Hungarian -ik verbs
An -ik verb is a verb whose dictionary form (3sg present indefinite) ends in -ik, like lakik or eszik. In standard formal Hungarian its 1sg present indefinite ends in -m (lakom, eszem), while casual speech often uses the ordinary -k (lakok); otherwise it conjugates almost like any other verb.
On this page
Hungarian verbs are listed in the 3sg present, and for most verbs that form has no ending: ír "writes". A large group, however, shows -ik in that slot: lakik "lives", eszik "eats", dolgozik "works". These -ik verbs differ from other verbs in only a few forms, but those few forms carry real social weight, so it pays to know exactly where the differences are and how native speakers treat them.
What an -ik verb is
The -ik is not part of the stem. The stem of lakik is lak-, and the infinitive is lakni, the past lakott. The -ik appears only in the 3sg present indefinite, which is why dictionaries list the verb as lakik: it is the one form that shows you which type the verb belongs to. If you only know the infinitive, you cannot tell: lakni belongs to lakik, but tanulni belongs to tanul.
Semantically, many -ik verbs are intransitive and describe states, bodily activities, changes that happen by themselves, or reflexive actions: alszik (sleep), születik (be born), nyílik (open, by itself), öltözik (get dressed). That is a tendency, not a rule. Eszik, iszik and játszik readily take objects, and plenty of intransitive verbs (ül, fut, megy) are not -ik verbs.
Present tense paradigms
In the present indefinite, -ik verbs differ from ordinary verbs in two cells: the 3sg (-ik instead of no ending) and, in the formal standard, the 1sg (-m instead of -k). The colloquial 1sg is given in brackets.
| Person | lakik (live) | dolgozik (work) | eszik (eat) | iszik (drink) | alszik (sleep) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| én | lakom (lakok) | dolgozom (dolgozok) | eszem (eszek) | iszom (iszok) | alszom (alszok) |
| te | laksz | dolgozol | eszel | iszol | alszol |
| ő / Ön | lakik | dolgozik | eszik | iszik | alszik |
| mi | lakunk | dolgozunk | eszünk | iszunk | alszunk |
| ti | laktok | dolgoztok | esztek | isztok | alszotok |
| ők / Önök | laknak | dolgoznak | esznek | isznak | alszanak |
Everything else follows the normal rules of the present tense: vowel harmony (iszik is back-harmonic, eszik front), -ol/-el in the 2sg after sibilants (dolgozol, eszel), and a linking vowel after clusters (alszotok, alszanak).
Definite forms
Transitive -ik verbs use the ordinary definite set, with no -ik anywhere except by coincidence:
| Person | eszik def. | iszik def. | játszik def. |
|---|---|---|---|
| én | eszem | iszom | játszom |
| te | eszed | iszod | játszod |
| ő / Ön | eszi | issza | játssza |
| mi | esszük | isszuk | játsszuk |
| ti | eszitek | isszátok | játsszátok |
| ők / Önök | eszik | isszák | játsszák |
Two coincidences are worth spotting. Eszem is both "I eat" (indefinite) and "I eat it" (definite), and eszik is both "he eats" and "they eat it": A gyerekek eszik a levest ("The children are eating the soup"). This is one reason the -m ending is a reliable definite signal only for ordinary verbs (see definite and indefinite conjugation).
Stem changes in common -ik verbs
Several of the most frequent -ik verbs have a second stem used in the past, infinitive and other forms. The present-tense stem ends in -sz; the other stem ends in a vowel plus d or z, or is shortened.
| 3sg present | Meaning | Infinitive | Past 3sg |
|---|---|---|---|
| alszik | sleep | aludni | aludt |
| fekszik | lie (be lying) | feküdni | feküdt |
| emlékszik | remember | emlékezni | emlékezett |
| dicsekszik | boast | dicsekedni | dicsekedett |
| verekszik | fight | verekedni | verekedett |
| eszik | eat | enni | evett |
| iszik | drink | inni | ivott |
More on these forms: irregular verbs and past tense. Note that the past tense itself has no -ik peculiarity: laktam, ettem, dolgoztam are formed like any other verb.
Common -ik verbs, grouped by meaning
| Group | Verbs |
|---|---|
| Eating, drinking, daily routine | eszik, iszik, alszik, reggelizik, vacsorázik, fürdik, mosakodik, öltözik, borotválkozik, dohányzik |
| Living, working, moving | lakik, dolgozik, utazik, költözik, érkezik, úszik, ugrik, fekszik |
| Social and mental | találkozik, játszik, emlékszik, hazudik, bízik, veszekszik, törődik |
| Things that happen by themselves | történik, születik, esik, nyílik, kezdődik, késik, törik, érik |
| Liking and seeming | tetszik, hiányzik, látszik |
Two derivational patterns produce many -ik verbs, which makes them partly predictable. Verbs in -ódik/-ődik and -kodik/-kedik/-ködik are almost always -ik verbs (kezdődik, mosakodik, törődik), and many sport and activity verbs built with -zik/-izik are too (reggelizik, teniszezik).
- Hol laksz? Budapesten lakom. Where do you live? I live in Budapest.
- Nem emlékszem a nevére. I don't remember his name.
- Tetszik a város? Do you like the city? (literally: Does the city please you?)
- Hét órakor kezdődik a film. The film starts at seven.
When -ik changes the meaning
A few verbs exist both with and without -ik, and the two are different words. The -ik member is typically intransitive or describes something happening by itself.
| Without -ik | With -ik |
|---|---|
| tör: break (something), crush. Eltöri a poharat. "He breaks the glass." | törik: break (by itself). Könnyen törik. "It breaks easily." |
| ér: reach, be worth. Sokat ér. "It's worth a lot." | érik: ripen. Érik a szőlő. "The grapes are ripening." |
| bán: regret. Nem bánom. "I don't mind." | bánik: treat, handle (with -val/-vel). Jól bánik a gyerekekkel. "She's good with children." |
A related and much larger pattern pairs a transitive verb with an intransitive -ik verb built from the same root: kezd / kezdődik (begin something / begin), nyit / nyílik (open something / open), mos / mosakodik (wash something / wash oneself), öltöztet / öltözik (dress someone / get dressed).
- Kilenckor kezdjük a munkát. We start work at nine.
- Kilenckor kezdődik a munka. Work starts at nine.
Conditional and imperative: the other traditional -ik forms
Historically -ik verbs had a partly separate conjugation (the ikes ragozás). Besides the 1sg present -m, two relics remain.
1sg conditional: laknám or laknék?
The traditional -ik form of the 1sg conditional ends in -nám/-ném, which looks exactly like the definite form: laknám, enném, innám. Most speakers today use the ordinary indefinite -nék instead: laknék, ennék, innék. Both are accepted in the modern standard; the -nám/-ném variant sounds more careful or old-fashioned.
| Person | lakik conditional | eszik conditional |
|---|---|---|
| én | laknék / laknám | ennék / enném |
| te | laknál | ennél |
| ő / Ön | lakna | enne |
| mi | laknánk | ennénk |
| ti | laknátok | ennétek |
| ők / Önök | laknának | ennének |
- Szívesen innék egy kávét. I'd gladly have a coffee.
- Szívesen innám egy kávét. Same meaning, traditional -ik form, heard less often.
With a definite object, only -nám/-ném is possible for any verb: Szívesen meginnám ezt a bort. See conditional.
3sg imperative: egyék, igyék
In the 3sg imperative and subjunctive, some -ik verbs have an older -ék form next to the usual one: egyék / egyen, igyék / igyon, aludjék / aludjon. The -ék forms sound formal or literary. See imperative and subjunctive.
Lakom or lakok? Register and social judgement
The 1sg -k of -ik verbs (lakok, dolgozok, eszek, iszok) is extremely widespread in everyday speech across the country. Normative grammar has long recommended -m, and in writing, in formal speech, in exams and in any setting where you want to sound educated, lakom, dolgozom, eszem, iszom are the safe choice. The judgement is not uniform across verbs: with the oldest core verbs, above all eszem and iszom, the -k form tends to be noticed and criticized more, while with longer and newer verbs such as reggelizek or teniszezek it is often barely noticed.
Tip for learners: use -m consistently. It is never wrong, and it avoids the risk of sounding careless. Just be ready to hear -k all around you. The reverse error, putting -m on an ordinary indefinite verb (*Én minden nap olvasom for "I read every day"), is a genuine mistake, because on a non-ik verb -m means a definite object.
What suksükölés really is (and why it is different)
Learners sometimes hear that lakok is "suksükölés". It is not. Suksükölés is a separate and far more stigmatized feature that has nothing to do with -ik verbs. It means using the subjunctive/imperative forms of verbs ending in -t where the indicative is required. For these verbs the two moods look different:
| Verb | Indicative (standard) | Subjunctive (standard) | Suksüköző indicative |
|---|---|---|---|
| tanít | tanítjuk, tanítja | tanítsuk, tanítsa | *tanítsuk, *tanítsa |
| lát | látjuk, látja | lássuk, lássa | *lássuk, *lássa |
| ért | értjük, érti | értsük, értse | *értsük, *értse |
| halaszt | halasztjuk, halasztja | halasszuk, halassza | *halasszuk, *halassza |
- Ezt mi nem így tanítjuk. We don't teach this like that. (standard)
- *Ezt mi nem így tanítsuk. The same meaning with suksükölés, strongly stigmatized.
- Azt akarom, hogy így tanítsuk. I want us to teach it like this. (correct subjunctive)
The name imitates the -suk/-sük ending that replaces -juk/-jük. In normal pronunciation the two forms are already close: the tj of tanítjuk is pronounced as a long ty, the ts of tanítsuk as cs. That closeness makes the confusion easy to fall into, and the distinction has become a strong marker of education in the eyes of many speakers. Another stigmatized feature, nákolás, uses -nák for the 1sg indefinite conditional (*olvasnák for olvasnék). In short: lakok is informal, suksükölés and nákolás are regarded as nonstandard.
Learner errors to avoid
- Dropping the -ik in the 3sg: *Budapesten lak. Correct: Budapesten lakik.
- Keeping the -ik elsewhere: *lakiknak, *lakikni. The -ik exists only in the 3sg present indefinite.
- Treating every intransitive verb as -ik: *ülik, *futik. Correct: ül, fut.
- Forgetting the second stem: *alszott, *alszni. Correct: aludt, aludni.
- Reading eszem as definite: Eszem. can simply mean "I'm eating".
Sources and further reading
- Carol H. Rounds, Hungarian: An Essential Grammar (2nd ed., Routledge, 2009), on -ik verbs
- Miklós Törkenczy, Hungarian Verbs and Essentials of Grammar (2nd ed., McGraw-Hill, 2008)
- István Kenesei, Robert M. Vago and Anna Fenyvesi, Hungarian (Descriptive Grammars series, Routledge, 1998)
- Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont (HUN-REN Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics), language advice service (e-nyelv.hu / nyelvtudomanyi.hu)
Key takeaways
- An -ik verb shows -ik only in the 3sg present indefinite, its dictionary form.
- Formal 1sg present indefinite ends in -m: lakom, eszem, iszom; colloquial -k is common but best avoided by learners.
- 1sg conditional: laknék (usual) or laknám (traditional); 3sg imperative may be egyék/igyék (formal).
- Some verbs change meaning with -ik: tör / törik, ér / érik, bán / bánik.
- Suksükölés is not about -ik verbs: it is using tanítsuk where tanítjuk is required.
Frequently asked questions
Is it "lakom" or "lakok"?
Both are heard. Lakom is the standard, formal form; lakok is very common in casual speech but is judged informal. Learners should default to lakom.
Why do Hungarian dictionaries list verbs in the third person?
The 3sg present indefinite is the barest form of most verbs (ír), and it is the only form that reveals whether a verb is an -ik verb (lakik). The infinitive does not show this.
What is suksükölés?
It is using subjunctive forms like tanítsuk or lássa where the indicative tanítjuk or látja is required. It affects verbs ending in -t, is strongly stigmatized, and is unrelated to -ik verbs.
Is "innék" or "innám" correct?
Both are accepted for "I would drink". Innék is the everyday form; innám is the traditional -ik form, and it is also the only option when the object is definite.
How can I tell if a verb is an -ik verb?
Check the dictionary form: if the 3sg present ends in -ik, it is one. Verbs in -ódik/-ődik and -kodik/-kedik/-ködik are almost always -ik verbs; otherwise learn the verb with its -ik.