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Questions & Answers about Kérem, várjon egy percet!
What level of politeness is this?
It’s formal and polite. The verb form várjon addresses the person as Ön (the polite “you”), and kérem functions like “please.” Use this with strangers, customers, officials, older people, or any situation where you want to be respectful.
Why is it várjon and not várj?
Because you’re using the formal “you.” Imperative forms:
- Informal singular: várj (colloquial: várjál)
- Formal singular (Ön): várjon
- Informal plural: várjatok
- Formal plural (Önök): várjanak
What does kérem literally mean, and how is it used?
Literally, kérem means “I request (it).” In practice, it’s a polite particle meaning “please.” Related forms:
- kérlek = “please” to someone you’re on informal terms with.
- kérek = “I’d like / I request (something),” e.g., Kérek egy kávét (“I’d like a coffee”).
- As a reply to “thank you,” kérem can also mean “you’re welcome” (alongside szívesen).
Why does percet end in -t?
The -t marks the accusative case. Here it’s an “adverbial accusative” expressing duration: egy percet = “for a minute.” It’s a very common way to express time spans in Hungarian.
Could I say egy percig instead of egy percet?
Yes. Egy percig also means “for one minute.” Both are correct; egy percet is very idiomatic in requests, while egy percig makes the duration explicit. In everyday speech they’re interchangeable here.
Can I change the word order?
Yes. Kérem, egy percet várjon! is also fine and puts a little emphasis on the duration (“a minute”). Word order in Hungarian is flexible and used for focus; both versions are natural.
Can I move kérem to the end?
Yes: Várjon egy percet, kérem. That sounds like a tag “please,” often softer and very natural in speech. You can also strengthen it with kérem szépen (“please, kindly”).
Why is there a comma after kérem, and why the exclamation mark?
- The comma sets off kérem as a polite parenthetical.
- The exclamation mark signals an imperative request. A period would look more neutral/flat; the exclamation mark is standard for polite imperatives.
How do I make it informal or plural?
- Informal singular: Kérlek, várj egy percet! or Várj egy percet, légy szíves!
- Informal plural: Kérlek, várjatok egy percet!
- Formal plural: Kérem, várjanak egy percet!
What’s the subject here? Why isn’t “you” written?
Hungarian drops subject pronouns because the verb form shows the person/number. Várjon already encodes “you (formal, singular),” so Ön is understood and usually omitted.
Is vár transitive here? I thought “wait for” uses a suffix.
Hungarian allows both:
- Duration with an object: Várjon egy percet! (“Wait a minute!”)
- “Wait for” someone/something with -ra/-re: Várok a buszra (“I’m waiting for the bus.”) You’ll also see a transitive pattern with a definite object: Várja a buszt (“He/She is waiting for the bus.”). All are valid; choice depends on nuance and style.
Why not várja here?
Várja is the definite form and is used when there’s a definite object (e.g., “the doctor,” “the bus”). With an indefinite time span like egy percet, the indefinite imperative várjon is the natural choice. Saying várja egy percet is ungrammatical.
How do I pronounce the parts?
- Kérem: KEH-rehm (é is a long “e”; stress on KE-)
- várjon: VAAR-yohn (á is long “a”; r is tapped; j = “y”)
- egy: edj (gy is like a soft “dy”)
- percet: PER-tset (c = “ts”) Hungarian stress is always on the first syllable of each word.
Are there shorter or alternative ways to say this?
Yes, common variants:
- Egy pillanat! / Egy pillanatot! = “Just a moment!”
- Egy perc! = “One minute!”
- Legyen szíves, várjon egy percet! = extra polite
- On the phone: Kérem, tartsa a vonalat! / Egy pillanat türelmét kérem.
How would I make a polite negative?
Use ne + imperative: Kérem, ne várjon. If you need an object: Kérem, ne várjon rám (“Please don’t wait for me”).