We have gathered a few useful Hungarian expressions which you may find yourself in need of:

Szia/sziasztok
(see-yah/see-yah-stoke)
A friendly “hi” or “bye” to one person/to more than one person. Between friends this greeting form is often doubled up by saying “szia-szia”.

 Jó reggelt/napot/estét
(yoh reg-gelt/nah-poht/esh-tet)
“Good morning/afternoon/evening” Hungarians use these expressions as formal ways of greeting at different times of day.


Jó éjszakát
(yoh ey-sa-kat)
“Good night” You can use this both in a formal or informal conversation.

Viszontlátásra
(vee-saunt-lah-tahs-ra)
“Goodbye” A formal term for farewell. In friendly company, you can simply say “szia,” as explained above.

Hogy vagy?
(hoj-dj vah-dj)
“How are you doing?” Right after greeting a friend, Hungarians usually ask about each other’s well being, which is oftentimes followed by a lengthy response, whether it’s good or bad, starting with:

Köszönöm, jól. (keu-seu-neum yohl)
“I’m fine, thank you.” or

Nem jól. (nem yohl)
“I’m not well.”

Mi a neved?
(mi aw neh-ved)
“What’s your name?” An informal way of asking about someone’s name.

A nevem…
(ah neh-vehm)
“My name is…” Then fill in the blank with your name.

Honnan jöttél?
(hon-nan yot-tel)
“Where are you coming from?” An informal way of asking about your place of origin.

Hány éves vagy?
(Hauwn eh-vesh vah-dj)
“How old are you?” Note that not everyone is keen on sharing the secret of their age with you.

Beszélsz magyarul/angolul?
(bass-ale-ss ma-ja-rule/on-goh-lool)
“Do you speak Hungarian/English?” An informal way of trying to find a common language to interconnect.

Nem beszélek magyarul/angolul.
(nem bass-ale-lack ma-ja-rule/on-goh-lool)
“I don’t speak Hungarian/English.” In this case you might want to find someone who can help with translating or start using gestures to explain what you are up to.

Kérek egy pálinkát/bort/sört
(keh-rack eh-dj pah-lin-cat/bore-t/shirt)
“I would like a pálinka (Hungarian fruit brandy)/wine/beer” Certainly this will be one of your most extensively used expressions during your stay in Hungary.

Egészségedre!
(ag-eh-sheyg-ad-reh)
“Cheers!” Say this when you clink your wine glasses, and don’t forget to look into the other person’s eyes. You can also use this as “bless you” if someone sneezes. No kidding!

Jó étvágyat!
(yoh eht-vah-djot)
“Enjoy your meal!” Hungarians always say ‘jó étvágyat” to each other before they start devouring their meal.

A számlát kérem!
(aw sam-lat keh-rem)
“The bill, please!” Common term for getting the bill in a bar or restaurant. Don’t forget to check if the tip is included.

Hol van a…?
(hol vahn aw)
“Where is the…?” Depending on what you are looking for, fill in the blank.

Itt/ott
(eat/oht)
“Here/there”

Balra/jobbra/egyenesen
(bawl-ra/yohb-ra/e-dye-ne-shen)
“Left/right/straight”

A sarkon
(ah shor-kon)
“At the corner”

Bejárat/Kijárat
(beh-yah-raht/kih-yah-raht)
“Entrance/Exit”

Igen/nem (ee-gen/nehm)
“Yes/no” 

Nem értem/nem tudom
(nehm eyr-tem/nehm-tu-dome)
“I don’t understand/I don’t know”

Köszönöm
(keu-seu-neum)
“Thank you” You will often hear the short form of this as “köszi” (koh-see)

Szívesen
(see-ve-shen)
“You’re welcome”

Elnézést
(el-ney-zeysht)
“Excuse me” You can open with this phrase if you want to approach a person on the street with a question, or if somebody stands in your way.

Sajnálom
(shoy-nah-lawm)
“I’m sorry”

Várjál!
(vahr-yawl)
“Wait!” You will not only hear this if you have to wait for something, but also instead of “one moment, please”.

The Hungarian language is not considered easy, but with a little practice, you can surely get the hang of the most important expressions.