A1 Verb Conjugation 1 min read Facile

The '-ik' Verbs (Indefinite)

Marquer comme appris
Entraîne-toi

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Some Hungarian verbs end in '-ik' and take a special '-m' ending in the first person singular.

  • For 'én' (I), use the -m suffix: eszem (I eat).
  • For 'te' (you), use the -sz suffix: eszel (you eat).
  • For 'ő' (he/she), the verb remains the root: eszik (he/she eats).
Verb root + -m (én) / -sz (te) / -ik (ő)

Conjugation of 'eszik' (to eat)

Person Indefinite
Én
eszem
Te
eszel
Ő
eszik
Mi
eszünk
Ti
esztek
Ők
esznek

Meanings

The '-ik' verbs are a specific class of Hungarian verbs that follow a slightly different conjugation pattern in the singular indefinite form compared to standard verbs.

1

First person singular

Used when the subject is 'I'.

“Én dolgozom.”

“Én eszem.”

Reference Table

Reference table for The '-ik' Verbs (Indefinite)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Root + suffix
Eszem
Negative
Nem + verb
Nem eszem
Question
Verb + ?
Eszel?
Short Answer
Verb
Eszem.
1st Person
Root + -m
Dolgozom
2nd Person
Root + -sz
Dolgozol

Spectre de formalité

Formel
Eszem.

Eszem. (General)

Neutre
Eszem.

Eszem. (General)

Informel
Eszem.

Eszem. (General)

Argot
Eszem.

Eszem. (General)

The -ik Verb Family

-ik Verbs

Common Verbs

  • eszik to eat
  • iszik to drink
  • alszik to sleep

Exemples par niveau

1

Én eszem.

I eat.

2

Te iszol?

Are you drinking?

3

Ő dolgozik.

He/she works.

4

Én alszom.

I sleep.

1

Nem eszem húst.

I don't eat meat.

2

Mikor dolgozol?

When do you work?

3

A gyerek alszik.

The child is sleeping.

4

Mit iszol?

What are you drinking?

1

Sokat dolgozom a héten.

I am working a lot this week.

2

Már nem alszom olyan jól.

I don't sleep that well anymore.

3

Eszel valamit?

Are you eating something?

4

Ő mindig vizet iszik.

He always drinks water.

1

Bár sokat dolgozom, szeretem a munkám.

Although I work a lot, I love my job.

2

Nem eszem meg az egészet.

I won't eat the whole thing.

3

Azt hiszem, ő már alszik.

I think he is already sleeping.

4

Mit iszol ilyen későn?

What are you drinking so late?

1

Nem eszem, ha nem vagyok éhes.

I don't eat if I'm not hungry.

2

Dolgozom rajta, hogy jobb legyen.

I am working on making it better.

3

Az, hogy ő alszik, nem jelenti, hogy pihen.

The fact that he is sleeping doesn't mean he is resting.

4

Soha nem iszom kávét este.

I never drink coffee in the evening.

1

Míg én dolgozom, ő alszik.

While I work, he sleeps.

2

Nem eszem meg, hacsak nem muszáj.

I won't eat it unless I have to.

3

Azt mondta, hogy vizet iszik.

He said he is drinking water.

4

Dolgozom a projekten, amíg kész nem lesz.

I am working on the project until it is finished.

Facile à confondre

The '-ik' Verbs (Indefinite) vs Standard Verbs

Learners mix up -ok/-ek and -m.

The '-ik' Verbs (Indefinite) vs Definite Conjugation

Learners use indefinite endings with definite objects.

The '-ik' Verbs (Indefinite) vs Reflexive Verbs

They also end in -ik.

Erreurs courantes

✗

eszok

✓

eszem

Standard -ok ending used instead of -m.
✗

dolgozok

✓

dolgozom

Standard -ok ending used.
✗

ő esz

✓

ő eszik

Dropping the -ik suffix.
✗

én iszok

✓

én iszom

Standard -ok ending used.
✗

nem eszek

✓

nem eszem

Using -ek instead of -m.
✗

te eszik

✓

te eszel

Using the 3rd person form for 2nd person.
✗

én alszok

✓

én alszom

Standard -ok ending.
✗

eszünk

✓

eszünk

Correct, but sometimes learners use -ik here.
✗

dolgozikok

✓

dolgoznak

Double conjugation.
✗

iszikok

✓

isznak

Double conjugation.
✗

eszem meg

✓

megeszem

Preverb placement.
✗

dolgozom meg

✓

megdolgozom

Preverb placement.
✗

iszom ki

✓

kiiszom

Preverb placement.
✗

alszom el

✓

elalszom

Preverb placement.

Structures de phrases

Én ___ eszem.

Te ___ dolgozol?

Ő ___ iszik.

Én ___ alszom.

Real World Usage

Restaurant constant

Eszem egy levest.

Workplace very common

Itt dolgozom.

Texting common

Már alszom.

Social Media common

Kávét iszom.

Job Interview very common

Sokat dolgozom.

Travel occasional

Vizet iszom.

💡

Watch the -m

Always look for the -m ending for 'I' in -ik verbs.
⚠️

Don't use -ok

It's the most common mistake for beginners.
🎯

Memorize the top 5

Eszik, iszik, alszik, dolgozik, játszik.
💬

Be polite

Use formal address with these verbs.

Smart Tips

Always check if it ends in -ik.

Én eszok. → Én eszem.

Use -sz.

Te eszik. → Te eszel.

Keep the -ik.

Ő esz. → Ő eszik.

Use 'nem'.

Eszem nem. → Nem eszem.

Prononciation

eszem (front), dolgozom (back)

Vowel Harmony

Ensure the suffix matches the root vowels.

Question

Eszel? ↑

Rising intonation for yes/no questions.

Mémorise-le

Moyen mnémotechnique

Think of the 'm' in 'eszem' as standing for 'Me' (I).

Association visuelle

Imagine yourself eating a giant apple and saying 'Mmm' because it's good. That 'Mmm' is the -m ending!

Rhyme

For 'I' it's an M, for 'you' it's an SZ, the -ik stays for he/she, you'll do it with ease!

Story

I (én) eat (eszem) a cake. You (te) eat (eszel) a pie. He (ő) eats (eszik) a cookie. We all love -ik verbs!

Word Web

eszikiszikalszikdolgozikjátszikfésülködik

Défi

Write 3 sentences about your day using 'eszem', 'iszom', and 'dolgozom'.

Notes culturelles

Eating is a social activity. Using the correct verb form shows respect.

These verbs originate from a specific suffix in Proto-Uralic.

Amorces de conversation

“

Mit eszel?

“

Hol dolgozol?

“

Mit iszol?

“

Mikor alszol?

Sujets d'écriture

Write about your daily routine.
Describe what you eat for breakfast.
Describe your work or studies.
Write about your sleep habits.

Erreurs courantes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

Én ___ (eszik).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: eszem
Use -m for -ik verbs.
Choose the correct form. Choix multiple

Te ___ (dolgozik).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: dolgozol
Use -sz for 2nd person.
Correct the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Én iszok vizet.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Én iszom vizet
Use -m.
Reorder the sentence. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Én eszem levest
Standard order.
Translate to Hungarian. Traduction

I am sleeping.

Answer starts with: Als...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Alszom
Use -m.
Match the verb to the person. Match Pairs

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

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: eszem
1st person.
Conjugate 'iszik'. Conjugation Drill

Én ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: iszom
Use -m.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Én + dolgozik + ma.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ma dolgozom
Use -m.

Score: /8

Exercices pratiques

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

Én ___ (eszik).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: eszem
Use -m for -ik verbs.
Choose the correct form. Choix multiple

Te ___ (dolgozik).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: dolgozol
Use -sz for 2nd person.
Correct the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Én iszok vizet.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Én iszom vizet
Use -m.
Reorder the sentence. Sentence Reorder

eszem / én / levest

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Én eszem levest
Standard order.
Translate to Hungarian. Traduction

I am sleeping.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Alszom
Use -m.
Match the verb to the person. Match Pairs

Én - ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: eszem
1st person.
Conjugate 'iszik'. Conjugation Drill

Én ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: iszom
Use -m.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Én + dolgozik + ma.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ma dolgozom
Use -m.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

They are a historical class of verbs.

No, they follow a specific pattern.

No, that is incorrect.

Yes, but that's a different rule.

Yes, very.

It ends in -ik.

It's neutral.

It follows the same rule.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

German low

Weak/Strong verbs

Hungarian suffixation is more regular.

French low

1st/2nd/3rd conjugation

Hungarian -ik is a specific sub-group.

Spanish low

ar/er/ir verbs

Hungarian -ik is a special class within one group.

Japanese low

Godan/Ichidan verbs

Hungarian uses suffixation.

Arabic low

Form I-X verbs

Hungarian is agglutinative.

Chinese none

No conjugation

Hungarian is highly inflected.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Present Tense Indefinite Conjugation

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Present Tense Indefinite Conjugation
A2

Present Tense Definite Conjugation
A2

The '-lak/-lek' Special Conjugation
Was this helpful?

Commentaires (0)

Connectez-vous pour Commenter
Pas encore de commentaires. Soyez le premier à partager vos idées !