The Present Definite Conjugation: Forms and Core Pattern

Hungarian has a special present-tense paradigm for a transitive verb whose direct object belongs to the grammatically definite class. Most triggers are definite third-person objects; reflexive and reciprocal objects also pattern with this series. Thus várok egy barátot means “I am waiting for a friend,” but várom a barátomat means “I am waiting for my friend.” English changes the noun phrase and leaves wait alone; Hungarian changes both the noun phrase and the verb.

This page presents the forms of that definite conjugation. Its central usage and its difficult boundaries are developed on the usage page and contrast page. Unless otherwise labeled, every form here belongs to neutral modern standard Hungarian.

The core paradigm

The back-vowel verb vár “wait for, expect” shows the most transparent pattern. The verb ending jointly identifies the subject and signals a definite third-person object.

Hungarian usually omits an uncontrasted subject pronoun. Várom already says that the subject is first-person singular; the object itself can also be omitted when the conversation makes it recoverable. The ending therefore packages more information than English wait.

Vowel harmony in the endings

Back-vowel stems use forms such as -om, -od, -ja, -juk, -játok, -ják. Front-vowel stems use -em/-öm, -ed/-öd, -i, -jük, -itek, -ik. The rounded choice appears most clearly in the first two persons singular: kötöm, kötöd “I/you tie it,” beside kérem, kéred “I/you request it.”

Vowel harmony chooses among available suffix vowels, but it does not make every paradigm fully predictable. Stem class and the final consonant still matter. The stem-class pages address those alternations in detail.

Which objects select these forms?

The normal trigger is a third-person definite direct object in the accusative. The most frequent triggers are:

• a noun phrase with a/az: a filmet, az ajtót;
• a proper name: Katát, Budapestet;
• an accusative demonstrative: ezt, azt, ezeket, azokat;
• a possessed noun: a leveledet, Péter autóját, and even leveledet without an article;
• a third-person object pronoun: őt, őket;
• formal önt/önöket, reflexive forms such as magamat/magát, and reciprocal egymást;
• a selective expression such as melyiket or mindegyiket;
• an understood third-person definite object recoverable from context;
• an object clause, often with expressed or understood azt: Tudom, hogy igazad van.

Only a direct object controls this choice. In Segítek a szomszédomnak, “I help my neighbor,” a szomszédomnak is dative, not accusative, so the verb remains indefinite despite referring to a particular person. English transitivity is not a safe guide: learn the Hungarian case frame of each verb.

Object relative pronouns are a notable exception. Akit, amit, and amelyet normally select the indefinite series inside the relative clause even when their antecedent is definite. The -ik form amelyiket, by contrast, is selective and takes the definite series.

The j-sensitive forms

Several definite endings historically contain j. After most stems it remains visible: vár-ja, vár-juk, vár-játok, vár-ják. After a stem ending in s, sz, z, or dz, that j assimilates to the preceding consonant. The spelling records the resulting long consonant.

The asymmetry in nézi–nézzük–nézitek is real. Front-vowel third-person and second-/third-person plural endings begin with a vowel, so there is no j to assimilate there. Learners cannot obtain the correct spelling simply by “adding j everywhere.”

Frequent exceptional stems

High-frequency short verbs deserve their own mini-paradigms. Teszi, veszi, viszi, hiszi have third-person singular -i, while the first-person plural forms show assimilation or stem adjustment: tesszük, vesszük, visszük, hisszük. Eszik and iszik have definite forms such as eszem, eszed, eszi and iszom, iszod, issza. Some forms coincide with an indefinite -ik form: eszem can mean “I eat” with no stated definite object or “I eat it.” Context resolves the syncretism.

There is no honest one-line rule that predicts every short irregular stem. Learn these frequent forms as families and consult their verb-reference pages when needed.

Segmentation exercise

Identify the stem, the definite ending, and the subject:

1. várod → vár-od: second-person singular, back-vowel definite ending.
2. kérjük → kér-jük: first-person plural, front-vowel definite ending.
3. olvassák → historically olvas-ják, pronounced and written with assimilated ss: third-person plural.
4. nézzük → historically néz-jük, with assimilated zz: first-person plural.
5. kötitek → köt-itek: second-person plural, front-vowel definite ending without j.
6. megnézem → meg-néz-em: verbal prefix + stem + first-person singular definite ending.

The last form also shows that prefix placement is a separate layer. Neutral megnézem a filmet has the prefix attached, but nem nézem meg a filmet separates it under negation; the definite ending remains -em.

Common Mistakes

Key Takeaways

• The present definite conjugation normally accompanies a definite third-person accusative object, whether expressed or understood.
• The six endings encode the subject as well as the object series: várom, várod, várja, várjuk, várjátok, várják.
• Articles, proper names, demonstratives, possessed nouns, third-person pronouns, selective interrogatives, and object clauses commonly trigger the definite series.
• Vowel harmony shapes the endings, while j assimilates after sibilant-final stems only in forms that contain it.
• First- and second-person personal pronouns follow a different pattern, including special -lak/-lek for a first-person singular subject acting on “you”; reflexive and reciprocal objects nevertheless select definite forms.
• Verb agreement, tense, mood, direct-object reference, and prefix placement must be analyzed together, not copied from English word by word.