csak ősszel tud beköltözni.
The couple buying the apartment cannot move in until autumn.
Mindent figyelembe véve ez a legkevésbé kockázatos megoldás.
All things considered, this is the least risky solution. (formal)
Veendő is mainly (formal) and most natural in established combinations such as figyelembe veendő “to be taken into account.” Everyday speech usually chooses a finite relative clause.
Buying frames
| Participant | Hungarian marking | Example |
|---|---|---|
| thing bought | accusative | könyvet vesz |
| seller/source | -tól/-től | a péktől vesz kenyeret |
| price/exchange | -ért | háromezer forintért veszi |
| beneficiary/purpose | -nak/-nek; -ra/-re | ajándékot vesz neki; vacsorára vesz sajtot |
A kollégánknak vettük ezt a könyvet búcsúajándékul.
We bought this book for our colleague as a farewell present.
The beneficiary kollégánknak is not the direct object; ezt a könyvet is. That is why the verb is definite vettük.
Taking, removing, and lexicalized expressions
English take branches across several Hungarian verbs. Vesz is natural in combinations involving acquisition, removal, uptake, or a conventional light-verb phrase, but not automatically in take a bus (busszal megy) or take someone somewhere (elvisz valakit).
Common frames include levegőt vesz “take a breath,” részt vesz valamiben “participate in,” igénybe vesz valamit “make use of,” and észrevesz valamit “notice.” The first three are multiword frames written separately; észrevesz is one lexical verb.
A vita előtt vett egy mély levegőt, és csak utána válaszolt.
Before the debate she took a deep breath and only then replied.
Több mint száz önkéntes vett részt a folyóparti takarításban.
More than a hundred volunteers took part in the riverbank cleanup.
Csak otthon vettem észre, hogy rossz méretet csomagoltak be.
Only at home did I notice that they had packed the wrong size.
Prefixes and information structure
Megvesz presents a completed purchase; felvesz can mean pick up, put on, record, hire, or withdraw; levesz removes from a surface; kivesz removes from inside; átvesz receives or takes over; elvesz takes away. Learn the complement with each lexical meaning.
Átvettem a csomagot a portán, de még nem bontottam ki.
I collected the parcel at reception, but I haven't opened it yet.
Nem vettem meg az első telefont, mert túl rövid garanciát adtak rá.
I didn't buy the first phone because the warranty they offered was too short.
Végül melyik üzletben vetted meg a fényképezőgépet?
Which shop did you eventually buy the camera in?
Neutral megvettem places the prefix first. Negation and focal melyik üzletben place it after the verb: nem vettem meg, melyik üzletben vetted meg.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ezt a bögrét a fazekasból vettem.
Incorrect source case for a person: the seller requires -tól/-től.
✅ Ezt a bögrét a fazekastól vettem.
I bought this mug from the potter.
❌ Minden pénteken veszem friss virágot.
Incorrect object conjugation: the indefinite object friss virágot requires veszek.
✅ Minden pénteken veszek friss virágot.
I buy fresh flowers every Friday.
❌ Vegyél meg a jegyet még ma!
Incorrect command with the definite object a jegyet: use vedd.
✅ Vedd meg a jegyet még ma!
Buy the ticket today!
❌ Tegnap elveszett valaki a pénztárcámat.
Incorrect verb: transitive elvesz takes an object; elvész means get lost.
✅ Tegnap valaki elvette a pénztárcámat.
Someone took my wallet yesterday.
Key Takeaways
- Memorize vesz – vett – venn- – vegy- – vevő, and keep transitive elvesz distinct from intransitive elvész.
- Buying uses an accusative purchase, -tól/-től for the seller, and -ért for the price.
- Object definiteness controls veszek/veszem, vegyél/vedd, and the corresponding full paradigms.
- English take does not map to one verb; learn fixed vesz expressions and prefixed meanings individually.
- Negation and focus commonly separate verbal prefixes: nem vettem meg, hol vetted meg?
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Start learning Hungarian →Related Topics
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- Choosing Conjugation by Object Definiteness: Forms and Core PatternA2 — Choose Hungarian verb agreement from the case, person, definiteness, and discourse status of the object.
- The Imperative–Subjunctive Paradigm: Forms and Core PatternA2 — Build Hungarian imperative–subjunctive forms across subject persons, object agreement, stem assimilation, and prefixed verbs.
- Verbal Prefixes: Lexicon, Direction, and Telicity: Forms and Core PatternA1 — Recognize and build Hungarian prefixed verbs for direction, lexical meaning, event boundaries, and changed valency.
- Word Order and Verbal Prefix Separation: Forms and Core PatternA2 — Form Hungarian prefixed verbs in neutral clauses and separate their prefixes after focus, negation, wh-words, imperatives, and selected auxiliaries.
- Past and Prospective Participles: Forms and Core PatternB2 — Form Hungarian -t/-tt result participles and -andó/-endő prospective participles while preserving their verbal arguments.