The Hungarian word order

Source: Carol H. Rounds/ Hungarian - An essential grammar

Hungarian allows a freedom of word order unknown in English. This does not mean that hungarian word order is free; word order is used instead as a means of backgrounding and/or highlighting information.

2 main sentence types exist in Hungarian regarding the word order. The 1st is the ‘neutral sentence’, the other is the ‘focus sentence’.

Before discussing their characteristics, we get to know the main sentence elements and their

positions.

In general

Sentence elements & positions

Topic Preverb Verb X

Neutral Preverb Focus Preverb

Neutral sentence structure

Focus sentence structure

The sentence elements

Topic The topic position is in the

beginning of the sentence and is usually filled with subject(s), general time expressions, and any other information which serves to set the background for more essential information to come. It may contain several constituents or remain empty.

„X” This position is filled by any part of

speech (except the conjugated verb); it may contain several constituents; it may occur empty. For the most part, the constituents may occur in the X position in any order without a difference is meaning. In sentences with focus, however it is usual that the 1st element of X is the element that was removed from the neutral preverb position.

Preverb The preverb occupies the position

immediately before the conjugated verb. It is the crux of the sentence for it is primarily here that the grammaticality of a sentence is determined. It is filled by different elements of speech depending on whether the sentence is neutral or focused.

The sentence types

I. Neutral sentence structure

Neutral sentences have a level intonation pattern; they are further characterized by not containing

elements with heavy stress interrogatives answers negation

Examples

Attilaitt

van -

Kláraszépen

énekel -

Múlt évben

Budapestenlaktak a szülei.

Múlt évben a szülei

Budapesten

laktak -

Topic Neutral Preverb

Verb X

Reggel a gyerekek

a kertbenjátszanak -

Reggela kertben

játszanaka

gyerekek.

- Amerikaiak vagyunk -

Péter jól meg- tanulta a leckét.

Zsuzsael

akarutazni

Prágába.

Topic Neutral Preverb

Verb X

a coverb an adverb a verbal complement

What might fill the role of a neutral preverb?

Verbal complements

Predicate nominative/ adjective Én mérnök vagyok. Magasak vagytok.

‘Have’ constuctions Nekem 2 testvérem van. Lacinak kevés ideje van.

Types of verbal complements 1.

Generic activities with no reference to specifics Dénes könyvet olvas. Jánost tollat keres. Tévét nézek. Holnap moziba megyünk. Adri egyetemre jár. Kovácsék vidéken laknak.

Types of verbal complements 2.

II. Focus sentence structureFocussed sentences have an intonation pattern containing the main stress on the focussed elements. Focus affects the word order of neutral sentences by taking away the preverb position for itself & removing the neutral preverb element to a position immediately behind the verb. The topic postion remains unaffected.

II. Focus sentence structure

Containing emphasis

Csak Dénes FOCUS PREVERB olvasVERB könyvetX.

interrogative Ki FOCUS PREVERB olvasVERB könyvetX?

answers to previous questions Dénes FOCUS PREVERB olvasVERB könyvetX.

negation DénesTOPIC nem FOCUS PREVERB olvasVERB könyvetX.

Examples

Q Reggel kik játszanak a kertben?

Q Reggela gyerekek

játszanak a kertben?

A Reggela gyerekek

játszanak a kertben.

Q -Mikor

játszanaka gyerekek a

kertben?

Q A gyerekek mikor játszanak a kertben?

A A gyerekekreggel

játszanak a kertben.

Type

of

focus

Topic Focus preverb

Verb X

N A gyerekek sohasem játszanaka kertben

reggel.

NA gyerekek nem reggel

játszanaka kertben,

hanem délután.

E A gyerekekcsak reggel

játszanaka kertben, este

soha.

E Reggel a gyerekek

csak a kertben játszanak, a házban soha.

Type

of

focus

Topic Focus preverb

Verb X

N Tegnap meg- ittama barátaimmal 2

sört.

N Tegnap nem ittam meg2 sört a

barátaimmal

Q -Meg-

ittam2 sört a

barátaimmal tegnap?

Q - Mit ittamtegnap a

barátaimmal?

E Tegnap 2 sört ittam meg a barátaimmal.

Én ittam mega barátaimmal 2 sört, és nem te.

Sentence type

Topic Preverb Verb X

The position of coverbs (simple cases)

The End

Next: Word order of the quasi – auxiliary verbs

(kell, akar, tud, lehet, szokott, tetszik, fog)