Zár means “close” or “lock,” and it also describes when a shop, office, or service closes. Those meanings do not all have the same argument structure: zárok egy ablakot has an indefinite object, zárom az ablakot has a definite object, but a könyvtár hatkor zár is intransitive. Prefixes such as be- and le- add an endpoint or create a more specialized action, so a useful reference must connect conjugation, valency, aspect, and word order.
Principal parts
The long á remains throughout the paradigm. Past zárt is also the adjective “closed,” so context decides whether it is a finite verb or a modifier.
| Function | Form | Note |
|---|---|---|
| dictionary / present 3sg | zár | long á |
| past 3sg | zárt | also “closed” as an adjective |
| conditional 3sg | zárna | back-vowel ending |
| imperative–subjunctive 2sg | zárj | stem + -j |
| infinitive | zárni | stem + -ni |
| present participle | záró | “closing; final” |
Indefinite conjugation
| Person | Present | Past | Conditional | Imperative–subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| én | zárok | zártam | zárnék | zárjak |
| te | zársz | zártál | zárnál | zárj / zárjál |
| ő | zár | zárt | zárna | zárjon |
| mi | zárunk | zártunk | zárnánk | zárjunk |
| ti | zártok | zártatok | zárnátok | zárjatok |
| ők | zárnak | zártak | zárnának | zárjanak |
Bezárok egy ablakot, mert huzat van a tárgyalóban.
I’ll close a window because there is a draft in the meeting room.
Indefinite egy ablakot selects indefinite bezárok. The same paradigm appears without a prefix or object in institutional zár “close for business.”
Definite conjugation
| Person | Present | Past | Conditional | Imperative–subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| én | zárom | zártam | zárnám | zárjam |
| te | zárod | zártad | zárnád | zárd / zárjad |
| ő | zárja | zárta | zárná | zárja |
| mi | zárjuk | zártuk | zárnánk | zárjuk |
| ti | zárjátok | zártátok | zárnátok | zárjátok |
| ők | zárják | zárták | zárnák | zárják |
Este én zárom a hátsó kaput, mert a portás szabadságon van.
I’m locking the back gate this evening because the caretaker is on leave.
Biztosan bezártátok az összes tetőtéri ablakot?
Did you definitely close all the attic windows?
Definite a hátsó kaput and az összes … ablakot select zárom/bezártátok. First-person past zártam looks the same in both paradigms: zártam egy ajtót is indefinite, while zártam az ajtót is definite.
Closing, shutting, and locking
With an accusative object, bare zár can mean close or lock. The instrumental identifies the means, while kulcsra zár presents the locked state or manner.
A raktáros minden este kulcsra zárja az oldalsó ajtót.
The warehouse clerk locks the side door every evening.
Kérlek, zárd el a vizet, mielőtt leszereljük a csapot.
Please shut off the water before we remove the tap.
English uses close, shut, lock, and turn off across these situations. Hungarian distributes them among bare zár and lexicalized prefixed verbs. Elzárja a vizet/gázt means shut off the water/gas; it is not a freely chosen spatial “away.” For simply pushing a door, lid, book, or eyes shut, becsuk is often more concrete than bezár.
The noun zár means “lock” as well. In elromlott a zár, it is a noun and has no verbal paradigm; vowel length does not distinguish the noun from the verb.
Institutional opening hours
A business or service can be the subject of intransitive zár. A closing time takes invariant -kor, while a day or circumstance can set the schedule.
A jegypénztár hétköznap fél hétkor zár.
The ticket office closes at half past six on weekdays.
A pékség szombaton korábban zárt, mint általában.
The bakery closed earlier than usual on Saturday.
Már zárunk, de ezt az egy csomagot még átveheti.
We’re closing now, but you can still collect this one package.
There is no understood direct object in these examples, so the indefinite forms are not optional substitutes for definite ones—they reflect intransitive use. Compare A múzeum hatkor zár “The museum closes at six” with Az őr hatkor zárja a múzeumot “The guard locks the museum at six.” English uses the same surface verb; Hungarian changes the participant structure.
Zárva van describes a state, not the event of closing:
A gyógyszertár ma leltár miatt zárva van.
The pharmacy is closed today because of inventory.
This result-state construction is analyzed further in the Hungarian perfect guide.
Bezár and lezár
Bezár valamit presents the completion of shutting or locking something. It can also be intransitive when an institution shuts for the day or ceases operating. Lezár valamit means close off, seal, or bring a bounded process to an end.
Az utolsó vendég után bezártuk a kávézó utcai ajtaját.
After the last guest, we closed the café’s street door.
A családi bolt tavaly végleg bezárt.
The family shop closed permanently last year.
A rendőrség lezárta a rakpartot a futóverseny idejére.
The police closed the embankment for the duration of the running race.
Lezár also applies to nonphysical boundaries: lezár egy vitát/ügyet/időszakot “conclude a debate/case/period.” It does not mean merely lowering something despite the historical spatial meaning of le-.
A bizottság pénteken lezárja a pályázatok értékelését.
The committee will conclude its evaluation of the applications on Friday.
Prefix separation under negation, focus, and commands
Neutral affirmative order keeps the prefix attached: bezárta, lezárjuk. Negation and a preverbal wh-word or contrastive focus normally place it after the finite verb.
A takarító még nem zárta be a földszinti mosdót.
The cleaner has not locked the ground-floor restroom yet.
Pontosan melyik kijáratot zárták le a felújítás miatt?
Exactly which exit did they close off because of the renovation?
Positive commands also commonly use verb–prefix order:
Zárd be az erkélyajtót, mielőtt bekapcsolod a fűtést!
Close the balcony door before you turn on the heating!
The same imperative–subjunctive form can occur inside a subordinate clause, where neutral order may put the prefix before it: Azért szóltam, hogy bezárd az ajtót “I told you so that you would close the door.” Mood and prefix position are related to clause structure, not identical. See the prefix-order reference.
Infinitive and participles
The personal infinitive forms are zárnom, zárnod, zárnia, zárnunk, zárnotok, zárniuk.
Indulás előtt nekem kell bezárnom az irattárat.
I have to lock the records room before departure.
| Form | Typical use | Register |
|---|---|---|
| zárni | ajtót zárni “close/lock a door” | unmarked |
| záró | záró előadás “closing lecture” | unmarked |
| zárt | zárt udvar “enclosed courtyard” | unmarked, often lexicalized |
| zárva | zárva tart “remain closed” | unmarked |
| zárandó | lezárandó ügy “case to be concluded” | (formal), usually prefixed |
Common Mistakes
❌ Hatkor zárom a könyvtár.
Incorrect — the institution is the subject in the opening-hours frame, not an unmarked object.
✅ A kerületi könyvtár pénteken hatkor zár.
The district library closes at six on Friday.
❌ Minden este bezárok a bejárati ajtót.
Incorrect — the definite object requires definite conjugation.
✅ Minden este bezárom a bejárati ajtót és a kaput.
Every evening I close the front door and the gate.
❌ Nem lezárták a hidat, csak egy sávot korlátoztak.
Incorrect in neutral negation — le- must follow the finite verb.
✅ Nem zárták le a hidat, csak egy sávot korlátoztak.
They did not close the bridge; they only restricted one lane.
❌ Bezárd a pinceablakot, ha elmész!
Incorrect neutral positive command — the prefix normally follows the imperative.
✅ Zárd be a pinceablakot, ha elmész!
Close the cellar window when you leave!
Key Takeaways
- The principal forms are zár – zárt – zárna – zárj – zárni – záró.
- Transitive zár selects indefinite or definite conjugation from its object; institutional zár is intransitive.
- Kulcsra zár means lock, while elzárja a vizet/gázt means shut off a supply.
- Bezár marks a completed closing; lezár closes off or concludes.
- Neutral prefixes precede the verb, but negation, focus, and positive commands commonly produce zárta be/le.
- Zárva van describes the closed state rather than the closing event.
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