28 Comments
I feel like the difference between indefinite and definite verbs should be mentioned before a definite verb pops up; the only reason I knew that's what was going on here is that I've heard of definite verbs before. If someone hadn't heard of them previously, there'd be no way to tell that's why it's keresed instead of keresel. This creates unnecessary confusion and, possibly, frustration.
Sorry about that — a few of these forms slipped in. There's a new section in the tips & notes now and we'll fix the hints!
Ah, I didn't know it was accidental. I just checked the Tips & Notes, and it's great to see an explanation in there. Thanks for solving the problem! :D
That happened to me right now and I do not know, when it is ed or el at the ending.
25
Is this why some verbs are suddenly ending in "od" instead of "asz" in the you form?
yes, that's correct. In general: (There are a lot of rules for this) (What vowel goes between the verb and the ending, cases where the verb is irregular, fleeting vowels, etc...)
"I" changes from -k to -m Ex: Varok - Varom; Szeretek - Szeretem "You" changes from -sz to -d Ex: Varsz - Varod; Szeretsz - Szereted "he/she/it" changes from no ending to -ja(back vowel) to -i (front vowel) Ex: Var - Varja; Szeret- Szereti
Szeretni is to like or love, I don't think we've learned that one yet.
Definite verb - the object is one specific item - The table - the pink one - that one - this one - the mug - my mug - his mug, etc
Indefinite verb - the object is not a specific item - e.g. a cookie/biscuit - a ball - a ticket
Kérek szépen egy jegyet Bécsbe. - Could I please have a ticket to Vienna. - Indefinite - You don't care which individual ticket it is, so long as it goes to Vienna
Kérem a fehér sütit - The white biscuit please - Definite - There is one white cookie and you want it!
So why not just use articles for that? Why does the verb need to change? There has to be something more to the difference in order to affect the actual verb.
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Why does English change the verb form (dropping an s) when the subject is plural? After all we know the subject is plural as it's marked for plurality too. Sometimes languages demand what seems like unnecessary concordance.
But in Hungarian, the definite/indefinite distinction can communicate a difference, as far as I understand it. First bear in mind that first and second person objects count as indefinites, while third person objects count as definite. A definite verb with no expressed subject is thus understood as referring to a third person object:
Latom = I see him/her/it Latok = I see (generally, I'm not blind)
You could say that latom means the same as latom ők, except that (if i understand correctly), ők doesn't usually refer to inanimate objects (it).
There's more to it than this, but you can see how the definite/indefinite distinction works its way into the logic of the language.
With a definite verb you specify the object(s). The conjugation of the verb shows that you are talking about something in particular.
"Szeretem azt a könyvet" - "I love that book."
"Az újságot olvasom." - "I'm reading the newspaper."
With an indefinite verb you just refer to the object(s) in general. "Egy újságot olvasok." - "I'm reading a newspaper."
Thank you very much for this answer. I start to understand the difference and will have to exercise a lot. These changing words drive me crazy.
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Thanks for your informative response, James. What a challenging language! So unlike the others I've learned.
Come on, can someone tell me why this cannot be accepted? these or those you are searching for?
- 263
How can i access the tips and notes from the mobile app? Is it possible at all? Thanks :)
Hey! I don't think it's possible — I had a look at the French course on the mobile app and I don't see them, even though they have all kinds of fancy extras.
Doesn't "keres" also mean "want"? I entered "Do you want these or those?" and it was rejected.
keres is look or seek, kér is to ask for something, which is slightly different, but you can use kér as a nice way to say you want something.
I see, so I'm confusing "keresek" with "kéresek"? (If -ek is the right ending for the second word.)
So the word that people use for "please" is kéres and not keres?
There are a lot of similar words here:
- keresni/keresek = to seek/I seek - when I am looking for something, I am keresek valamit
- kérni/kérek = to ask/I ask - when I am requesting something, I am kérek valamit, which literally means I ask but in meaning is more polite, like please, so if you are in a cafe you can say kávét kérek which is like coffee, please or I would like coffee
- kérés is a noun which means request. As in, once you have said kávét kérek, you have a kérés for coffee.
- kérések is a noun which is the plural of kérés, meaning requests. It's a completely different word than keresek, which is a verb.
