Basic and useful Hungarian phrases for a trip to Budapest

When you plan to travel to Budapest and Hungary for a few days, it is definitely important to learn a few useful Hungarian phrases and words. Don’t worry, most young Hungarians speak English, and everybody in the tourism and hospitality industry speaks English very well (in Budapest for sure); however, some basic Hungarian will come in handy.

In this post, you will learn a few simple Hungarian phrases and words that will make Hungarians like you! The Hungarian language is one of the most difficult in the world, so there is no point in learning full sentences, or questions and answers, if you spend just a few days in Hungary.

Instead, a few greetings and common Hungarian words will show the locals that you are interested in them and respectful of their customs and culture: the perfect attitude to start a conversation or receive a smile back.

Are you planning to visit Budapest? Check out our super efficient resources:
– 1-day itinerary in Budapest with detailed map and duration
– the best cheap things to do in Budapest – food, attractions, transport and more
– useful Budapest travel tips by locals
– and much more about what to visit in Hungary

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Basic Hungarian rules and my experience as an expat

When I moved to Hungary in 2014, I thought I could learn the language quickly, just like I had done with English and Spanish. Boy, was I wrong!

I joined group classes where I learned some basic grammar and everyday vocabulary. It was really hard, and it made little sense to me. Afterwards, any new word would rarely stay in my head for long. Colleagues at the office and Italian-Hungarian tandem classes kept me trained, but I didn’t progress much.

You know why? It’s because almost everybody I encountered spoke enough English, or I spoke enough Hungarian. We understood each other, even though I could not form a full sentence in Hungarian, and I understood maybe one in five words they said 😀 .

I remember I was at the supermarket, looking for yeast to bake a cake, but I could see only yeast for bread. I told two Hungarian words to a kind lady: “Sorry, cake?” Pointing at the wall of mysterious products, and smiled. She helped me right away!

Long story short: a couple of Hungarian words and a smile on your face will make a difference during your trip to Budapest or Hungary.

Just remember a few easy rules:

• In Hungarian, you speak the way you write (as opposed to English), so you can give it a try and pronounce the words you see. It may make the person laugh, and then they will help you!
• There are lots of accents on vowels, but you can skip them, you should be understood anyway
• Don’t take for granted that people speak English: after all, you are a guest in their country! Be polite and first ask if they speak English
• Always keep a smile on your face 🙂

Greetings and useful Hungarian words

Say these useful Hungarian phrases to everybody: hotel staff, waiters, bus drivers, tour guides, shop assistants. They are basic, polite words that will create a good vibe around you.

• Jó napot = good day (pronounced yo na-pot) (bonus: say “jó reggelt” before 9 AM, pronounced yo reh-gelt)
• Jó estét = good evening (pronounced yo esh-tet) (from when it gets dark)
• Jó éjszakát = good night (pronounced yo ey-sa-kat) (when you actually go to bed)

• Szia = hi, hello when greeting someone (pronounced see-yah, very informal) (bonus: “szia” is singular, say “sziasztok” to greet many people)
• Hello = hello when greeting and also bye when going away (pronounced hello, very informal)
• Viszlát = goodbye (pronounced vees-lat, formal) (bonus: the full, polite version is “viszontlátásra” and only a very patient Hungarian will help you learn it 🙂 )

• Igen = yes (pronounced ee-gen with hard “g” like “get”)
• Nem = no (pronounced nem)

• Köszi= Thank you (pronounced kew-si, consider the “ö” sounds like the “o” of “colonel”, informal) (bonus: the full, polite word is “köszönöm”, pronounced kew-sew-newm)

• Bocsi = sorry (pronounced bo-chi, informal) (bonus: the full, polite word is “bocsánat”, or “elnézést”)

• Egészségedre = cheers when drinking, bless you when sneezing, and I hope you enjoyed your meal when you emptied your dish. (This may sound hard, but it’s guaranteed to produce smiles and appreciation! Pronounced eh-geh-sheh-geh-dreh).

Show appreciation in Hungarian

Use these simple Hungarian words to describe the food you are eating or what you saw during the day, even when the local person is speaking to you in English. A smile is guaranteed!

• Nagyon finom = delicious (pronounced nah-jon fee-nom)
• Nagyon kedves = very kind (tell them when they help you with directions) (pronounced nah-jon ked-vesh)
• Nagyon szép = gorgeous (pronounced nah-jon sep, with a long “e” like in “saint”
• Budapest is a gorgeous city = Budapest nagyon szép város (pronounced Budapesht nahjon sep vahrosh)

• Király = cool! (Literally, it means “king”) (Use it as appreciation for a good and complete answer, or when you learn something interesting) (pronounced kee-rah-y)

• Beszél angolul? = do you speak English? (This is tricky because Hungarians downplay their language skills! They may answer “a little” but actually speak well. I recommend using a strong English accent, otherwise they may try to answer to you in Hungarian :D) (pronounced beh-sel ahn-go-lool)

Bonus tip: do you tip in Hungary?
Yes, it is customary to leave a 10% tip at the end of your meal, even to the bartender when you get your drink at the counter. However, some establishments include it as “service” in the bill (look for “szervisz” at the end of the receipt) and in that case it is not expected to leave a 10% tip.
In order to receive extra good service at your hotel, leave 1000-2000 HUF (that’s 3-6 Euros) at check-in!

Talking about money, the currency in Hungary is the Hungarian Forint. We strongly recommend the Wise multi-currency account and debit card (formerly TransferWise) to save money on commissions and fees! Check out our Wise account review here or request your card here (we will receive a commission after your first transaction. Thank you!).

City basics and survival on the street in Hungarian

I bet you will use Google Maps or something similar, so you should be quite independent as you get around Budapest.

However, just in case your battery is dead, or the app shows you indications in Hungarian, or if you simply prefer to read the signs in front of you, here are some useful Hungarian words to understand the city around you.

• Utca, út, körút = street, avenue, ring boulevard (pronounced uzza like “pizza”, uut, ko-root)
• Tér, tere = square (pronounced ter, teh-reh)
• Híd = bridge (pronounced heed)

• Bejárat = entrance (pronounced beh-yah-raht)
• Kijárat = exit (pronounced kee-yah-raht)
  (Language geeks, see how it works? Járat means to go, be means in and ki means out!)

• Étterem = restaurant (pronounced eh-teh-rem)
• Bankkartya = credit card (pronounced bahnk-kaar-tya)
• Készpénz = cash (pronounced kes-penz)
  (Bonus tip: watch out for signs that say “csak bankkártya” or “csak készpénz”, as they accept only card or only cash).

• Busz = bus (pronounced boos)
• Villamos = tram (pronounced vil-la-mosh)
• Metro = underground, subway, metro (pronounced metro)

• Nyitva = open (pronounced neet–va where the “n” sound is similar to the Spanish “ñ”)
• Zarva = closed (pronounced zahr–va)

• Maszk = mask (pronounced in the same way as English)

Bonus tip: how to behave in the street and on means of transport in Budapest

• Cross the street on the zebra, cars usually stop for you
• Wait for the green light
• On the bus/tram/metro, get up and let sit women and elderly, and let them through the door first
• Smoke only outdoors and a few meters away from restaurant doors
• Throw trash in bins
• Ask the locals for updated rules on public drinking because they keep changing

Simple Hungarian words for foods and drinks

If you’re adventurous with local foods and you like to find restaurants for locals, probably there won’t be an English menu, and the waiters’ English could be very basic.

Here are a few Hungarian words for survival:

• Víz = water (pronounced veez)
• Bor = wine (pronounced bor)
• Sőr = beer (pronounced shewr, with the “o” sound of “colonel”, or similar to “sure” in British English)
• Kávé = coffee (pronounced kaa-veh)
• Csirke = chicken (pronounced chir-keh)
• Marha = beef (pronounced mahr-ha, push out air like when laughing at the “ha”)
• Vegetáriánus = vegetarian (try to ask this and they should point at a suitable dish) (pronounced with hard “g”)
• Krumpli/burgonya = potatoes (pronounced kroom-plee/boor-go-nya)
• Saláta = salad (pronounced shah-lah-tah)

What else should you know about Budapest? Check out our super efficient resources:
– 1-day itinerary in Budapest with detailed map and duration
– the best cheap things to do in Budapest – food, attractions, transport and more
– useful Budapest travel tips by locals
– and much more about what to visit in Hungary

More simple Hungarian words?

I think these simple Hungarian phrases and words will be very helpful during your stay in Budapest and Hungary!

Tried and tested by me, an expat in Budapest and by my parents on holiday here 🙂

Would you like to learn more Hungarian words? Let me know in the comments!