is... is / mind... mind

Both … and

Level 4

Hungarian uses two main patterns for 'both... and': is... is (informal/neutral) and mind... mind (formal/emphatic). The key difference is word order: is follows the word, while mind precedes it.

How It Works

In Hungarian, coordinating multiple items requires specific placement of particles:

1. is... is: The particle is is postpositive, meaning it must come after the word it modifies. If the word has a case suffix, is follows that suffix. In natural speech, the conjunction meg is often inserted between the items (e.g., Almát is, meg körtét is...).
Example: Almát is, körtét is eszem. (I eat both apples and pears.)

2. mind... mind: The conjunction mind is prepositive, meaning it comes before the word it modifies. It usually precedes the definite article. If a proper noun is used without an article, mind precedes the name directly (e.g., Mind Péter, mind Pál). This pattern is more formal and emphatic.
Example: Mind a tanár, mind a diák itt vannak. (Both the teacher and the student are here.)

Key Rules:

  • Punctuation: A comma is mandatory between the coordinated elements.
  • Negation: These patterns are the positive counterparts to sem... sem.... While is can occasionally appear with negative verbs to mean 'also not' (e.g., Péter is nem jött el - Péter also didn't come), the sem... sem... structure is the standard way to say 'neither... nor'.
  • Verb Agreement: When using mind... mind as a subject, the verb is usually plural to emphasize the group. Conversely, the is... is pattern typically takes a singular verb when the subjects are singular (e.g., Péter is, Pál is ott volt).

Examples (5)

  1. Péter is, Anna is eljött a buliba.

    Both Peter and Anna came to the party.

    Word by Word: Peter also, Anna also came the party-into.

    In this correlative structure, 'is' follows each subject. A comma is used to separate the two items.

  2. Mind a tanárok, mind a diákok részt vettek az ünnepségen.

    Both the teachers and the students took part in the ceremony.

    Word by Word: Both the teachers, both the students part took the ceremony-on.

    This formal construction uses 'mind' before the definite articles and nouns.

  3. Olvasni is szeretek, meg írni is.

    I like both reading and writing.

    Word by Word: To-read also I-like, plus to-write also.

    The 'is... is' pattern is very common for linking infinitives. The conjunction 'meg' is often added for better flow.

  4. Mind a bort, mind a sört szeretem.

    I like both the wine and the beer.

    Word by Word: Both the wine-ACC, both the beer-ACC I-like.

    This shows 'mind... mind' used with objects in the accusative case.

  5. Ez a ruha szép is, meg olcsó is.

    This dress is both beautiful and cheap.

    Word by Word: This the dress beautiful also, plus cheap also.

    Using 'is... is' to link two adjectives describing the same subject.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing 'is' before the noun.

    Is alma, is körte van az asztalon.
    Alma is, körte is van az asztalon.

    The particle 'is' must always follow the word it refers to. It is never placed before the noun.

  • Using 'is... is' to mean 'neither... nor'.

    Péter is, Anna is nem jött el.
    Sem Péter, sem Anna nem jött el.

    While 'is' can appear with a negative verb to mean 'also not' (e.g., Péter also didn't come), to express the specific 'neither X nor Y' relationship, you must use the sem... sem... pattern.

  • Omitting the comma between items.

    Kávét is teát is kérek.
    Kávét is, teát is kérek.

    Hungarian grammar requires a comma to separate coordinated elements in a list or correlative pair.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

is... is / mind... mindLevel 4Both … and

Learn This First

To understand the 'both... and' construction in Hungarian, you first need to be familiar with the individual additive particle 'is' and the universal quantifier 'mind'. Additionally, because these particles affect the emphasis and word order of the sentence, a basic understanding of how focus works in Hungarian is essential.

Words in This Pattern

mindis