Hungarian articles: a, az and egy

Hungarian articles look easy: no gender, no case forms, just a, az and egy. The difficulty is in usage, because Hungarian puts a definite article where English has none (Szeretem a kávét, "I like coffee") and leaves out egy where English needs "a" (Tanár vagyok, "I am a teacher"). The choice also decides the verb form, so it matters more than it seems.

A or az: decided by sound, not spelling

The definite article is a before a word beginning with a consonant sound and az before a vowel sound, much like English a/an:

• a ház, a kert, a szék the house, the garden, the chair
• az alma, az ember, az út, az iskola, az ötlet the apple, the person, the road, the school, the idea

Because the rule follows pronunciation, you must read digits and abbreviations aloud in your head:

See numbers for which numerals start with a vowel: egy, öt, ezer and everything built on them take az.

The article with demonstratives

az is also the demonstrative "that", and ez means "this". Demonstratives before a noun always need the article as well: ez a ház (this house), az a ház (that house), az az ember (that person). The demonstrative takes the same case ending as the noun, the article does not: ebben a házban (in this house), azt az embert (that person, as object).

Egy: indefinite article and the number one

egy works like English "a/an", but it is the same word as the number "one". In speech the difference is stress: the article is unstressed and leans on the noun, the numeral is stressed.

• Van egy kutyám. I have a dog.
• Csak EGY kutyám van. I have only one dog.
• Az egyik barátom orvos. One of my friends is a doctor.

There is no plural indefinite article. Where English says "some apples" or just "apples", Hungarian usually uses the bare singular: Almát vettem. "I bought (some) apples." See plural for why the singular is so common.

Where Hungarian uses "the" and English does not

Generic and abstract nouns

When a noun refers to a whole kind of thing or to an abstract idea, Hungarian uses the definite article, English usually does not:

• Szeretem a kávét. I like coffee.
• Az idő pénz. Time is money.
• A pénz nem boldogít. Money doesn't make you happy.
• A macskák szeretik a halat. Cats like fish.
• Az élet szép. Life is beautiful.

Possessed nouns

A noun with a possessive suffix normally takes the definite article: a házam (my house), az autója (his/her car), a barátaink (our friends). The emphatic pronoun, if used, goes between the article and the noun: az én házam (MY house). With a possessor noun, the article belongs to the possessor: a szomszéd kutyája (the neighbour's dog). Full details are in possessive suffixes and possession with -nak.

• A kutyám beteg. My dog is ill.
• Ez a házam. This is my house. (also: this house of mine)
• Egy barátom Debrecenben lakik. A friend of mine lives in Debrecen.

Geographical and institutional names

Countries and towns take no article (Magyarország, Budapest, Anglia), but many other proper names do:

First names in colloquial speech

In informal speech many Hungarians put the article before first names: Megjött a Péter. "Péter has arrived." Beszéltem az Annával. "I talked to Anna." This is widespread in everyday conversation but avoided in formal speech and writing, where Megjött Péter is the norm. Learners should recognise it and may use it with friends; do not use it in an email to a colleague. See names and titles.

Where Hungarian omits the article

These are the places where English speakers add an article that Hungarian does not want:

1. Predicate nouns (jobs, roles, nationalities): Tanár vagyok. "I'm a teacher." Péter orvos. "Péter is a doctor." Adding egy makes it "a certain, some kind of".
2. Unspecified objects that form one activity with the verb: Újságot olvasok. "I'm reading a paper." Lakást keresünk. "We're looking for a flat." This is the verb modifier slot described in word order and focus.
3. Possession and existence questions: Van autód? "Do you have a car?" Van gyereked? "Do you have children?" Nincs időm. "I don't have time." See van and nincs.
4. Routine visits to places and people: Iskolába megy. "She goes to school." Orvoshoz megyek. "I'm going to the doctor." Moziba megyünk. "We're going to the cinema." With the article (az orvoshoz) you mean one particular doctor already known to both speakers.
5. After quantifiers: minden nap (every day), sok ember (many people), néhány perc (a few minutes), melyik busz? (which bus?).
6. With personal names in neutral style: Kovács Péter itt dolgozik.

Why the article matters: definite conjugation

The article is not just a detail of style. A definite object requires the definite conjugation of the verb, an indefinite one the indefinite conjugation. Choosing the article therefore chooses the verb ending:

The generic row is where learners slip: English has no article, so they reach for the indefinite szeretek kávét, which sounds wrong. Hungarian treats "coffee in general" as definite.

English vs Hungarian: a quick contrast table

For a broader comparison see Hungarian vs English.

Typical learner errors

1. Choosing a/az by the letter, not the sound. a 8. emelet is right (nyolcadik), but *a 5. emelet is wrong: az 5. emelet (the 5th floor), because ötödik starts with a vowel.
2. Leaving out the article with generic nouns. *Szeretek kávét → Szeretem a kávét.
3. Adding egy to jobs. *Egy tanár vagyok for "I'm a teacher" → Tanár vagyok.
4. Forgetting the article after a demonstrative. *ez ház → ez a ház; *ebben házban → ebben a házban.
5. Putting the article on countries and cities. *a Magyarország, *a Budapest → Magyarország, Budapest. But a Balaton and a Duna need it.
6. Dropping the article before possessed nouns. *Kutyám beteg → A kutyám beteg. Without the article it sounds like a headline or a line of poetry.

More slips of this kind are collected in common mistakes.

Sources and further reading

• Carol H. Rounds, Hungarian: An Essential Grammar (2nd ed., Routledge, 2009), on articles and demonstratives
• István Kenesei, Robert M. Vago and Anna Fenyvesi, Hungarian (Descriptive Grammars series, Routledge, 1998), on noun phrases and definiteness
• Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, A magyar helyesírás szabályai (12th ed., Akadémiai Kiadó, 2015), on names of streets, institutions and geographical features

Frequently asked questions