Mixed-Person Agreement

Level 5

In Hungarian, if a subject consists of multiple people (e.g., 'Péter and I'), the verb is normally plural. The specific person (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) is determined by a hierarchy: 1st person ('I/we') wins over everything else, and 2nd person ('you') wins over 3rd person ('he/she/they').

How It Works

When you combine different subject pronouns or nouns into one subject, Hungarian uses a strict hierarchy to decide the verb's person. This rule applies regardless of whether you are using the past tense, conditional mood, or present tense, and it affects both indefinite and definite forms.

1. The 1st Person Priority
If the subject includes 'I' (én) or 'we' (mi), the verb must be 1st person plural. While grammatically possible, putting yourself first (Én és te) is socially discouraged. Hungarians often cite the proverb 'A szamár mondja először magát' (The donkey says himself first) to teach children to put others first.
Example: Te és én vagyunk (You and I are).

2. The 2nd Person Priority
If there is no 1st person, but the subject includes 'you' (te/ti), the verb takes the 2nd person plural ending.
Example: Te és a barátod mentek (You and your friend are going).

3. 3rd Person and Formal Address
If the subject consists only of 3rd person entities (he, she, they, or named nouns), the verb is 3rd person. Crucially, formal address (Ön, Maga) counts as 3rd person.
Example: Ön és a kollégája beszélnek (You [formal] and your colleague are speaking).

Note on 3rd Person Pairs: When two 3rd-person singular subjects are joined, Hungarian frequently uses a singular verb (e.g., Péter és Mari sétál). This is a common stylistic choice for both people and objects. However, for mixed persons (1st or 2nd), the plural hierarchy is mandatory.

Examples (5)

  1. Te és én moziba megyünk.

    You and I are going to the cinema.

    Word by Word: You and I cinema-into go-we.

    Since 'I' (1st person) is present, the verb 'megy' takes the 1st person plural ending '-ünk'. While 'Én és te' is grammatically correct, it is considered more polite to put the other person first in Hungarian.

  2. Te és a bátyád mindig elkéstek.

    You and your brother are always late.

    Word by Word: You and the brother-your always away-late-you(pl).

    There is no 1st person, but 'you' (2nd person) is present, so the verb takes the 2nd person plural ending '-tek'.

  3. Ön és a felesége itt laknak?

    Do you (formal) and your wife live here?

    Word by Word: You(formal) and the wife-his/her here live-they?

    Formal address (Ön) counts as 3rd person. Since both subjects are 3rd person, the verb takes the 3rd person plural ending '-nak'.

  4. Péter és Mari a kertben tanul.

    Peter and Mary are studying in the garden.

    Word by Word: Peter and Mary the garden-in study-he/she.

    When both subjects are 3rd person singular, Hungarian often uses a singular verb form, even for people.

  5. Én és a barátom láttuk a filmet.

    My friend and I saw the movie.

    Word by Word: I and the friend-my saw-we the movie-acc.

    The hierarchy applies to all tenses and both the indefinite and definite conjugations. Here, the 1st person 'I' forces the 1st person plural definite ending '-uk'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the 3rd person plural as a 'neutral' plural for mixed subjects.

    Te és én ott vannak.
    Te és én ott vagyunk.

    Learners often think 'they' is the default plural, but if 'I' is included, you must use the 'we' form (vagyunk).

  • Using a singular verb for mixed-person subjects.

    Én és te elindul.
    Én és te elindulunk.

    While two 3rd-person nouns sometimes take a singular verb, mixed persons (1st/2nd) always require a plural verb.

  • Agreeing only with the closest noun instead of the hierarchy.

    A barátom és te elment.
    A barátom és te elmentetek.

    Even if the 2nd person pronoun 'te' is at the end, the verb must be 2nd person plural, not 3rd person singular matching 'barátom'.

How It Connects

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

Mixed-Person AgreementLevel 5

Learn This First

To understand the person hierarchy in mixed subjects (e.g., 'you and I' vs 'you and he'), a learner needs to be comfortable with the basic person/number system of Hungarian pronouns and how verbs typically agree with multiple subjects. The hierarchy (1st > 2nd > 3rd) dictates which plural conjugation ending is applied when subjects of different persons are combined.