Hungarian case quiz
Pick the correct form to complete each Hungarian sentence. Every answer comes with a one-line explanation, and the questions target the choices learners most often get wrong: where vs where to, inner vs surface, and vowel harmony.
Knowing the case table is not the same as choosing the right case in a sentence. These questions are built around the distinctions that cause the most errors: hol? versus hová?, -ban versus -on, and the verbs that demand a specific case.
What the quiz tests, and why
The questions are grouped around five decisions, each of which trips learners up for a different reason:
- Where, where to, where from. English uses "in" for both a táskában and a táskába ("put it in the bag"). Hungarian always separates location from movement. See the local cases.
- Inner, surface or proximity. People take the proximity cases (orvosnál, orvoshoz, orvostól), surfaces take the surface cases, containers take the inner cases.
- Place names. The -ban/-on split for towns is conventional. See -ban or -on with cities.
- Verb government. Many verbs fix the case of their complement: vár valakire, fél valamitől, bízik valakiben. These must be learned with the verb.
- Form details. Vowel harmony, final-vowel lengthening and -val/-vel assimilation. The suffix builder shows these for any noun.
The questions appear in random order each time you load the page. For the full overview, see all Hungarian cases.
Sources and further reading
- Carol H. Rounds, Hungarian: An Essential Grammar (2nd ed., Routledge, 2009), chapters on case suffixes
- István Kenesei, Robert M. Vago and Anna Fenyvesi, Hungarian (Descriptive Grammars series, Routledge, 1998)
Frequently asked questions
Which Hungarian cases should I learn first?
The accusative -t, then the inner local cases (-ban, -ba, -ból), the instrumental -val/-vel and the dative -nak/-nek. Those cover the large majority of everyday sentences.
How do I know whether a verb needs -ra or -ba?
For physical movement, ask whether the goal is a surface (-ra) or an enclosed space (-ba). For abstract uses the case belongs to the verb and must be memorised: gondol valamire, hisz valamiben.
Is the quiz suitable for beginners?
Yes. Each question tests one decision, and the explanation after every answer tells you the rule. If a question feels too hard, follow the link to the rule and come back.