How to Express Cause, Purpose, and Consequence in Hungarian

Understanding Cause, Purpose, and Consequence in Hungarian

In Hungarian, expressing relationships such as cause, purpose, and consequence is essential for clear communication. These concepts are often conveyed using specific conjunctions, suffixes, and sentence structures. This article will guide English speakers through the common ways to express these ideas in Hungarian.

Expressing Cause (Ok) in Hungarian

Cause explains why something happens. In Hungarian, cause is often expressed using conjunctions like mert (because), mivel (since), and hiszen (after all). These words introduce subordinate clauses that explain the reason for the main action.

Example sentences:

• Sokat tanulok, mert vizsgám lesz. (I study a lot because I have an exam.)
• Nem megyek el, mivel esik az eső. (I am not going because it is raining.)
• Ne aggódj, hiszen minden rendben lesz. (Don't worry, after all, everything will be fine.)

Expressing Purpose (Cél) in Hungarian

Purpose indicates the reason or goal behind an action. Hungarian uses conjunctions like hogy or azért, hogy (so that, in order to) to express purpose. Additionally, the infinitive form with hogy is common.

Example sentences:

• Tanulok, hogy sikeres legyek. (I study so that I can be successful.)
• Elmegyek a boltba, azért, hogy vegyek kenyeret. (I go to the store in order to buy bread.)

Expressing Consequence (Következmény) in Hungarian

Consequence shows the result of an action. Hungarian often uses conjunctions like ezért (therefore), tehát (thus), and így (so) to indicate consequence.

Example sentences:

• Esik az eső, ezért nem megyek ki. (It is raining, therefore I am not going out.)
• Nem tanult, tehát megbukott a vizsgán. (He didn't study, thus he failed the exam.)
• Későn indult, így elkésett. (He left late, so he was late.)

Additional Tips for English Speakers Learning Hungarian Cause and Effect

- Hungarian word order is flexible, but the conjunctions usually come at the beginning of the subordinate clause.
- The conjunction mert is the most common for cause and is similar to English "because."
- For purpose, hogy can be followed by a verb in the subjunctive or indicative mood.
- Consequence conjunctions like ezért often appear at the start of the main clause.
- Practice by creating sentences using these conjunctions to get comfortable with their usage.