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Trouble with translating Hungarian (again)?
Hello,
For the Hungarian speakers out there, I'm a beginner, trying to translate two Hungarian words that I've recently heard. I'm a bit confused, again. Please help if you can.
But first let me say that I understand the Hungarian letter "gy", and how it is pronounced.
1. I think the first word means "shall we eat", or "let's eat". It sounds like "egyunk", but I cannot find "egyunk" in any Hungarian dictionary.
2. I think the second word means "shall we drink", or "let's drink". It sounds like "igyunk", with the i pronounced like a long English e. But I cannot find "igyunk" in any Hungarian dictionary.
I'm rather certain the -unk means we. But other than that, I'm lost. Any help would be appreciated.
1 Answer
- ?Lv 77 years agoFavorite Answer
As is the case with many languages, Hungarian included, there are often (from few, to many) irregular verbs (depending on the language). Also, as often the case (for many reasons, not always clear, because languages and their developments aren't 'regular'), the most frequently used verbs (to eat, to drink, included here -- in English as well as Hungarian) can be among the most irregular, with lots of forms. Finally, the way language dictionaries are so *often* arranged, you have to study the irregular verb forms all by themselves -- many a dictionary will often list only the infinitive form of a verb. The better dictionaries contain more forms for explanation. At worst -- you must purchase a grammar book for whatever language, because the rest must be found elsewhere than the dictionary. That was the dictionary-makers' decision: to include or not to include. Or how much to include when things get irregular.
"Imperative, indefinite" as used on this page: http://hunlang.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/all-irregu... is the form you are looking for when you define it by your example as "shall we" or "let's" -- it's just a matter of grammatical terminology, and no need to trip over that terminology at stage one of learning the language. Hope it helps.
.... Likewise, you'll find the forms for "to drink" under 'inni'. ... There's never much explanation for wildly irregular verbs. It's just kind of ... the way things often are for various languages.