Lesson 72 of 74 · B1, Unit 3: Advanced grammar
Word order: putting the focus first
Hungarian word order is free, but not random: whatever is new or emphasised goes directly in front of the verb. Holnap megyek Budapestre answers 'When are you going?'; Budapestre megyek holnap answers 'Where are you going?'. Question words take that same slot: Mikor jössz haza?
When something sits in that focus slot — a question word, a contrasted word, or nem — a verb prefix gets pushed behind the verb: Péter elment ('Péter left') but Péter ment el ('It was Péter who left'), Nem jövök haza ('I'm not coming home').
By the end you can:
- put the important word directly before the verb
- split a prefixed verb after a question word, a focus, or nem
- place the prefix correctly with kell, akar and fog
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