12 · Beginner · 15 minutes
Határozott ragozás
By the end you can: Choose the right verb ending based on whether the object is definite.
Hungarian conjugates a verb two ways, and which one you use depends on the object. This has no equivalent in English, German, Arabic, or Hebrew, so it takes deliberate practice — but the rule itself is short.
If the object is indefinite — , or no article, or "something" — use the indefinite conjugation you already know: . "I'm reading a book."
If the object is definite — it has / , or it's a name, or it's / , or it carries a possessive ending — use the definite conjugation: . "I'm reading the book." ? "Do you see Anna?"
The definite endings, on "see": , , , , , . Front-vowel verbs mirror it: , , , , , .
One special form: when "I" act on "you", Hungarian fuses them into - / -. . "I love you." . "I see you." No pronoun needed — the ending says both.
Arabic and Hebrew speakers have a foothold here: "the object is definite" is the same category as ال and ה. If you can hear the difference between عندي الكتاب and عندي كتاب, you can learn to hear this.