Questions & Answers about Várj egy percet!
What exactly does the word Várj mean here, grammatically?
Várj is the 2nd person singular informal imperative of the verb várni (to wait; also to expect). It’s what you say to one person you’re on informal terms with: “Wait!”
- Root: vár-
- Imperative marker: -j
- Person/number: 2nd person singular (informal)
- Closest English equivalent: “Wait!” or “Hold on!”
How would I say this politely or formally?
Use the formal imperative forms:
- To one person formally: Várjon egy percet!
- To several people informally: Várjatok egy percet!
- To several people formally: Várjanak egy percet!
You can soften with please-expressions:
- Kérem, várjon egy percet!
- Várjon egy percet, legyen szíves!
- Informal please: Kérlek, várj egy percet!
Why does percet end with -t?
That’s the accusative case marker, used for direct objects. In Hungarian, durations can be expressed as a direct object:
- egy percet = “one minute” as an object (“wait one minute”)
- Linking vowel: perc + -et (not just perct) because Hungarian avoids that cluster and perc has front vowels, so it takes -et.
Why is there no word for “for” (as in “wait for a minute”)?