Understanding the Magyar Imperative Mood
The imperative mood is used when we want to give commands, make requests, or offer suggestions. In Hungarian, also known as Magyar, the imperative mood helps us to tell someone what to do or to encourage them to take action.
Forming the Imperative Mood
To form the imperative in Magyar, we usually start with the verb stem and add specific endings. These endings change depending on who you are talking to. Let's explore how this works.
Important Points
- For 'you' (singular informal), add '-j', '-jél', or '-jál' to the verb stem.
- For 'you' (singular formal), add '-jon' or '-jen'.
- For 'you' (plural informal), add '-jatok' or '-jetek'.
- For 'you' (plural formal), add '-janak' or '-jenek'.
- If the verb stem ends in a vowel, sometimes you need to add '-j' to make it sound right.
Examples
- Menj az iskolába! (Go to school!)
- Olvass könyvet! (Read a book!)
- Kérlek, írj egy levelet! (Please, write a letter!)
Using the Imperative Mood with Politeness
When using the imperative mood, it's important to be polite, especially with people you don't know well or who are older than you. In Hungarian, you can add 'kérem' (please) to make your request more polite.
Examples
- Kérem, adjon nekem egy pohár vizet! (Please, give me a glass of water!)
- Kérem, segítsen nekem! (Please, help me!)
To tell someone not to do something, we use the word 'ne' before the verb. This makes the command negative.
Examples
- Ne fuss a folyosón! (Don't run in the hallway!)
- Ne beszélj hangosan! (Don't talk loudly!)