Bedeutung
Describing high temperature.
Kultureller Hintergrund
During extreme heatwaves, Hungarian railways (MÁV) and public transport often hand out free bottled water at major stations. You will hear people saying 'Meleg van' as they accept the water. If the temperature in an office exceeds a certain level (usually 24-27°C depending on the work), employers are legally required to provide 'védőital' (protective drink, usually water) and extra breaks. It is very common to complain about the heat even to people you don't know. It's considered a safe, neutral topic that builds instant rapport. In the countryside, people often retreat to 'borospince' (wine cellars) during the day because 'ott nincs meleg' (it's not hot there).
The 'Gay' Pitfall
I cannot stress this enough: 'Meleg vagyok' = I am gay. 'Melegem van' = I am hot. This is the #1 mistake for Hungarian learners.
Use 'Hú' for Emphasis
Adding 'Hú' or 'Hű' at the beginning ('Hú, de meleg van!') makes you sound much more like a native speaker.
Bedeutung
Describing high temperature.
The 'Gay' Pitfall
I cannot stress this enough: 'Meleg vagyok' = I am gay. 'Melegem van' = I am hot. This is the #1 mistake for Hungarian learners.
Use 'Hú' for Emphasis
Adding 'Hú' or 'Hű' at the beginning ('Hú, de meleg van!') makes you sound much more like a native speaker.
Small Talk Gold
If you don't know what to say to a Hungarian, just mention the heat. It's a guaranteed conversation starter.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the missing word to say 'It is very hot today'.
Ma nagyon meleg ____.
The present tense for describing the environment is 'van'.
How do you say 'I am hot' (feeling hot) correctly?
Which sentence is correct?
Personal feelings of heat use the possessive form 'Melegem van'.
Match the phrase to the situation.
It's 40 degrees outside and you are suffering.
'Hőség' is used for extreme heat.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Nyissunk ablakot? B: Igen, kérlek, mert itt bent ____ ____.
You open a window because it's hot inside.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Meleg van vs. Melegem van
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenMa nagyon meleg ____.
The present tense for describing the environment is 'van'.
Which sentence is correct?
Personal feelings of heat use the possessive form 'Melegem van'.
It's 40 degrees outside and you are suffering.
'Hőség' is used for extreme heat.
A: Nyissunk ablakot? B: Igen, kérlek, mert itt bent ____ ____.
You open a window because it's hot inside.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenNo. For objects, just say 'Meleg a kávé'. 'Meleg van' is only for the atmosphere.
'Meleg' is warm/hot. 'Forró' is scalding/burning hot. You use 'forró' for tea or a hot stove, but rarely for weather (unless you say 'forróság').
In Hungarian, the 3rd person singular 'is' (van) is omitted for adjectives describing a subject. But 'Meleg van' is an impersonal expression where 'warmth' is the thing that 'exists', so 'van' is required.
Say 'Túl meleg van'.
Yes, it's perfectly neutral and polite for any situation.
Tegnap meleg volt.
'Hőség' is a stronger noun for 'heat'. 'Hőség van' means it's very hot (a heatwave).
Yes, if you enter a room that is overheated, you can say 'Itt nagyon meleg van'.
Yes, 'Gatyarohasztó meleg van' is common but vulgar. Use it only with friends.
Meleg van?
Verwandte Redewendungen
Hőség van
specialized formThere is intense heat.
Melegem van
similarI am hot.
Hideg van
contrastIt is cold.
Kánikula
synonymHeatwave.
