Let’s LearnHungarian

Lesson 58 of 74 · A2, Unit 2: Grammar toolkit

Someone, something, nobody

valaki/valami ('someone/something') and mindenki/minden ('everyone/everything') behave like ordinary nouns — they can take -t for a direct object, -nak/-nek for 'to/for', and so on.

senki/semmi ('no one/nothing') look negative already, but Hungarian still needs nem before the verb: Nem látok senkit literally says 'I don't see nobody' — this double negative is required, correct Hungarian, not a mistake.

By the end you can:

  • use valaki/valami (someone/something) and senki/semmi (no one/nothing)
  • build the double negative Hungarian requires: nem + senki/semmi together
  • use mindenki/minden (everyone/everything) confidently

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