How to Use Future Tense and Express Intentions in Hungarian

Understanding the Future Tense in Hungarian

Unlike English, Hungarian does not have a dedicated future tense conjugation. Instead, the future is often expressed using the present tense with context or by using specific words to indicate future time.

Using Present Tense to Indicate Future

In Hungarian, the present tense verb form can be used to talk about future events when the context or time expressions make it clear that the action will happen in the future. For example, Holnap megyek a boltba. means "I am going to the store tomorrow." Here, megyek is present tense, but holnap (tomorrow) indicates the future.

Using the Auxiliary Verb "fog" to Form Future Tense

To explicitly express the future tense, Hungarian uses the auxiliary verb fog followed by the infinitive of the main verb. This construction is similar to the English "will" + verb. For example, Fogok tanulni means "I will study."

The conjugation of fog changes according to the subject, while the main verb remains in the infinitive form.

Example conjugation of fog with the verb tanulni (to study):

1. Én fogok tanulni – I will study
2. Te fogsz tanulni – You will study
3. Ő fog tanulni – He/She will study
4. Mi fogunk tanulni – We will study
5. Ti fogtok tanulni – You (plural) will study
6. Ők fognak tanulni – They will study

Expressing Intentions in Hungarian

To express intentions or plans, Hungarian often uses the verb akar (to want) or phrases like fogok + infinitive, as well as other expressions.

Using "Akar" to Express Intentions

The verb akar means "to want" and is commonly used to express intention or desire to do something. For example, Akarlak hívni means "I want to call you." The verb akar is conjugated according to the subject.

Example conjugation of akar with the verb menni (to go):

1. Én akarok menni – I want to go
2. Te akarsz menni – You want to go
3. Ő akar menni – He/She wants to go
4. Mi akarunk menni – We want to go
5. Ti akartok menni – You (plural) want to go
6. Ők akarnak menni – They want to go

Using "Fogok" + Infinitive to Express Future Intentions

As mentioned, fogok + infinitive can also express future intentions or plans, similar to "I will" or "I am going to" in English.

Other Expressions to Show Intentions

Hungarian also uses phrases like készülök + infinitive (I am preparing to...), or tervezem + infinitive (I plan to...) to express intentions.

• Készülök utazni – I am preparing to travel
• Tervezem meglátogatni a családomat – I plan to visit my family

Summary and Tips

- Hungarian often uses the present tense with time expressions to indicate future actions.
- The auxiliary verb fog + infinitive explicitly forms the future tense.
- To express intentions, use akar (to want), fogok + infinitive, or verbs like készülök and tervezem.
- Practice conjugating fog and akar to become comfortable expressing future and intentions.