1/10 Should Holiday Names Be Capitalized?
It’s good to know that according to Hungarian spelling rules, holiday names start with lowercase letters. So, we say “Happy Christmas!” or “Happy Easter holidays!” and “Happy New Year!”.
2/10 "Mond" vs. "Mondd"
Verbs ending with -d take two "d"s in the imperative form. For example, the indicative is “He sends a message” or “She tells a story,” but the imperative becomes “Send the message!” or “Tell the story!”.
3/10 "Hagyj" and "Higgy"
The stem changes with these two imperatives. For “hagyj,” the stem is “hagy,” leading to forms like hagyd, hagyj, hagyja, hagyjátok. For “higgy,” the stem is “hisz,” which forms hidd, higgy, higgyétek.
Image source: Vadymvdrobot/depositphotos.com
4/10 Using "Hagy" Instead of "Hadd"
In everyday speech—even in polished settings—the form “hagy” is common, but in writing, "hadd" is correct, e.g., “Hadd lássam!” (Let me see!), not “Hagy lássam!”.
5/10 "Helység" vs. "Helyiség"
These two are not interchangeable! “Helység” means a settlement like a town or village, while “helyiség” refers to a separate part of a building or apartment, like a room, kitchen, or restroom. Remembering this will keep them clear in your mind.
6/10 "Nemcsak" vs. "Nem csak"
Write it together when using the structure “nemcsak … hanem … is,” for example, “It’s not only exciting for us but also engaging for others.” But write separately in cases like “It seems like it’s not only about this!”.
7/10 "Kaució" Not "Kaukció"
The word comes from the Latin “cautio,” meaning caution or guarantee. Only "kaució" is correct, usually paid when renting property or valuables as a security deposit against damage.
8/10 "Dicséret" Spelling
Though we often pronounce the “i” long, the correct spelling uses a short “i,” so it’s dicséret (praise), not with a long “í.”
9/10 "Be akarták befolyásolni" and "Nem fellebbezünk fel"
These are not separable verbs. The correct forms are “befolyásolni akarták” and “nem fellebbezünk.”
10/10 "Posta" or "Pósta"?
It’s spelled with a short “o,” but—especially in Budapest—some pronounce it with a long “ó.” Some consider the long “ó” pronunciation a bit pretentious.
