The Around the World phrasebook
Let's learn traveller's Hungarian
Not the school kind — the airport, taxi and dinner-table kind. Every phrase with a say-it-out-loud pronunciation.
Nobody expects you to speak fluent Hungarian. But ten words in the right places — and the market seller smiles, the driver drops the price, the waiter brings the good stuff. We've gathered 65 phrases that actually work, sorted by the moment you'll need them: the landing, the taxi, check-in, the table. Each with a pronunciation you can read aloud without cringing.
Phrasebook · 1/8
First words
| What you want to say | Hungarian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello (formal) | Jó napot | YO NA-pot |
| Hello (informal) | Szia | SI-ya |
| Goodbye | Viszontlátásra | vi-SONT-la-TASH-ra |
| Thank you | Köszönöm | KO-so-nom |
| Please | Kérem | KE-rem |
| Yes | Igen | I-gen |
| No | Nem | NEM |
| Sorry | Bocsánat | bo-CHA-nat |
| I don't understand | Nem értem | NEM ER-tem |
| Do you speak English? | Beszél angolul? | BE-sel AN-go-lul? |
Phrasebook · 2/8
Courtesy & introductions
| What you want to say | Hungarian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning | Jó reggelt | YOH REH-gelt |
| Good evening | Jó estét | YOH ESH-tet |
| How are you? | Hogy vagy? | HODJ vadj |
| My name is… | A nevem… | AH NEV-em… |
| Nice to meet you | Örülök, hogy megismertelek | ERU-lok, HODJ meg-ISH-mer-telek |
| I am from Israel | Izraelből vagyok | IZ-ra-el-bel VAJ-ok |
| See you | Viszlát | VIS-lat |
Phrasebook · 3/8
At the airport & on the flight
| What you want to say | Hungarian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Where is the gate? | Hol van a kapu? | HOL-vahn ah KAH-poo? |
| Is the flight delayed? | Késik a járat? | KEH-sheek ah YAHR-aht? |
| Boarding pass | Beszállókártya | be-SAH-loh-KAR-tyah |
| My suitcase hasn't arrived | A bőröndöm nem érkezett meg | ah BEH-ren-dem nem EHR-keh-zet meg |
| I have a connecting flight | Átszállásom van | AH-tsah-lah-shom vahn |
| Window/aisle seat | Ablak melletti/folyosó melletti ülés | AH-blahk MEH-leh-tee/FOY-oh-shoh MEH-leh-tee OO-lesh |
| Where is passport control? | Hol van az útlevél-ellenőrzés? | HOL vahn ahz OOT-leh-vel-EL-leh-nor-zesh? |
Phrasebook · 4/8
Transport & directions
| What you want to say | Hungarian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| To this address, please. | Erre a címre, kérem. | E-reh ah TSEEM-reh, KEH-rem. |
| How much to the center? | Mennyibe kerül a központba? | MEN-yi-beh KEH-rul ah KEHZ-pont-bah? |
| One ticket to… | Egy jegyet kérek… | EDJ YE-get KEH-rek… |
| Which platform? | Melyik vágány? | MEY-ik VAH-gah-ny? |
| Where is the bus station? | Hol van a buszmegálló? | HOL vahn ah BOOS-meh-gah-loh? |
| Stop here, please. | Álljon meg itt, kérem. | AHL-yon meg ITT, KEH-rem. |
| Is it far? | Messze van? | MEH-seh vahn? |
| Turn left/right. | Forduljon balra/jobbra. | FOR-dul-yon BOL-rah/YOB-rah. |
| Straight ahead. | Egyenesen előre. | EDJ-yeh-neh-shen e-LOH-reh. |
Phrasebook · 5/8
Hotel & stay
| What you want to say | Hungarian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| I have a reservation | Van foglalásom | VAHN FOG-la-LA-shom |
| Check-in | Bejelentkezés | BE-ye-lent-ke-ZESH |
| Check-out | Kijelentkezés | KI-ye-lent-ke-ZESH |
| Is breakfast included? | Tartalmazza a reggelit? | TAR-tal-MA-za a REG-ge-lit? |
| Room key | Szobakulcs | SO-ba-KULCH |
| Wi-Fi password | Wi-Fi jelszó | WI-FI YEL-so |
| Can I leave my luggage? | Hagyhatom a csomagjaimat? | HAGY-ha-tom a CHO-ma-GYAI-mat? |
| The air conditioner doesn't work | A légkondicionáló nem működik | A LEG-kon-di-CIO-na-lo NEM MYU-ko-dik |
Phrasebook · 6/8
Restaurant & food
| What you want to say | Hungarian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| A table for two | Egy asztalt két főre | EDJ AS-talt KAYT FO-reh |
| The menu, please | Az étlapot kérem | AZ ET-lah-pot KEH-rem |
| What do you recommend? | Mit ajánl? | MIT A-yanl |
| The bill, please | A számlát kérem | AH SAM-lat KEH-rem |
| Tap water | Csapvizet | CHOP-vi-zet |
| I have a nut allergy | Dióallergiám van | DEE-oh-al-ler-GYAM van |
| No meat | Hús nélkül | HOOS NAY-kul |
| It was excellent | Kitűnő volt | KEE-tu-neh VOLT |
| Can I pay by card? | Fizethetek kártyával? | FEE-ze-te-tek KAR-tya-val |
Phrasebook · 7/8
Shopping & money
| What you want to say | Hungarian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| How much does it cost? | Mennyibe kerül? | MEN-nyi-beh KE-rul? |
| That's too expensive | Ez túl drága | EZ TOOL DRA-ga |
| Do you accept credit cards? | Elfogadnak bankkártyát? | EL-fo-gad-nak BANK-kar-tyat? |
| I'm just looking | Csak nézelődöm | CHAK NE-ze-lo-dem |
| Can I have a receipt? | Kaphatok nyugtát? | KAP-ha-tok NYUG-tat? |
| Where is an ATM? | Hol van egy ATM? | HOL van egy EY-TEE-EM? |
| A smaller size | Egy kisebb méret | EGY KISH-eb ME-ret |
Phrasebook · 8/8
Emergencies & health
| What you want to say | Hungarian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Help! | Segítség! | se-GYI-tseeg! |
| Call a doctor | Hívjanak orvost | HEE-vya-nak OR-vost |
| Call the police | Hívjanak rendőrséget | HEE-vya-nak REN-dor-she-get |
| Where is a pharmacy? | Hol van gyógyszertár? | HOL van DYOD-szer-tar? |
| I don't feel well | Nem érzem jól magam | NEM ER-zem YOL ma-gam |
| I'm lost | Elvesztem | EL-ves-tem |
| I need a hospital | Kórházba kell mennem | KOR-haz-ba KEL MEN-nem |
| It hurts here | Fáj itt | FAI it |
Q&A
Answers to your questions
How do you say "thank you" in Hungarian?
"Köszönöm" (KO-so-nom). It's one of the five words worth knowing by heart before you land.
How much Hungarian do I need for a trip?
Not much. Five or six courtesy words (hello, thank you, please, sorry, yes/no) open doors, and another ten to fifteen phrases for fixed situations — a taxi, check-in, the restaurant bill — cover almost any trip. The rest: a camera-translation app.
Can you get by in English where Hungarian is spoken?
In city centres, hotels and tourist sites — usually yes, especially with younger people. Outside them — markets, transport, small towns — a few words of the local language make a real difference and are warmly received.
Which countries have Hungarian as an official language?
Hungarian is a main language in 1 countries: Hungary.
What's the difference between the formal and casual greeting?
Most languages have a formal "hello" for strangers, service staff and elders, and an everyday version for friends and peers. As a traveller it's always safer to open with the formal one — nobody is offended by too much politeness.
How do you politely ask someone to speak English?
"Beszél angolul?" (BE-sel AN-go-lul?) — "do you speak English?". Lead with "excuse me" in the local language and it comes across as respectful.
About this page
Written and checked by the Around the World team. We compare prices across the major providers, cross-check official sources, and update when something changes. We have no stake in any one provider — links are affiliate links, and the price is the same for you.
Sources: Phrasebook: the Around the World team · Language-to-country: Around the World data