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Singular Personal Pronouns (Én, Te, Ő)

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Hungarian uses 'én' (I), 'te' (you), and 'ő' (he/she/it) as subject pronouns, but you can often drop them because verbs show the person.

  • Use 'én' for I, 'te' for you (singular), and 'ő' for he/she/it.
  • Hungarian verbs contain the subject, so you can drop the pronoun for a more natural sound.
  • Always use the pronoun if you want to emphasize who is doing the action.
Subject (Optional) + Verb = Sentence

Personal Pronouns Overview

Person Pronoun Meaning Verb Suffix (Example: -ok/-ek)
1st Singular
Én
I
-ok/-ek
2nd Singular
Te
You (informal)
-sz
3rd Singular
Ő
He/She/It
-(no suffix)

Meanings

These are the singular nominative personal pronouns used to identify the subject of a sentence.

1

First Person Singular

Refers to the speaker.

“Én magyarul tanulok.”

“Én vagyok a tanár.”

2

Second Person Singular

Refers to the person being addressed (informal).

“Te jól beszélsz.”

“Te vagy a barátom.”

3

Third Person Singular

Refers to someone else or an object.

“Ő olvas.”

“Ő a testvérem.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Singular Personal Pronouns (Én, Te, Ő)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Pronoun + Verb
Én tanulok.
Negative
Pronoun + nem + Verb
Én nem tanulok.
Question
Pronoun + Verb?
Te tanulsz?
Emphasis
Pronoun + Verb
Én tanulok, nem ő.
Pro-drop
Verb
Tanulok.
Formal
Ön + Verb
Ön tanul.

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Én megyek.

Én megyek. (Leaving a place)

Neutral
Megyek.

Megyek. (Leaving a place)

Informell
Megyek.

Megyek. (Leaving a place)

Umgangssprache
Lépek.

Lépek. (Leaving a place)

Hungarian Singular Pronouns

Singular Pronouns

1st Person

  • Én I

2nd Person

  • Te You

3rd Person

  • Ő He/She/It
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Beispiele nach Niveau

1

Én tanulok.

I am studying.

2

Te vagy a barátom.

You are my friend.

3

Ő olvas.

He/she is reading.

4

Én nem tudom.

I don't know.

1

Én szeretem a kávét, te pedig a teát.

I like coffee, and you like tea.

2

Ő nagyon kedves ember.

He/she is a very kind person.

3

Te mikor jössz haza?

When are you coming home?

4

Én már készen vagyok.

I am already ready.

1

Nem tudom, ő mit akar.

I don't know what he/she wants.

2

Én úgy gondolom, hogy ez jó ötlet.

I think this is a good idea.

3

Te biztosan tudod a választ.

You surely know the answer.

4

Ő nem jött el a buliba.

He/she didn't come to the party.

1

Én magam is meglepődtem a híren.

I myself was surprised by the news.

2

Te lennél az, akit keresek?

Could you be the one I am looking for?

3

Ő az, akiről beszéltem.

He/she is the one I talked about.

4

Én sem tudtam volna jobban.

I couldn't have done it better myself.

1

Én, aki mindig pontos vagyok, most elkéstem.

I, who am always punctual, am late now.

2

Te, mint szakértő, mit javasolsz?

You, as an expert, what do you suggest?

3

Ő, bár csendes, nagyon figyelmes.

He/she, although quiet, is very attentive.

4

Én nem állítom, hogy igazam van.

I am not claiming that I am right.

1

Én magam sem tudom, miért tettem.

I myself don't know why I did it.

2

Te, aki mindent tudsz, segíts nekem.

You, who know everything, help me.

3

Ő, a maga egyszerűségében, nagyszerű.

He/she, in his/her simplicity, is great.

4

Én nem lennék benne biztos.

I wouldn't be so sure about that.

Leicht verwechselbar

Singular Personal Pronouns (Én, Te, Ő) vs. Ő vs Az

Learners often use 'az' for people.

Singular Personal Pronouns (Én, Te, Ő) vs. Te vs Ön

Learners use 'te' in formal settings.

Singular Personal Pronouns (Én, Te, Ő) vs. Pronoun vs Verb Suffix

Learners think they must use both.

Häufige Fehler

✗

Én vagyok tanul.

✓

Tanulok.

Don't use 'vagyok' with other verbs.
✗

Ő az olvas.

✓

Ő olvas.

Don't use 'az' as a subject pronoun.
✗

Te tanul.

✓

Te tanulsz.

The verb must match the pronoun.
✗

Én eszik.

✓

Én eszem.

Wrong conjugation.
✗

Én megyek, ő megyek.

✓

Én megyek, ő megy.

Conjugation mismatch.
✗

Te vagy szép.

✓

Szép vagy.

Word order is usually verb-first.
✗

Ő az, ki olvas.

✓

Ő az, aki olvas.

Relative pronoun error.
✗

Én gondolom, hogy ő megy.

✓

Azt gondolom, hogy ő megy.

Need a demonstrative pronoun.
✗

Te, gyere ide!

✓

Gyere ide!

Pronoun is redundant.
✗

Ők az én barátom.

✓

Ő az én barátom.

Number mismatch.
✗

Én nem vagyok az, aki ezt tette.

✓

Nem én voltam, aki ezt tette.

Emphasis placement.
✗

Ő, aki ott áll, az az én testvérem.

✓

Az ott álló személy a testvérem.

Too many pronouns.
✗

Én tudom, te tudod, ő tudja.

✓

Én tudom, te tudod, ő tudja.

Actually correct, but redundant.

Satzmuster

Én ___ vagyok.

Te ___ tanulsz?

Ő ___ olvas.

Én nem ___ , de ő igen.

Real World Usage

Social Media constant

Én is ott vagyok!

Texting constant

Te hol vagy?

Job Interview very common

Én nagyon motivált vagyok.

Ordering Food common

Én egy kávét kérek.

Travel common

Én nem beszélek magyarul.

Email common

Ő küldte az e-mailt.

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💡

Drop it!

Try to drop the pronoun. It sounds much more natural.
⚠️

Gender Neutrality

Don't look for gender in 'ő'. It's for everyone.
🎯

Contrast

Use the pronoun only when you want to emphasize the person.
💬

Formal vs Informal

Always use 'Ön' for strangers.

Smart Tips

Drop the pronoun.

Én megyek haza. → Megyek haza.

Use the pronouns.

Szeretem a kávét, teát iszom. → Én szeretem a kávét, te teát iszol.

Use 'Ön'.

Te hogy vagy? → Ön hogy van?

Use 'ő'.

Az kedves. → Ő kedves.

Aussprache

/eːn/

Én

Pronounced like 'ayn'.

/tɛ/

Te

Pronounced like 'teh'.

/øː/

Ő

A long, rounded 'e' sound.

Neutral

Én tanulok. ↘

Statement of fact.

Question

Te tanulsz? ↗

Yes/no question.

Einprägen

Eselsbrücke

Think of 'Én' as 'End of me' (I), 'Te' as 'Tea' (You drink it), and 'Ő' as 'Oh!' (pointing at someone).

Visuelle Assoziation

Imagine yourself holding a mirror (Én), pointing at a friend (Te), and pointing at a mysterious person in the distance (Ő).

Rhyme

Én is I, Te is you, Ő is he/she, that is true!

Story

I (Én) walk into a cafe. I see you (Te) sitting there. We both look at him/her (Ő) who is reading a book in the corner.

Word Web

ÉnTeŐVagyokVagyVan

Herausforderung

Write 3 sentences about your day using only these pronouns and simple verbs.

Kulturelle Hinweise

Using 'te' with strangers is considered rude. Always use 'Ön' until invited to use 'te'.

More conservative, 'te' is used less frequently with elders.

Very casual, 'te' is used almost immediately.

Hungarian pronouns have Finno-Ugric roots.

Gesprächseinstiege

“

Te mit csinálsz ma?

“

Ő ki?

“

Én szeretem a zenét. Te?

“

Te mit gondolsz erről?

Tagebuch-Impulse

Write about yourself.
Describe your best friend.
Compare yourself to a friend.
Write a dialogue between you and a stranger.

Häufige Fehler

Incorrect

Richtig

Incorrect

Richtig

Incorrect

Richtig

Incorrect

Richtig

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Test Yourself

Fill in the correct pronoun.

___ vagyok a tanár.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Én
1st person singular.
Which is correct? Multiple Choice

___ olvas.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ő
3rd person singular.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Én vagyok tanul.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tanulok.
No 'vagyok' with verbs.
Order the words. Sentence Building

nem / Én / tanulok

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Én nem tanulok.
Subject-negation-verb.
Match the pronoun to the meaning. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: I, You, He/She
Basic definitions.
Choose the formal pronoun. Multiple Choice

___ hogy van?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ön
Formal address.
Fill in the missing pronoun.

___ szeretem a kávét, de ___ teát iszol.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Én/Te
Contrastive usage.
Fix the gender mistake. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ő (she) olvas.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ő olvas.
Hungarian is gender-neutral.

Score: /8

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Fill in the correct pronoun.

___ vagyok a tanár.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Én
1st person singular.
Which is correct? Multiple Choice

___ olvas.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ő
3rd person singular.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Én vagyok tanul.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tanulok.
No 'vagyok' with verbs.
Order the words. Sentence Building

nem / Én / tanulok

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Én nem tanulok.
Subject-negation-verb.
Match the pronoun to the meaning. Match Pairs

Match: Én, Te, Ő

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: I, You, He/She
Basic definitions.
Choose the formal pronoun. Multiple Choice

___ hogy van?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ön
Formal address.
Fill in the missing pronoun.

___ szeretem a kávét, de ___ teát iszol.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Én/Te
Contrastive usage.
Fix the gender mistake. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ő (she) olvas.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ő olvas.
Hungarian is gender-neutral.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

Hungarian is a pro-drop language. The verb ending contains the subject.

It is for both. Hungarian does not have gendered pronouns.

Use it for emphasis or contrast.

'Te' is informal, 'Ön' is formal.

No, 'az' is for objects.

Put 'nem' before the verb.

Yes, but that's a different lesson!

It is the verb 'to be'. Don't use it with other verbs.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

English moderate

I, you, he/she/it

Pro-drop vs non-pro-drop.

Spanish partial

Yo, tú, él/ella

Gendered vs gender-neutral.

German low

Ich, du, er/sie/es

Mandatory vs optional.

Japanese moderate

Watashi, anata, kare/kanojo

Politeness levels vs register.

Arabic partial

Ana, anta, huwa/hiya

Gendered vs gender-neutral.

Chinese high

Wǒ, nǐ, tā

Verb conjugation vs no conjugation.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Next
Plural Personal Pronouns (Mi, Ti, Ők)

Related Grammar Rules

A0

Plural Personal Pronouns (Mi, Ti, Ők)
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