Present Indefinite Endings

Level 1

Hungarian verbs change their endings based on the subject (I, you, he/she, etc.). The indefinite conjugation is the 'default' form used when you aren't talking about a specific, definite thing.

How It Works

In Hungarian, verbs must agree with the subject in person and number. Unlike the definite conjugation, the indefinite conjugation is used when there is no direct object, or when the direct object is indefinite (e.g., preceded by the indefinite article egy or a number, or when the object itself is a general plural noun without a definite article, an indefinite or general pronoun like valamit or mindent, a question word like mit or kit, an infinitive like olvasni, or a 1st or 2nd person pronoun like engem or téged).

1. The Dictionary Form
For most verbs, the 3rd-person singular indefinite form (e.g., tanul, vár) is the 'zero ending' form and is the entry in dictionaries. However, -ik verbs (like eszik or dolgozik) include the -ik suffix in this form.

2. Vowel Harmony and Linking Vowels
Endings follow vowel harmony. Stems ending in two different consonants (like mond) or a long vowel + t (like fűt or tanít) require linking vowels (a, e, o, ö) before certain suffixes like -sz (e.g., mondasz). However, for other suffixes like -tok, forms without the linking vowel (e.g., mondtok) are correct and often more common in modern spoken Hungarian. In contrast, stems ending in double identical consonants (like áll or varr) or a short vowel + t (like üt or fizet) generally do not take linking vowels before these suffixes (e.g., állsz, álltok, fizetsz, fizettek). There are notable exceptions: the verb lát (to see) does not take linking vowels (e.g., látsz, láttok, látnak), while hall (to hear) does take a linking vowel despite ending in double identical consonants (e.g., hallotok).

  • Back: -ok, -sz/-asz, -, -unk, -tok/-otok, -nak/-anak
  • Front Unrounded: -ek, -sz/-esz, -, -ünk, -tek/-etek, -nek/-enek
  • Front Rounded: -ök, -sz/-esz, -, -ünk, -tök/-ötök, -nek/-enek

3. The -ik Verb Exception
For -ik verbs, the standard 1st-person singular ending is -om/-em/-öm instead of -ok/-ek/-ök (e.g., eszem instead of eszek). Note: In modern, casual spoken Hungarian, native speakers frequently drop this rule and use the standard -k ending (e.g., eszek, alszok).

4. The 'S-Rule'
If a verb stem ends in s, sz, z, zs, or dz, the 2nd-person singular indefinite ending -sz changes to -ol/-el/-öl (e.g., olvas + sz becomes olvasol).

5. 1st and 2nd Person Objects
If the object is a 1st or 2nd person pronoun—'me' (engem), 'us' (minket), informal 'you' (téged), or informal 'you all' (titeket)—you use the indefinite conjugation. However, if the subject is 'I' and the object is 'you' (either singular or plural), you must use the special -lak/-lek suffix. Warning: Formal 'you' pronouns (Ön, Önök, maga, maguk) are grammatically 3rd-person and therefore trigger the definite conjugation (e.g., Látom Önt).

Examples (6)

  1. Látok egy kutyát.

    I see a dog.

    Word by Word: See-I a dog-ACC.

    Indefinite because 'a dog' (egy kutyát) is not a specific dog. The verb 'lát' takes the standard back-vowel indefinite ending '-ok'.

  2. Szeretek olvasni.

    I like to read.

    Word by Word: Like-I read-INF.

    When the object of a verb is an infinitive (olvasni), the main verb takes the indefinite conjugation.

  3. Egy almát eszem.

    I am eating an apple.

    Word by Word: A apple-ACC eat-I.

    Indefinite because 'an apple' (egy almát) is not a specific apple. Note that 'eszik' is an -ik verb, so it takes the '-om/-em/-öm' ending in the 1st person singular ('eszem' instead of 'eszek').

  4. Péter sokat dolgozik.

    Péter works a lot.

    Word by Word: Péter much works.

    There is no direct object here, which requires the indefinite conjugation. Note that -ik verbs like 'dolgozik' retain the -ik suffix in the 3rd person singular.

  5. Te látsz engem?

    Do you see me?

    Word by Word: You see-you me?

    Even though 'me' is a specific person, 1st and 2nd person objects always trigger the indefinite conjugation.

  6. Mit olvasol?

    What are you reading?

    Word by Word: What-ACC read-you?

    The stem 'olvas' ends in 's', so the 2nd person singular ending becomes '-ol' instead of '-sz'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the standard indefinite ending for 'I verb you'.

    Szeretek téged.
    Szeretlek téged.

    While 1st and 2nd person objects generally use indefinite endings, a special suffix -lak/-lek must be used specifically when 'I' is the subject and 'you' (singular or plural) is the object.

  • Forgetting the 'S-rule' for 2nd person singular.

    Te olvassz.
    Te olvasol.

    When a verb ends in s, sz, z, zs, or dz, you must use the -ol/-el/-öl ending instead of -sz to make it easier to pronounce.

  • Missing linking vowels on consonant-heavy stems.

    Mondsz valamit.
    Mondasz valamit.

    Verbs ending in two different consonants (like 'mond') or a long vowel + 't' (like 'fűt' or 'tanít') require a linking vowel (a, e, or o) before certain endings like '-sz' to aid pronunciation. However, verbs ending in double identical consonants (like 'áll' or 'varr') generally do not need this linking vowel, with the notable exception of 'hall' (to hear), which does take one (e.g., 'hallotok').

How It Connects

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Present Indefinite EndingsLevel 1

Learn This First

To become confident with present-tense indefinite endings, you must first understand Hungarian vowel harmony to select the correct suffix variant. Additionally, familiarity with subject pronouns is required as the endings change based on the person and number of the subject.

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